Court Opinion

ID: 9756169
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 21:10:57.369034+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:56:13.366494
License: Public Domain

MONTEMURO, Judge,
dissenting:
I dissent. Commonwealth v. Butler, 232 Pa.Super. 283, 331 A.2d 678 (1974), upon which the majority relies heavily for its conclusion, also requires that to inject at least a *622semblance of relevancy into its admission, testimony with regard to a witness’ psychiatric history contain some specific indication that an illness existed at the time of and somehow influenced the events of the date in question. Here there is none; the treatment, occurring subsequent to the rape, could as well have been necessitated by the attack as causally connected to it. In fact the psychiatrist, whose evidence the majority find so vital, at the ineffectiveness of counsel hearing directly contradicted the offer of proof for her putative trial testimony. There is no reason to reverse on this basis, and, since the majority somewhat quixotically finds the issue moot, the necessity for remand is obviated.
I would accordingly affirm.