Opinion ID: 454754
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: City Transcripts

Text: 26 Leventhal complains of the poor quality of the city transcripts of the tape recordings of his hearing before Officer Black. Although CETA does not require the City to prepare transcripts, Leventhal had a procedural due process right to a record which is sufficiently complete and accurate to permit fair appellate review. See Schwander v. Blackburn, 750 F.2d 494, 497 (5th Cir.1985) (criminal defendant has right to record of sufficient completeness to allow full appellate review). 27 The record presented to us is sufficiently complete to resolve Leventhal's appeal. Although the transcripts contain a number of mistakes and omissions, they are a substantially accurate and complete record of the hearings before Officer Black. The majority of mistakes involve single words or phrases, and do not affect the essence of the witnesses' testimony. Moreover, Leventhal had an opportunity to correct the transcripts by comparing them to the tape recordings, and his corrections are part of the record. Finally, Leventhal has failed to indicate specifically how the deficiencies in the transcripts have prejudiced his substantive rights. We conclude that the record is sufficiently complete and accurate to permit a fair resolution of Leventhal's appeal. See id. (omissions in trial transcript did not deny defendant meaningful appeal because they did not concern the issues on appeal, and defendant failed to allege any specific prejudice); United States v. Pigg, 471 F.2d 843, 845-46 (7th Cir.) (transcript was sufficiently complete to permit adequate appellate review because it contained 95% of the witnesses' testimony, and the omissions were merely peripheral and not prejudicial), cert. denied, Y411 U.S. 970, 93 S.Ct. 2164, 36 L.Ed.2d 693 (1973). 28 AFFIRMED.