Court Opinion

ID: 9706987
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:57:48.638513+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:26.676150
License: Public Domain

DISSENTING OPINION BY
STEVENS, J.:
¶ 1 I conclude trial counsel provided a reasonable strategic basis for not calling character witnesses to testify on behalf of Appellee, and Appellee failed to show that, but for counsel’s failure to call such character witnesses, there is a reasonable probability the outcome of the jury trial would have been different. Therefore, I find that Appellee failed to meet his burden of proving trial counsel was ineffective in failing to call character witnesses, and accordingly, I would reverse the PCRA court’s order awarding Appellee a new trial. As such, I respectfully dissent.
¶ 2 As the Majority indicates, in order to succeed on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the petitioner must demonstrate (1) that the underlying claim is of arguable merit; (2) that counsel had no reasonable strategic basis for his inaction; and (3) but for the errors and omissions of counsel, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceedings would have been different. Commonwealth v. Harris, 972 A.2d 1196 (Pa.Super.2009).
¶ 3 In the case sub judice, the Commonwealth contends the PCRA court erred in concluding trial counsel had no reasonable strategic basis for choosing not to call witnesses to testify as to Appellee’s character of being a peaceful and law-abiding citizen.
¶ 4 At the PCRA hearing, trial counsel explained that his trial strategy was to prove that the victim and her brother, both of whom were adopted by Appellee and his wife, were lying about Appellee’s sexual abuse of the victim.1 N.T. 5/16/07 at 17-18. To this end, trial counsel wanted to show that the children were not happy living with Appellee and his wife, who were strict disciplinarians, and the children wanted to return to Lancaster to live with their mother, who allowed them to “run the streets.” N.T. 5/16/07 at 17-18, 30-31. However, during trial, the children testified that Appellee’s and his wife’s actions went beyond acceptable disciplining; that is, Appellee and his wife hit the children with their fists and a ski pole and called them racial names. N.T. 5/16/07 at 29, 32. In order to redeem his client, counsel put Appellee and his wife on the stand and they both denied the physical abuse and racial name calling had occurred. N.T. 5/16/07 at 21; N.T. 5/5/04 (jury trial) at 151-152, 161-163; N.T. 5/7/04 (jury trial) at 187-189. Trial counsel testified that he did not call character witnesses to testify as to Appellee’s character as a “peaceful and law-abiding man” because he believed the witnesses knew about the beatings and name-calling. Specifically, trial counsel testified that he talked to several of the character witnesses, N.T. 5/16/07 at 28, and formed the following opinion:
Q: Did you have any concerns about this issue about the children being disciplined and/or being beaten and/or being *1029called names might be something that the community might have been aware of?
A: Yes.
Q: and you were worried about that then coming up on cross-examination?
A: Yes.
N.T. 5/16/07 at 25.
¶ 5 Moreover, specifically with regard to trial counsel’s interview of Appellee’s sister and brother-in-law, trial counsel testified as follows:
Q: And what did you do after you got the names, did you talk to any of these people?
A: Yes, I talked to several of them.
Q: Just point out the ones that you talked to.
A: At various times I talked to at least Mr. Hull’s sister and her husband.
Q: Okay, did they tell you they would be willing to come into court and say that they knew him and they knew other people in the community that they knew him and amongst the people that they knew him he has a reputation for being peaceful and law-abiding?
A: No, they did not. That’s not what they told me.
N.T. 5/16/07 at 28-29.
¶ 6 As this Court has stated, “[i]n evaluating the second prong, whether counsel had a reasonable basis for his action, we do not question whether there were other more logical courses of action which counsel could have pursued; rather, we must examine whether counsel’s decisions had any reasonable basis.” Commonwealth v. Fitzgerald, 979 A.2d 908, 911 (Pa.Super.2009) (quotation and quotation marks omitted).
¶ 7 I conclude trial counsel has set forth a reasonable basis for not calling character witnesses, and therefore, counsel was not ineffective. Thus, I would reverse the PCRA court’s order on this basis.
¶ 8 Moreover, I agree with the Commonwealth’s contention that there was overwhelming testimony concerning the repeated sexual assault of the victim such that there is not a reasonable probability that the outcome of the jury trial would have been different had character testimony been introduced. For instance, G.H., the victim, testified in detail about a night when she was wearing Santa Claus pajamas and Appellee tried to pull down her pants and touch her private parts while she was in the living room. N.T. 5/5/04 at 24-28. During another night, while she was sitting on Appellee’s lap in a rocking chair, Appellee put his hand under her nightgown and touched her private part. N.T. 5/5/04 at 29. One time, while she was in her bedroom and wearing shorts with a purple shirt, Appellee took her clothes off and put his tongue on her private part while she was standing. N.T. 5/5/04 at 31-32. Another time, as they were dressing for church, Appellee tried to touch the victim and she began to cry. N.T. 5/5/04 at 34. Appellee told her to get on her knees and pray to make Appellee “a good boy.” N.T. 5/5/04 at 34. Appellee told her the devil makes him do it. N.T. 5/5/04 at 34. Another time, while Appellee was under the swimming pool dock cleaning the pool’s filter, the victim went under the dock and Appellee pulled down his zipper exposing his private part. N.T. 5/5/04 at 36. Appellee told her to pull down her shorts and he placed his private part on her “butt.” N.T. 5/5/04 at 37. During this time, Appellee’s wife was making dinner and her brothers had been prohibited from swimming in the pool. N.T. 5/5/04 at 35. Another time, while in the attic, Appellee exposed his private part and told the victim to put her hand on it “back and forth.” N.T. 5/5/04 at 38. The victim did this until “white stuff came out” and Appellee put his private part back into his pants. N.T. 5/5/04 at 38. The victim offered to get *1030Appellee a tissue and he said, “No.” N.T. 5/5/04 at 39. Another time, Appellee told the victim she could put wood on the furnace and took her into the basement. N.T. 5/5/04 at 39. The victim expressed excitement about being able to put the wood in the furnace and Appellee told her “Shh, be quiet.” N.T. 5/5/04 at 39. Appel-lee pulled his zipper down, exposed his private part, and put it on the victim’s “butt.” N.T. 5/5/04 at 39-40. The victim indicated that her brother, J.H., asked her if Appellee “did anything to [her.]” N.T. 5/5/04 at 43. The victim told J.H. “yes,” and J.H. said someone would be coming to the house to help. N.T. 5/5/04 at 43-44.
¶ 9 In addition, contrary to the PCRA court’s conclusion that “no one other than G.H. testified as to the acts upon which the charges were based,” PCRA Court Opinion filed 7/15/08 at 8,1 note that there was another witness to at least some of the repeated sexual assaults. The victim’s brother, J.H., who was fourteen at the time of trial, testified that, during an evening in February of 2003, Appellee told him and his brother to go to bed but permitted the victim to stay in the living room. N.T. 5/5/04 at 79-80. J.H. was sitting up in his bed and could see into the living room, where the victim was sitting on Appellee’s lap in a rocking chair. N.T. 5/5/04 at 80-81. J.H. saw Appellee put his hand underneath the victim’s nightgown. N.T. 5/5/04 at 81. During a different night, J.H. was in bed and he heard Appel-lee tell the victim it was time for her to go to bed. N.T. 5/5/04 at 81-82. J.H. heard Appellee quietly call the victim back out to the living room and observed as he pulled down her pajamas and tried to touch her vagina. N.T. 5/5/04 at 82. Appellee was on his knees and the victim was standing. N.T. 5/5/04 at 82. J.H. told the school counselor what he had seen and, after the victim confirmed Appellee had been touching her, he told her that someone would be coming to help. N.T. 5/5/04 at 85-86.
¶ 10 The victim’s other brother, E.H., testified that he never witnessed any sexual incidents between the victim and Appel-lee; however, he was present when the siblings discussed the sexual abuse and J.H. indicated someone would be coming to help. N.T. 5/5/04 at 103.
¶ 11 Based on the aforementioned, I conclude Appellee failed to prove the prejudice prong required for an ineffective assistance of counsel claim and this is an additional reason why counsel was not ineffective.
¶ 12 In summary, I conclude trial counsel has set forth a reasonable basis for not calling character witnesses and Appellee has failed to demonstrate that, but for counsel’s failure to call character witnesses, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of the jury trial would have been different. See Harris, supra. Therefore, I conclude counsel was not ineffective, and I would reverse the PCRA court’s order on this basis. Thus, I respectfully dissent.

. The victim has two brothers; however, there is no indication that her brother, E.H., witnessed any sexual incidents between the victim and Appellee. The testimony of the victim’s other brother, J.H., is summarized infra.