Court Opinion

ID: 9733588
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 17:11:10.825967+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:42.564823
License: Public Domain

PAPADAKOS, Justice,
dissenting.
This is the appeal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Appellant) from the Opinion and Order of the Superior Court reversing the judgment of sentence entered against Janet Butler (Appellee) and remanding the matter for further proceedings. Appellee was convicted of penury and sentenced to three to twenty-three months’ imprisonment.
In her appeal to the Superior Court, Appellee argued that the trial court erred in concluding that the “two witness” rule in perjury cases had been satisfied herein. The Superi- or Court agreed with Appellee and reversed, but in so doing, also took it upon itself to conclude, sua sponte, that the trial court should have allowed Appellee to explore a claim of prosecutorial vindictiveness as a possible defense to the perjury charges against her. Accordingly, it reversed and remanded for a new trial.
Because of the importance of the issues presented us for review, we accepted discretionary review, and I would now reverse and reinstate the judgment of sentence.
This matter arises out of the following factual background. Appellee was tried on charges of prostitution on March 21, 1984, and was acquitted. During the trial, she testified on her own behalf. In response to a question by her attorney whether she had ever been convicted of a *18crime, she responded, “No, sir.” The Commonwealth objected to this answer, but the trial court overruled the objection and allowed Appellee to repeat her answer.
Following the acquittal, Appellee filed a civil action against a police detective and several other county officials based on an alleged coercive body cavity search. Appellee claimed that she was forced to submit to this search or be shackled and taken to a hospital for a gynecological examination. Shortly after this suit was filed, the Delaware County authorities discovered that Appellee did, in fact, have a prior conviction for prostitution in Delaware, and that she was in violation of her Delaware probation.
Appellee was arrested and charged with perjury based on the testimony she gave at the prostitution trial. This charge, according to Appellee, was filed in retaliation for the civil action that she instituted against the Delaware County officials.
Prior to the start of the trial, defense counsel informed the trial judge that he intended to explore his theory of prosecutorial vindictiveness. The trial court denied this request stating the Commonwealth’s motives for prosecuting this action was not an issue in the case and, therefore, evidence of the pending civil action would not be presented to the jury.
Appellee attempted to defend against the. charge of perjury by explaining that she did not think that she was lying because she honestly believed that the Delaware conviction was not final, since an appeal was pending.
Appellee further explained that she had lost track of her attorney and the status of that appeal. This testimony was contradicted by Appellee’s Delaware probation officer. He testified that at a June, 1985, probation revocation hearing, Appellee acknowledged that she was aware that from mid-1982 that her appeal had been denied. This testimony was corroborated by a tape recording of that hearing.
The Commonwealth also presented the testimony of the court reporter from the 1984 prostitution trial, as well as *19the notes of testimony, to establish that Appellee testified that she had never been convicted of a crime. Delaware County Police Detective Dennis O’Leary testified that he was present at the prostitution trial and heard Appellee deny having any prior convictions. Detective O’Leary was involved in the investigation and prosecution of the prostitution charge and is a named defendant in Appellee’s civil action.
Detective O’Leary testified that he reviewed Appellee’s file one year after the acquittal and discovered the perjury through the presence of a Department of Justice Report indicating that Appellee had a 1982 conviction in Delaware. He also stated that he verified this information with the authorities in Delaware and that it was merely coincidental that this prior conviction was discovered after the filing of the civil matter. Detective O’Leary noted that Justice Department reports are routinely requested at the time of an arrest and are usually received a short time thereafter. He also noted that this report was not found until at least one year after the request and that this delay was unusual and without explanation.
Appellee’s counsel attempted to cross-examine O’Leary about his position as a defendant in the civil action to show his bias. Appellee attempted to show that O’Leary had a personal stake in the outcome of this prosecution, because if she were convicted of perjury, Appellee would be ineligible, as a matter of law, to testify in her own behalf in the civil action. This claim was properly rejected because our penury statute precludes the testimony of one convicted of perjury for any purpose, “... unless the matter is one to redress or prevent injury or violence attempted, done or threatened to his person ..., in which cases he shall be permitted to testify.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 5922.
The trial court also continued to refuse to allow any evidence of the civil action to be brought before the jury, because ample opportunity existed to show bias, prejudice or vindictiveness, without injecting evidence of the civil action. The trial court (Judge Jerome, writing for Judge *20Frank J. Lynch, who died shortly after sentencing) noted that Appellee was not prejudiced by the exclusion of this evidence because she could impeach this witness by other means. The record indicates that Detective O’Leary was thoroughly cross-examined by defense counsel as to his delay in investigating the perjury, as well as to inconsistencies in his testimony.
The Superior Court reviewed the scope of cross-examination of Detective O’Leary and reasoned that the trial court improperly limited Appellee’s right to impeach the credibility of an essential witness. In the Superior Court’s view, Detective O’Leary was a necessary witness under the “two witness” rule of perjury trials and, as such, his credibility was critical. Relying on Commonwealth v. Robinson, 507 Pa. 522, 491 A.2d 107 (1985) (disallowing inquiry into a witness’ motive is highly prejudicial in cases which hinge on credibility), and Commonwealth v. Ervin, 262 Pa.Superior Ct. 322, 396 A.2d 776 (1978) (it is always the right of a party to show that a witness has an interest in the outcome of the trial), the Superior Court concluded that this was reversible error. That Court also found that the error was compounded by the trial court’s instruction to the jury on credibility, which it found led the jury to believe that only Appellee’s credibility was at issue.
The trial court instructed the jury as follows:
“You should consider whether the witness has anything to gain or lose , from the outcome of the case____ In weighing the testimony, however, you may consider the fact that (Appellee) has a vital interest in the outcome of this trial. You may take (Appellee’s) interest into account just as you would the interest of any other witness along with all the other facts and circumstances bearing on credibility in making up your minds what weight the testimony deserves.” (Emphasis added)
Since O’Leary’s credibility was vigorously attacked by defense counsel during cross-examination, this instruction covered the impeachment of all witnesses, including *21O’Leary, and the Superior Court’s contrary conclusion is in error.
Turning to the “two witness” rule in penury cases, our law is clear that the Commonwealth must present two witnesses or one witness plus corroborating evidence to prove the falsity of the statement claimed to be perjured. Commonwealth v. Russo, 388 Pa. 462, 131 A.2d 83 (1957); Commonwealth v. Billingsley, 357 Pa. 378, 54 A.2d 705 (1947). This rule has been misapplied by our Superior Court in this instance. It is the falsity of the statement that must be proved by two witnesses or one witness and corroborating evidence. In the case sub judice, the falsity of Appellee’s statement (that she had no prior convictions) was proven by her Delaware probation officer, Daniel O’Connor, by evidence of the Document of Conviction from Wilmington, Delaware, and by Appellee’s own stipulation that she had been convicted of a crime in Delaware. O’Leary merely corroborated that Appellee made this statement under oath which was also corroborative of the trial transcript. His testimony was not used to prove the falsity of Appellee’s statement and, therefore, he was not a necessary witness upon whose credibility the case hinged.
Under these circumstances it was within the trial court’s discretion to channel cross-examination away from referring to the civil suit. Such matters are committed to the sound discretion of the trial judge and absent an abuse of discretion we are loath to disturb the trial court’s decision. Commonwealth v. Sisco, 484 Pa. 85, 398 A..2d 955 (1979); Commonwealth v. Woods, 366 Pa. 618, 79 A.2d 408 (1951).
Appellee was given the opportunity to show that the witness had an interest in the outcome of the case, as was her right. Commonwealth v. Cheatham, 429 Pa. 198, 239 A.2d 293 (1968). The trial court reviewed the issue of prosecutorial vindictiveness, including evidence of the civil action, and it concluded that the motive of this prosecution was not an issue in the case. Accordingly, I do not see it an abuse of discretion to refuse to permit evidence of this action to be submitted to the jury, as it had nothing to do *22with the case and there were other ways to establish the bias of the witness.
Finally, I note that the Superior Court, sua sponte, determined that Appellee had established a prima facie case of prosecutorial vindictiveness which, upon remand, merited further inquiry. That Court, therefore, ordered a remand to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing on this claim. This was error. The only issue properly before the Superior Court concerned the scope of cross-examination of O’Leary and by reaching this issue it clearly exceeded its scope of review. We have repeatedly cautioned our appellate courts to refrain from considering issues not properly raised and briefed before them. Commonwealth v. Capitolo, 508 Pa. 372, 498 A.2d 806 (1985); Commonwealth v. Myers, 485 Pa. 519, 403 A.2d 85 (1979); Commonwealth v. Mimms, 477 Pa. 553, 385 A.2d 334 (1978).
The evil in such a practice is that the litigants are adversely affected by rulings and are not given the opportunity to brief or argue the issue before the rulings are made. Here the Superior Court not only considered the vindictiveness claim, but used it as a basis for entering the order of remand. This was error.
In view of the foregoing, I must vigorously dissent to the paternalistic approach being taken by the majority in confounding the criminal justice system of this Commonwealth. Janet Butler is guilty of perjury. She admitted the perjury under oath. The written record alone conclusively establishes the perjury. (In fact, she committed perjury again in denying any knowledge that her appeal of the Delaware conviction was still pending.)
With this “open and shut” case, the testimony of Police Detective O’Leary and his possible bias against the defendant for her having brought a civil suit against him, was totally irrelevant and absolutely harmless to the issue of her guilt or innocence. His possible bias could not possibly have affected the credibility of the written record upon which she stands convicted.
*23Were this not a serious matter, the suggestion that this case involved an element of prosecutorial vindictiveness is ludicrous. The police officers may have been vindictive against her, but the District Attorney was certainly not. The District Attorney made the decision to charge Janet Butler with perjury. The police officers could not have proceeded without the District Attorney’s approval. Is the majority suggesting that the District Attorney is in cahoots with the police or controlled by the police, or is as vindictive as the police are alleged to be? For shame!
All of the cases cited by the majority to establish the right of a defendant to be shielded from prosecution because of prosecutorial vindictiveness involve the vindictive action of the prosecuting attorney and not the police or complaining witnesses. If a police officer brings charges against the rapist and killer of the police officer’s wife or daughter, is that felon now shielded by the police officer’s obvious vindictiveness? Can anyone deny that the police officer has a thirst for revenge? Vindictiveness is defined as a seeking of revenge.
I cannot understand the convoluted reasoning of the majority and fear that much mischief will result from the principles enunciated, sub silentio, in their opinion. I, therefore, most strenuously dissent to this misapplication of justice. I would reverse the order of the Superior Court and reinstate the judgment of sentence of the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County.