Court Opinion

ID: 9637051
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 14:54:58.569149+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:52.586572
License: Public Domain

DISSENTING OPINION BY
LALLY-GREEN, J.:
¶ 1 While the Majority sets out a very persuasive analysis, I nevertheless dissent because I believe binding Supreme Court precedent controls Appellant’s case. Specifically, I believe that under our Supreme Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Millner,1 Appellant must first demonstrate a reasonable expectation of privacy in the area where the contraband was found. Since the record fails to reflect such demonstration, I would affirm the conviction. I would also vacate the judgment of sentence, but for different reasons, as set forth below.
¶ 2 In Millner, our Supreme Court engaged in a thorough, historical, and comprehensive analysis of the Court’s “reasonable expectation of privacy” requirement. In order to illustrate the broad scope of the Court’s analysis, I will quote it here with minimal editing:
A proper understanding of the defendant’s preliminary burden at a suppression hearing begins with consideration of this Court’s seminal decision in Commonwealth v. Sell, 504 Pa. 46, 470 A.2d 457 (Pa.1983). In Sell, we held that, under Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, a criminal defendant charged with a possessory offense has “automatic standing” to pursue a motion to suppress evidence where that evidence (most typically, contraband or firearms) forms the very basis for the possessory crime, and the claim is that the evidence was the fruit of an unlawful seizure. The Sell Court viewed its automatic standing holding as significantly more protective of privacy rights than then-emerging Fourth Amendment jurisprudence from the U.S. Supreme Court, which had moved away from a preliminary standing analysis and adopted a substantive approach which analyzed Fourth Amendment claims by focusing on whether the challenged search or seizure implicated a reasonable and legitimate privacy expectation that was personal to the defendant. See, e.g., Rawlings v. Kentucky, 448 U.S. 98, 100 S.Ct. 2556, 65 L.Ed.2d 633 (1980); United States v. Salvucci, 448 U.S. 83, 100 S.Ct. 2547, 65 L.Ed.2d 619 (1980); Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128, 99 S.Ct. 421, 58 L.Ed.2d 387 (1978). The Sell Court noted that, under Rakas, Salvucci and Rawlings, the “sole determinant of the scope of protection afforded” under the Fourth Amendment was the defendant’s “ability to prove a ‘legitimate expectation of privacy' by the ‘totality of the circumstances.’ ” 470 A.2d at 466.
After analyzing Article I, Section 8, and recognizing this Court’s authority to find greater protection of privacy rights under our state charter, the Sell Court noted:
We decline to undermine the clear language of Article I, section 8 by making the Fourth Amendment’s amorphous “legitimate expectation of privacy” standard a part of our state guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. We do so not only because we find the United States Supreme Court’s analytical distinction between “standing” and “threshold substantive question,” see *151Rakas, supra 439 U.S. at 139 n. 7, 99 S.Ct. at 428 n. 7, unhelpful to our interpretation of Article I, section 8’s protection, but also because we believe the United States Supreme Court’s current use of the “legitimate expectation of privacy” concept needlessly detracts from the critical element of unreasonable governmental intrusion.
470 A.2d at 468.
Notwithstanding the Sell Court’s rather broad criticism of the substance of the Rakas/Salvucci/Rawlings approach to search and seizure questions, its holding was very narrow. The Sell case came to this Court as an appeal from a Superior Court ruling which held that the defendant, who was charged with receiving stolen property, but who was not present when police executed the search warrant which led to the seizure of the stolen firearms at his place of business, lacked standing even to challenge the constitutionality of the search. Sell held that the “automatic standing” doctrine remained viable in Pennsylvania; and, since receiving stolen property is a pos-sessory offense, Sell remanded to the Superior Court for consideration of the merits of the defendant’s challenge to the constitutionality of the search. 470 A.2d at 469.
After Sell, some confusion arose concerning what burden, if any, the Pennsylvania automatic standing defendant had in a suppression hearing, particularly in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s focus upon a defendant’s reasonable expectation of privacy in assessing Fourth Amendment claims. The confusion most notably manifested itself in the Superior Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Peterson, 408 Pa.Super. 22, 596 A.2d 172 (1991). Citing to a number of this Court’s post-ReZZ decisions, the lead opinion by Judge Beck noted that, in order to prevail upon a suppression motion, the defendant has a preliminary burden to show that the challenged police conduct implicated a reasonable expectation of privacy he had in the area searched or item seized. 596 A.2d at 174-76 & nn. 2-4 (discussing, inter alia, Commonwealth v. Copenhefer, 526 Pa. 555, 587 A.2d 1353 (1991); Commonwealth v. Oglialoro, 525 Pa. 250, 579 A.2d 1288 (1990); and Commonwealth v. Blystone, 519 Pa. 450, 549 A.2d 81 (1988)). The concurring opinion, however, construed Sell differently, arguing that it had purported to establish a state constitutional rule that was more protective of privacy than the federal reasonable expectation of privacy test. Thus, the concurrence argued that:
If the reasonableness of a governmental intrusion can be evaluated only when the search or seizure implicated the particular defendant’s reasonable expectation of privacy, the Sell rule is identical in all practical respects to the federal approach. I find it hard to believe that Sell stands only for the proposition that, when the court inevitably denies the defendant’s motion to suppress, it is imperative to announce that there is “no reasonable expectation of privacy” rather than no standing. If the Sell Court intended this result, it would have been much easier simply to adopt Salvucci
596 A.2d at 187 (Hoffman, J., concurring) (emphases original). The concurrence thus construed Sell as permitting automatic standing defendants to vicariously assert the privacy rights of others in some instances.
This Court granted further review in Peterson and specifically addressed the interplay of standing principles and the role of the substantive “reasonable expectation of privacy” analysis. Our *152unanimous opinion rejected the Superior Court concurrence’s construction of Sell and made it explicitly clear that Sell’s automatic standing holding did not absolve the suppression defendant of his obligation to demonstrate that the challenged police conduct implicated a reasonable expectation of privacy that he personally possessed:
Standing denotes the existence of a legal interest. In the context of this case, the term refers specifically to appellant’s right to have the merits of his suppression motion adjudicated without a preliminary showing of ownership or possession in the premises or effects seized. Sell, supra, established the existence of this right unequivocally, holding that a charge of possessory offenses is sufficient, without more, to confer standing. At no time was appellant’s standing in this matter contested. However, having had his standing acknowledged, appellant is then required to establish that the challenge he has without question legitimately raised is itself legitimate. In order to do so, he must demonstrate that he held such a privacy interest which was actual, societally sanctioned as reasonable, and justifiable in the place invaded that the warrantless entry of the police violated his right under the Constitution of this Commonwealth, Article 1, Section 8, to be “secure against unreasonable searches and seizures.” See, Commonwealth v. Brundidge, 533 Pa. 167, 170, 620 A.2d 1115, 1118 (1993); Commonwealth v. Oglialoro, 525 Pa. 250, 256, 579 A.2d 1288, 1290-1 (1990). He must, in short, having brought his claim, demonstrate its merits by a showing of his reasonable and legitimate expectation of privacy in the premises. See, Commonwealth v. Cameron, 385 Pa.Super. 492, 561 A.2d 783 (1989) alloc. denied, 525 Pa. 576, 575 A.2d 108 (1990). The Superior Court concurrence failed to distinguish between the necessity for a preliminary demonstration of proprietary or possessory interest, a necessity which does not exist in Pennsylvania, and the necessity of demonstrating the merits of a suppression claim. Appellant’s automatic standing does not divest him of the evidentiary responsibility to show that the warrant-less entry into the storefront by law enforcement personnel [the police conduct at issue] violated a reasonable and legitimate expectation of privacy.
[Com. v. Peterson, 535 Pa. 492,] 636 A.2d [615] at 617-18 [(1993)].
Later decisions from this Court have reaffirmed Peterson’s approach, to the suppression defendant’s burden without qualification. E.g. Commonwealth v. Hawkins, 553 Pa. 76, 718 A.2d 265, 267 (Pa.1998) (“essential effect” of automatic standing doctrine “is to entitle a defendant to an adjudication of the merits of a suppression motion. In order to prevail on such a motion, however, a defendant is required to separately demonstrate a personal privacy interest in the area searched or effects seized, and that such interest was ‘actual, societally sanctioned as reasonable, and justifiable.’ ”) (citations omitted) (thoroughly discussing evolution of doctrine); Commonwealth v. Gordon, 546 Pa. 65, 683 A.2d 253, 256-59 (Pa.1996) (particularly emphasizing defendant’s burden to prove both subjective expectation of privacy and that subjective expectation is one which society is willing to respect as legitimate). In addition, this Court has specifically rejected the notion that Article I, Section 8 should be construed as permitting the vicarious assertion of the privacy interests of others in order to, *153inter alia, “dissuade intentional, intrusive police conduct.” Hawkins, 718 A.2d at 268-70.
In the wake of Peterson and its progeny, it is clear that, notwithstanding the dicta in Sell criticizing the substantive federal approach to Fourth Amendment claims, under Article I, Section 8, no less than under the Fourth Amendment, a defendant cannot prevail upon a suppression motion unless he demonstrates that the challenged police conduct violated his own, personal privacy interests.
As we have noted above, in the case sub judice, appellee offered no evidence to demonstrate a personal privacy interest in the vehicle, the search of which formed the basis for his claim that the firearm should be excluded. Appellee produced no evidence that he owned the vehicle, nor did he produce evidence which remotely suggested that he had any other connection to the vehicle which could form the basis for so much as a subjective expectation of privacy. In addition, there was nothing in the Commonwealth’s evidence upon which appellee could rely to prove that he had an expectation of privacy in the Cadillac in question. The police testimony established that nothing was found in the vehicle, on appellee’s person, or through a record search, to suggest any lawful connection to the car. Finally, the fact that police testified to seeing appellee put the firearm in the vehicle — a fact appellee denied — alone does not establish both a subjective and reasonable expectation of privacy in a vehicle to which he had no other legitimate connection. Cf. Commonwealth v. Copenhefer, 526 Pa. 555, 587 A.2d 1353, 1356 (Pa.1991) (“A defendant’s attempt to secrete evidence of a crime is not synonymous with a legally cognizable expectation of privacy. A mere hope for secrecy is not a legally protected expectation.”). Indeed, the facts at bar suggest far less of a connection with the area searched than other cases in which this Court has held that an expectation of privacy did not exist, i.e., cases where the defendant was actually physically present inside the area searched. See Gordon, 683 A.2d at 258 (presence in and use of abandoned property); Peterson, 636 A2d at 618-19 (presence in drug gate house). Accord Commonwealth v. Cameron, 385 Pa.Super. 492, 561 A.2d 783 (Pa.Super.1989), appeal denied, 525 Pa. 576, 575 A.2d 108 (1989) (presence in abandoned house used for drug operation) (cited with approval in Peterson).
Millner, 888 A.2d at 689-692 (footnote omitted, bold emphasis added).
¶ 3 Thus, the Millner Court recently and comprehensively reaffirmed the broad proposition that defendants who are charged with possessory offenses have automatic standing to file a suppression motion, but they nevertheless carry the initial burden of showing that they had a personal right of privacy in the place to be searched or the items seized. Id. Only if the defendant carries this initial burden does the burden then shift to the Commonwealth to prove that the evidence was properly seized. Id. at 692. In other words, if the defendant fails to prove a reasonable expectation of privacy, then the suppression motion must fail and it is unnecessary to examine any other issues. Id. Obviously, if this threshold requirement did not exist, courts could more easily proceed to the question of whether the police acted unreasonably. Nevertheless, our Supreme Court has held that the threshold requirement remains firmly in place for all suppression cases. Id.
¶ 4 In the instant case, Appellant relies solely on the argument that the police had no right to be in the place where they saw *154Appellant transfer the pipe. Because Appellant’s argument is based on the notion that the police had no right to be in a certain place, we must first ask whether Appellant had any reasonable expectation of privacy in that place.
¶ 5 There is no single test for determining whether a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy in a place. Generally» “[a] legitimate expectation of privacy requires a subjective privacy expectation coupled with objective reasonableness.” Commonwealth v. Torres, 564 Pa. 86, 764 A.2d 532, 542 n. 11 (2001) (citation omitted) (defendant who co-leased an apartment, but did not live there, had no subjective expectation of privacy and thus could not prevail on a suppression motion). The United States Supreme Court has held that an overnight guest in a home has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Minnesota v. Olson, 495 U.S. 91, 110 S.Ct. 1684, 109 L.Ed.2d 85 (1990); accord Commonwealth v. Cruz, 578 Pa. 263, 851 A.2d 870, 876 n. 3 (2004) (citing Olson with approval); see also Commonwealth v. Winfield, 835 A.2d 365, 368-369 (Pa.Super.2003) (person carries a reasonable expectation of privacy in a rented hotel room, but not after the rental term has ended and the checkout time has lapsed). An expectation of privacy is related to the degree of connection to the people in the home, and to the home itself. See Commonwealth v. Rodriguez, 451 Pa.Super. 474, 679 A.2d 1320, 1325-1326 (1996) (collecting cases), appeal denied, 550 Pa. 681, 704 A.2d 637 (1997). Thus, a mere casual visitor to a home may not have a reasonable expectation of privacy, while a person with greater personal connections may have a reasonable expectation. Id.
¶ 6 Here, the record reflects no evidence that Appellant held even a subjective expectation of privacy in Mr. Shull’s apartment. The suppression record also reflects. no evidence that Appellant was anything other than a casual visitor to Mr. Shull’s apartment. Trooper Fultz testified that Mr. Shull rented the apartment. Appellant did not live there. He lived at least eight or nine blocks away, in a different municipality. I would conclude that Appellant failed to carry his initial burden of showing that he had a reasonable expectation of privacy in Mr. Shull’s apartment. Accordingly, I would hold that it is unnecessary to decide whether the seizure was warranted under the plain view doctrine2 or the exigent circumstances doctrine.3 Millner. I would uphold the conviction and permit our Supreme Court to decide whether to reconsider the Millner rule.
*155¶ 7 While I would uphold the conviction, I would conclude that the highly regarded trial court abused its discretion by sentencing Appellant to an aggravated-range prison term without stating any reasons on the record.4 Here, the sentencing guidelines themselves state that “when the court imposes an aggravated or mitigated sentence, it shall state the reasons on the record[.]” 204 Pa.Code § 303.13(c); see also 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9721(b) (“In every case in which the court imposes a sentence for a felony or misdemeanor, the court shall make as part of the record, and disclose in open court at the time of sentencing, a statement of the reason or reasons for the sentence imposed.”) (emphasis added). This requirement is satisfied where the court states the reasons on the record, in the defendant’s presence, at sentencing. See Commonwealth v. Littlehales, 915 A.2d 662, 666 (Pa.Super.2007).
¶8 Here, the record reflects that the trial court did not state any reasons on the record for the sentence imposed when it announced the sentence. While the trial court attempted to justify the sentence in its Rule 1925 opinion, its explanation, respectfully, is not sufficient to comply with the rule. Id. at 666 n. 6.
¶ 9 In its Rule 1925 opinion, the trial court stated that trial judges in Perry and Juniata Counties have a long-standing policy of sentencing defendants such as Appellant (first-time offenders guilty of possession of a small amount of marijuana) to a prison term of 48 hours to 30 days. Trial Court Opinion, 5/1/2006, at 1. This inflexible, non-individualized policy of sentencing all offenders to the same aggravated sentence is impermissible. See Commonwealth v. Walls, 926 A.2d 957, 962-64, 966-68, 2007 Pa. Lexis 1431, **12-16, 24-30 (Pa.2007).5 Thus, I would affirm the conviction, but remand for resentencing.

. Commonwealth v. Millner, 585 Pa. 237, 888 A.2d 680 (2005).

. Our Supreme Court recently set forth a four-prong test that must be met in order for the plain view doctrine to apply. First, the police must view the evidence in question from a legal vantage point. Second, the item itself must be in plain view. Third, the incriminating nature of the item must be immediately apparent. Finally, the police must have a lawful right of access to the item. Commonwealth v. McCree, 924 A.2d 621 (Pa.2007). It would appear that under Millner, the plain view doctrine would not come into play until the defendant shows a reasonable expectation of privacy.
The Majority observes that Appellant had an "expectation of privacy” in his person, where the police found the marijuana. While this may be true, I note that the seizure of the marijuana took place only after the police had probable cause to arrest Appellant with respect to the pipe. The seizure of the marijuana from Appellant’s person was justified as a search incident to arrest.

. The record reflects that Appellant properly preserved this issue and raised a substantial question that the sentence was inappropriate. Pursuant to 35 P.S. § 780-113(g), possession of a small amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor with a statutory maximum prison term of 30 days. Under the sentencing guidelines, the offense gravity score is 1. 204 Pa.Code § 303.15. The guidelines provide a standard-range sentence of restorative sanctions. 204 Pa.Code § 303.16. The aggravated range of the guidelines authorizes a prison term. Id. Appellant’s minimum prison term of 48 hours was within the aggravated range of the guidelines.

. In Walls, our Supreme Court recently set forth the legal principles governing appellate review of sentences that exceed the Sentencing Guidelines. Notably, the Supreme Court rejected this Court’s suggestion that the trial court must follow the Sentencing Guidelines unless the court can articulate a compelling reason to deviate therefrom. The Court did, however, reaffirm that sentences in Pennsylvania must be tailored to the needs and circumstances of the individual defendant. A sentence based on a single, inflexible public policy would fail under any standard, including the standards articulated by our Supreme Court in Walls.