Court Opinion

ID: 9762922
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:33:53.1741+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:38.478658
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Van der Voort, J.:
The appellant, Augustine Salvitti, the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, files the instant appeal from an Order adjudging him to be in civil contempt. The contempt citation arose following the appellant’s May 7, 1975 refusal (in sessions before the Special Investigating Grand Jury which was examining Redevelopment Authority practices)' to testify or produce records previously subpoenaed by the Special Prosecutor.
The record shows that on February 20, 1975, Grand Jury Subpoena Duces Tecum Number 868 was served upon appellant calling for the production of “any and all daily appointment books or calendars maintained on behalf of [Mr.] Salvitti for the year 1974.” On April 15, 1975, Grand Jury Subpoena Duces Tecum Number 1073 was served upon the appellant requiring similar information for the time period during December, 1973, when the appellant held his position with the Redevelopment Authority. On April 25, 1975, the Redevelopment Authority filed a Motion to Quash the subpoenas. After the Commonwealth filed an Answer, the lower court held a hearing for oral argument on the Motion. The appellant, at this hearing, contended that the subpoena was overly broad.
*474During the course of the hearing on the Motion to Quash, appellant’s counsel stated:
“They have get (sic) to establish, to the Court’s satisfaction, — I never said to my client’s satisfaction, but to the Court’s satisfaction that it comes within the scope of the investigation and that, in addition, they have some reason for requesting the information that they seek to subpoena. That’s not been done, to my knowledge.
“I am -not asking to hear what that is. I am asking this Court to receive from them in camera, without my being present, a statement which I wish to be put on the record so that it will be recorded of exactly and precisely the reasons why they are requesting the appointment books and why they wish to review those things. I don’t wish to see that, but I wish to know the fact that it exists on the record.”
Following these statements by counsel, the Court held an in camera hearing, at which time the Special Prosecutor established, to the lower court’s satisfaction, the relevancy of the subpoenaed documents within the scope of the Grand Jury’s investigation.
On this appeal, the appellant raises several claims of error. He first contends that the lower court erred in finding civil contempt, “without first determining by a hearing the actual nature of the items being subpoenaed.” At oral argument before our Court, appellant again raised the contention that there had been a lack of an appropriate hearing. It is clear that the record completely rebuts appellant’s contention that he was not afforded hearings on his claims. Not only was there a hearing on the Motion to Quash Subpoenas, but the lower court also, at appellant’s suggestion, held an in camera hearing concerning the broadness issue raised by appellant. I am at a loss to figure out what type of further hearing the appellant claims is his entitlement. I would reject his first contention of error.
*475Next, despite the fact that appellant expressly stated the position (at the suppression hearing1) that he did not feel he had a right to the information concerning relevancy and materiality, he now contends the lower court erred in not fulfilling his request that it provide him with a transcript of the in camera hearing. Thus, despite the fact that counsel said, “I don’t wish to see that...”, he later took the diametrically opposite position that he wanted to see it and was entitled to see it. I would not condone such improper tactics and would hold that appellant expressly waived any alleged right to information about or a transcript of the in camera hearing which he initially suggested to the court. Even if I did not find a waiver in these circumstances, it is clear that a judge supervising grand jury proceedings, in the exercise of his discretion, has the right to hold an in camera hearing of the type conducted in this case and maintain confidentiality if he believes the interests of the investigation so require. In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 507 F.2d 963 (3d Cir. 1975); see also In re Grand Jury Subpoena to Central States, 225 F. Supp. 923 (N.D. Ill. 1964).
Last, appellant claims that the lower court “... erred in finding appellant in civil contempt for his action on May 7, 1975, when the Court knew that a ruling on the in camera "offer of proof’2 would not be made until May 9, 1975.” The appellant was found, at a May 9, 1975 hearing, to be in civil contempt for his refusal, when he appeared before the Grand Jury on May 7, 1975, to provide the information subpoenaed.
While appellant contends he might have avoided holding himself in contempt on May 7 if he had known of the lower court’s decision on his May 6, 1975 request for a transcript of the in camera proceedings, the record effectively rebuts this claim. Appellant’s counsel and the *476Special Prosecutor’s office, prior to appellant’s May 7, 1975 appearance before the Grand Jury, agreed that his appearance would be for the sole purpose of refusing to produce the subpoenaed information. It was expressly stated by appellant that he realized he would have to enter such a refusal, and be subjected to a Decree of Civil Contempt, to enable him to raise an appellate challenge to the subpoena. See United States v. Ryan, 402 U.S. 530, 91 S. Ct. 1580, 29 L. Ed.2d 85 (1971); In re: Petition of Specter, 455 Pa. 518, 317 A.2d 286 (1974). Moreover, appellant did not make any prior request for a stay of his May 7, 1975 appearance before the Special Investigating Grand Jury, nor raise any other objection to his appearing on that date, despite his clear knowledge that a hearing on his May 6, 1975 request for the in camera record was not scheduled until May 9, 1975. In view of all of this evidence of the appellant’s conduct and legal position before the lower court, I would dismiss his third claim of error.
I would affirm and remand to the lower court for compliance with sentence imposed.
Jacobs and Price, JJ., join in this dissenting opinion.

. See quotation, above.

. The in camera proceedings.