Opinion ID: 1467486
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Appellant Garvin

Text: Similarly, Appellant Garvin also argues that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to ask for and use the number of peremptory challenges to which appellant was entitled to [sic] under Pa.R.Crim.P. 1126. Brief for Appellant Garvin at 16. In this instance, the issue is properly presented. In post-trial motions, trial counsel raised her own ineffectiveness and then she stepped aside to allow present counsel to replace her. Before an appeal was filed and during the pendency of the post-trial motions, a hearing was held attended by all the defendants and their counsel as well as a representative of the District Attorney's Office. Appellant Garvin's trial counsel testified at the hearing on the issue of her alleged ineffectiveness. We will therefore proceed to consider the issue on the merits. In ruling on this issue, the trial court stated: [C]ounsel was not ineffective for failing to ask for additional peremptory challenges. The defendants were allowed a total of nine and only seven were used in seating the jury. The fact that counsel was unaware of Rule 1126 and that they were entitled to more peremptory challenges than they actually used does not make counsel ineffective. . . . Counsel has shown no prejudice as a result of being unfamiliar with the new rule. (Tr.Ct.Op. at 31-32.) We agree with the trial court's ultimate conclusion of the ineffectiveness issue. However, we premise our affirmance on slightly different ground. [29] The standard by which we assess claims of ineffective assistance of counsel is familiar and often repeated: In resolving this contention we are guided by the standard set forth in Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. 599, 604, 235 A.2d 349, 352 (1967): [C]ounsel's assistance is deemed constitutionally effective once we are able to conclude that the particular course chosen by counsel had some reasonable basis designed to effectuate client's interests. The initial factor which must be considered in applying this reasonable basis standard is whether the claim which. . . counsel is charged with not pursuing had some reasonable basis. In Maroney, we noted that a finding of ineffectiveness could never be made unless we concluded that the alternatives not chosen afforded a potential for success substantially greater than the tactics actually utilized. Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. at 605 n. 8, 235 A.2d at 353 [n. 8]. . . . It is only when the claim which was foregone was of arguable merit that we must make an inquiry into the basis for . . . counsel's decision not to pursue the matter. Thus, the starting point of our inquiry is whether there were reasonable grounds to advance the . . . claims which were not advanced. . . . Commonwealth v. Hubbard, 472 Pa. 259, 277-278, 372 A.2d 687, 695-696 (1977). (Original emphasis.) We believe that the trial court correctly required Appellant Garvin to show that some prejudice [30] to his defense occurred because of counsel's alleged shortcomings. However, we hasten to add that this showing is accomplished by establishing that the claim foregone is of arguable merit. An examination of the law of other jurisdictions, both Federal [31] and State, [32] reveals that a showing of prejudice is almost always required. The courts of this Commonwealth have adhered to a different verbal formula than that used in any other jurisdiction. This requirement developed out of the seminal case of Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. at 605 n. 8, 235 A.2d at 353 n. 8, quoted only in part by the court in Commonwealth v. Hubbard, supra . In full, the Washington court stated: Cases such as Commonwealth ex rel. Gallagher v. Rundle, 423 Pa. 356, 223 A.2d 736 (1966) and Commonwealth ex rel. Jones v. Maroney, 417 Pa. 567, 209 A.2d 285 (1965) indicate that for relief to be granted, appellant must demonstrate that counsel's ineffectiveness worked to his prejudice. Appellant, however, advances the proposition that any requirement of prejudice is inconsistent with White v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 59, 83 S.Ct. 1050 [10 L.Ed.2d 193] (1963) and Hamilton v. Alabama, 368 U.S. 52, 82 S.Ct. 157 [7 L.Ed.2d 114] (1961). [These two cases held that no prejudice need be shown when counsel is not made available to an indigent defendant at a critical stage of pre-trial proceedings.] Since our test requires that we examine the approach employed by counsel in light of the available alternatives, a finding of ineffectiveness could never be made unless the alternatives not chosen offered a potential for success substantially greater than the tactics actually utilized. Obviously, then, if there is no reasonable basis to support . . . counsel's decisions (a finding prerequisite to a conclusion of ineffectiveness), his decisions a fortiori were prejudicial to the client. (Emphasis supplied.) Thus, by including the emphasized language with the definition of arguable merit, the Hubbard court implicitly acknowledged that a showing of prejudice is required for a showing of counsel's ineffectiveness. The prejudice which a defendant must show is that the claim or tactics foregone, if pursued, would have altered the chances for a successful defense both positively and substantially. When an accused fails to show or allege this form of prejudice, our courts will conclude that his or her claim is without merit. Commonwealth v. Hubbard, supra . An analysis of our cases supports this conclusion. In Commonwealth v. Pettus, 492 Pa. 558, 563, 424 A.2d 1332, 1335 (1981), the Supreme Court rejected a claim of ineffectiveness saying: Assertions of ineffectiveness in a vacuum cannot be ineffectiveness. Counsel who is alleging ineffectiveness must set forth an offer to prove at an appropriate hearing sufficient facts upon which a reviewing court can conclude that trial counsel may have in fact, been ineffective. This Court will no longer consider claims of ineffective assistance of counsel in the abstract. Boiler plate allegations. . . are insufficient. . . . Even more recently, our Supreme Court has rejected an ineffectiveness claim based on the alleged failure of trial counsel to pursue vigorously a motion for change of venue. In Commonwealth v. Vogel, 501 Pa. 314, 461 A.2d 604 (1983), the court articulated two grounds for its ruling. First, the defendant in that case had not shown that he would have been able to obtain a change of venue even if trial counsel had pursued such a motion. Id., 501 Pa. at 329, 461 A.2d at 611. Second, the court stated: [E]ven if we accept as inadequate counsel's reasons for failing to pursue the motion for change of venue with more vigor, that fact alone would not justify a disturbance of a final judgment absent a further showing that the asserted dereliction deprived Mr. Vogel of a fair trial. This was certainly not a situation that would justify a presumption of prejudice. Id., 501 Pa. at 329, 461 A.2d at 612. Also, an en banc panel of this court has recently rejected a claim that counsel was ineffective for failing to examine the record and preserve the defendant's claim that certain physical evidence should have been suppressed. In Commonwealth v. Brown, 313 Pa.Super. 256, 459 A.2d 837 (1983), this court stated: Nowhere does Brown tell us exactly what was wrong with the stewardship and disposition of his suppression motion or how it prejudiced him. Id., 313 Pa.Superior Ct. at 260, 459 A.2d at 839 (original emphasis). Likewise, in missing witness cases, the accused must show that (1) counsel knew of the existence of the witness who purportedly should have been called, (2) the witness was available to testify, and (3) the testimony of the witness would have appreciably strengthened the defense. Commonwealth v. McKenna, 498 Pa. 416, 446 A.2d 1274 (1982); Commonwealth v. Robinson, 487 Pa. 541, 410 A.2d 744 (1980); Commonwealth v. Stokes, 294 Pa.Super. 529, 440 A.2d 591 (1982); Commonwealth v. Ashley, 277 Pa.Super. 287, 419 A.2d 775 (1980). When the claimed ineffectiveness rests on the assertion that counsel should have filed a post-verdict motion for relief, the defendant must specify the trial errors which should have been preserved, Commonwealth v. McFarland, 304 Pa.Super. 470, 473-74, 450 A.2d 1008, 1010 (1982), as well as show how those omitted objections were arguably important and had a chance of succeeding. Commonwealth v. Hubbard, 472 Pa. at 285, 372 A.2d at 699. The same is true when the defendant attacks his attorney's failure to file a pre-trial motion to suppress. Commonwealth v. Costanzo, 309 Pa.Super. 267, 455 A.2d 153 (1983). When a defendant argues that counsel omitted the presentation of a defense, that defense must be both material and favorable. Commonwealth v. McKenna, supra, 498 Pa. at 422, 446 A.2d at 1277. Likewise, when a defendant alleges that his counsel failed to attack the credibility of a witness by means of prior inconsistent testimony, the defendant must demonstrate the nature of those inconsistencies and their materiality. Commonwealth v. McFarland, supra . We are aware that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has also ruled that a harmless error analysis does not apply to claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. Commonwealth v. Badger, 482 Pa. 240, 244, 393 A.2d 642, 644 (1978). The court in Badger relied specifically on United States Supreme Court precedent which stated that the assistance of counsel is among those `constitutional rights so basic to a fair trial that their infraction can never be treated as harmless error.' Holloway v. Arkansas, 435 U.S. 475, 489, 98 S.Ct. 1173, 1181, 55 L.Ed.2d 426 (1978), quoting Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 23, 87 S.Ct. 824, 827-828, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967). This may still be true for certain categories of ineffectiveness or right-to-counsel cases. See, e.g., cases where no counsel was afforded, White v. Maryland, supra ; Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 83 S.Ct. 792, 9 L.Ed.2d 799 (1963); Hamilton v. Alabama, supra ; where a systematic defect for which the state was responsible prevented counsel from performing functions vital to effective representation such as Geders v. United States, 425 U.S. 80, 96 S.Ct. 1330, 47 L.Ed.2d 592 (1976) and Herring v. New York, 422 U.S. 853, 95 S.Ct. 2550, 45 L.Ed.2d 593 (1975); where counsel is required to operate under an actual conflict of interest or fails to detect such a conflict such as in Cuyler v. Sullivan, 446 U.S. 335, 100 S.Ct. 1708, 64 L.Ed.2d 333 (1980) and Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942); or where counsel's derelictions are so pervasive and substantial that no precise degree of prejudice can in fact be shown such as Davis v. Alabama, 596 F.2d 1214 (5th Cir. 1979), vacated as moot, 446 U.S. 903, 100 S.Ct. 1827, 64 L.Ed.2d 256 (1980). However, where counsel proceeds unhindered by governmental misconduct and where there are no circumstances from which inherent prejudice may logically be presumed, the United States Supreme Court has unanimously stated that certain violations of the right to counsel may be disregarded as harmless error. United States v. Morrison, 449 U.S. 361, 365, 101 S.Ct. 665, 668, 66 L.Ed.2d 564 (1981). Additionally, the court stated that absent some real or threatened adverse effect upon . . . counsel's representation or . . . some other prejudice to the defense . . . there is no basis for imposing a remedy in that proceeding, which can go forward with full recognition of the defendant's right to counsel and to a fair trial. Id. We thus conclude that Badger and its progeny, Commonwealth v. Stitzel, 309 Pa.Super. 43, 47-8, 454 A.2d 1072, 1074 (1982) and Commonwealth v. Williams, 273 Pa.Super. 147, 416 A.2d 1132 (1979), no longer correctly reflect the law. We thus conclude that Appellant Garvin was required to show some form of prejudice to his defense before his claim of ineffectiveness of the part of his trial counsel could be deemed to be of arguable merit. After a thorough review of the record, we hold that Appellant Garvin failed to make the requisite showing. At the post-trial hearing, trial counsel for Appellant Garvin was the only witness called to testify. (N.T. 5/6/81 at 5-9.) She stated that, at the time of trial, she thought that we were entitled to seven [peremptory challenges], a total of seven for the three defendants. She further testified that she was unaware of the change in Pa.R.Crim.P. 1126 which increased the number of peremptory challenges permitted. Counsel also stated that, had she been aware of the change, she would have asked for a minimum of three . . . and a maximum of seven. . . . She also stated that she had not been satisfied with the jury selected and that she would have exercised additional peremptory challenges if she thought them available. She explained: At the time we conducted the voir dire we exhausted all seven challenges, so that before the jury selection was completed the three counsel and the defendants had used up the seven we thought we were entitled to. We would have used more if there were additional challenges available to us. (N.T. 5/6/81 at 9.) Contrary to the assertion of counsel and contrary to a statement in the trial court's opinion, Tr.Ct.Op. at 31, we believe that the record shows that eight peremptory challenges were utilized by defense counsel in selecting the jury. By examining the transcribed record of the voir dire, we can identify the column on the jury selection sheets used to record the peremptory challenges exercised by counsel for the defense. There are a total of eight recorded peremptory strikes. Because more challenges were utilized than counsel remembered being permitted to exercise, substantial doubt is cast upon her ability to accurately recall the other circumstances surrounding this claim. However, even if her memory be correct, her testimony provides no basis for a claim to relief. We find this case to be similar to Commonwealth v. Stokes, supra, 294 Pa.Super. at 541, 440 A.2d at 597. In that case, this court found unpersuasive a defendant's single bald assertion that the testimony of a missing witness would have been helpful to his case. Appellant's single reference to [the witness'] prospective assistance is hardly a positive demonstration that her testimony would have been helpful to Appellant's defense, and we will not find counsel ineffective for failure to produce her. What was needed in Stokes and what is needed in the present case is more than a conclusory assessment of the facts underlying the claimed ineffectiveness. These underlying circumstances must be elicited so as to enable the court to make its own assessment. As noted above, counsel testified that she had not been satisfied with the jury. However, we are not told the source from which this dissatisfaction stemmed. We cannot, nor could the trial court, independently assess the reasonableness of that dissatisfaction. Counsel did not state that any specific juror would have been excused nor that any specific juror fell below her personal threshold of satisfaction nor did she explain how her criteria for acceptability were structured. In short, there is no indication that the jury that would have been selected would have been fairer or less unfair than the panel which actually heard the case. We cannot therefore conclude that trial counsel's failure to exercise the additional peremptory challenges to which she was entitled deprived appellant of an alternative with a potential for success substantially greater than the tactics actually utilized. [33] Commonwealth v. ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, supra. Furthermore, although such evidence may not be essential to a claim of this type, we note that there is no evidence on this record which in the slightest manner impugns the fairness of the jury which heard this case. Indeed, the jury acquitted Appellant Garvin of two charges and acquitted Appellants Smith and Bradley of three charges each. Because appellant has not carried his burden of showing that he would have benefitted in some way from the exercise of the additional peremptory challenge, he has failed to show that his claim has any arguable merit.