Opinion ID: 1440383
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Provide Psychologist with Mitigation Records

Text: Appellant argues that counsel's failure to provide his psychologist, Dr. Allan M. Tepper, with various records in a timely fashion prevented Dr. Tepper from testifying effectively to certain mitigating factors. Appellant first questions counsel's failure to investigate and provide Dr. Tepper with evidence of his father's history of drug abuse, based on the affidavit of his older brother. He also contends that counsel's submission to Dr. Tepper of Appellant's drug history, as detailed in a pre-sentence report, was untimely because Dr. Tepper received them only after interviewing Appellant. Finally, he criticizes counsel's failure to investigate or present evidence of his caretaking function while his mother was suffering from cancer. Appellant fails to prove counsel's ineffectiveness for each of these claims. Regarding his father's history of drug abuse, Dr. Tepper testified to the following at the PCRA evidentiary hearing: The fact that it's reported that the father, in addition to being separated and absent and using somewhat physical discipline in the home, also, at least it's represented, had a daily or a chronic cocaine problem, again, would be very significant with respect to [Appellant]'s upbringing, his development, what he was exposed to, whether that literally was something he modeled. The substance abuse in parents is a very important piece of information for any kind of evaluation. N.T., 10/31/05, at 114-15 (emphasis added). At the penalty-phase hearing, Dr. Tepper added that Appellant's father was absent during Appellant's formative years. N.T., 11/12/97, at 94. Dr. Tepper did not explain, nor does Appellant explain now, how Appellant could have modeled his father's drug abuse when Appellant rarely saw his father. Furthermore, Appellant's brother, who claimed in an affidavit that their father used cocaine daily, testified: Well, from 1968 to '81, I wouldn't know if he did cocaine daily. I was born in '63, so that would be five years old. I don't think he would have showed me that then. In '81 he separated from my mom. Okay? So I know he wasn't doing it between '68 and '81. Or I didn't see him do it then. N.T., 11/28/05, at 67. In fact, the first instance in which Appellant's brother claims to have seen their father use cocaine was in 1985, and rather than state that it was a daily abuse of cocaine, he made a vague response of seeing the cocaine usage on [m]ore than [o]ne occasion. Id. at 75. Moreover, Dr. Tepper noted the substance abuse history of Appellant's mother and siblings. When considered in light of Appellant's penalty-phase argument that his father's abandonment created hardship, and the jury's finding of his life history as a mitigating factor, we cannot conclude that counsel's omission of this evidence was prejudicial. [17] See Strickland, supra . Appellant's claim about the timing of counsel's disclosure of Appellant's drug history to Dr. Tepper is equally without merit. Dr. Tepper testified that this information would have been additional information regarding that part of the evaluation of his drug-use history. N.T., 10/31/05, at 109-10. While Dr. Tepper noted that the information would have provided outside confirmation of Appellant's drug-use history and further details of it, he did not state that the evidence would have changed the diagnosis he expressed in his report or to the jury. Because this evidence would have been merely cumulative to Dr. Tepper's findings, Appellant suffered no prejudice from the timing of counsel's disclosure. Finally, Appellant presents numerous affidavits from witnesses who state that they would have testified to Appellant's caretaking duties during family illnesses, particularly his mother's battle with cancer. He claims that Dr. Tepper would have conducted a more thorough interview of Appellant had he heard from these witnesses. Again, Dr. Tepper did not claim at any point that these affidavits suggested a different diagnosis from the one he offered to the penalty-phase jury. In fact, as the Commonwealth observes, Dr. Tepper specifically admitted that the affidavits don't now allow [him] to make a diagnosis that [he] did not make back then. Id. at 135. Accordingly, we hold Appellant has failed to prove the ineffectiveness of his trial counsel in relation to the information provided to Dr. Tepper.