Court Opinion

ID: 9705421
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 01:05:19.305199+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:10.917597
License: Public Domain

*297SMITH, Judge,
dissenting.
The principle that a licensee may not collaterally attack an underlying criminal conviction in civil license suspension proceedings has been firmly established. To conclude, as the Majority does, that this principle is inapplicable to the factual scenario presented in the case sub judice misapprehends that appeals from a license suspension are civil in nature. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Traffic Safety v. Calloway, 60 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 647, 432 A.2d 322 (1981). Moreover, accepting as legally accurate the premise that the license suspension imposed against Duffey represented the criminal penalty itself, the significance of the collateral attack rule becomes even more paramount. Where a licensee wishes to challenge his or her criminal conviction, the remedy is to seek allowance of an appeal nunc pro tunc. See Department of Transportation, Bureau of Driver Licensing v. Weniger, 136 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 603, 584 A.2d 394 (1990); Commonwealth v. Liptak, 392 Pa.Superior Ct. 468, 573 A.2d 559 (1990); and Commonwealth v. Bassion, 390 Pa.Superior Ct. 564, 568 A.2d 1316 (1990).
In a recent Supreme Court decision, Commonwealth v. Bursick, 526 Pa. 6, 584 A.2d 291 (1990), the Court stated that it is improper in a collateral civil proceeding for an appellant to “impugn the validity of the criminal conviction,” citing Johnson v. Commonwealth, 68 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 384, 449 A.2d 121 (1982). In addition, the Supreme Court stated that “allegations by appellant [a minor] that he did not know that by paying a fine to a magistrate that he was pleading guilty to the offense and that he was not knowledgeable about the legal ramifications of pleading guilty are not within the proper realm of this proceeding.” Id. 526 Pa. at 11-12, 584 A.2d at 294.
A litany of cases decided by this Court reiterate the “no collateral attack” rule in civil proceedings challenging a license suspension. See Department of Transportation, Bureau of Driver Licensing v. Heeter, 128 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 480, 563 A.2d 993 (1989); Radice v. Department *298of Transportation, Bureau of Traffic Safety, 118 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 627, 545 A.2d 1005 (1988) (and cases collected therein); Department of Transportation, Bureau of Traffic Safety v. Bailey, 116 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 312, 541 A.2d 1167 (1988); Department of Transportation, Bureau of Driver Licensing v. Ra, 109 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 279, 530 A.2d 1046 (1987); Hillwig v. Department of Transportation, 105 Pa.Commonwealth Ct. 456, 524 A.2d 1058 (1987). Thus, the position taken by the Majority deviates from established case law; further, that the license suspension resulted from a summary conviction for underage drinking under Section 6308(a) of the Crimes Code, 18 P.C.S. Section 6308(a), is of no moment. Therefore, this Court should not overrule established precedent in this area. Duffey’s remedy is to seek an appeal nunc pro tunc from the underlying conviction.