Pennsylvania's statutory damages cap applies individually to multiple state agency defendants in the same case, the Commonwealth Court has ruled in an apparent issue of first impression.

An en banc Commonwealth Court panel Wednesday rejected the argument of a school district and a township being sued by a homeowners' association that two separate awards of $500,000 in favor of the plaintiffs should be molded into an aggregate $500,000 verdict under the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act.

The Glencannon Homes Association sued North Strabane Township and Canon-McMillan School District in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas for the erosion of the residential development's retention pond due to sediment buildup from a nearby school sports complex. The jury returned a $1.5 million verdict for negligence claims and $1.63 million for Storm Water Management Act claims in favor of the homeowners' association, ultimately reduced by the trial court.