Court Opinion

ID: 9692770
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 16:04:49.765168+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:36.752653
License: Public Domain

Concurring Opinion by
Cercone, J.:
While I agree with the majority’s conclusion that appellant is entitled to a PCHA hearing as to the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel, I feel further discussion of this issue is necessary in light of Commonwealth v. Dancer, 460 Pa. 95, 331 A.2d 435 (1975). Dancer is similar to the instant case in three critical respects: (1) appellant, by way of the PCHA, claims ineffective assistance of trial counsel, (2) this issue was not pursued on direct appeal, and (3) appellant was represented on direct appeal by counsel other than trial counsel. Therefore, the question which was considered in Dancer and which must be considered here is whether *303an appellant represented on direct appeal by an attorney other than his trial counsel waives his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to raise such issue on direct appeal. Dancer held that such failure did in fact constitute a waiver as to any possible subsequent PCHA relief. The next question then becomes whether the holding in Dancer should control the instant case. This is not an easy question because, although Dancer came after the instant case, the basis for Dancer existed long before this case arose. Section 3 of the Post Conviction Hearing Act, 19 P.S. §1180-3, states: “To be eligible for relief under this act, a person . . . must prove . . . [t]hat the error resulting in his conviction and sentence has not been finally litigated or waived.” Section 4 of the PCHA, 19 P.S. §1180-4, states that an issue is waived if petitioner “failed to raise it and it could have been raised ... on appeal. . . Therefore, even prior to Dancer the PCHA made it clear that an issue not raised on direct appeal would be waived as to PCHA relief. But the clearness of the rule contained in the PCHA was clouded by case law. The recent cases of Commonwealth v. Reid, 458 Pa. 357 (1974); Commonwealth v. Clair, 458 Pa. 418 (1974) ; and Commonwealth v. Coleman, 458 Pa. 112 (1974) held that an issue not raised in post-verdict motions would not be considered on appeal. On this basis, appellate counsel in Dancer and appellate counsel in the instant case could have reasonably concluded that since trial counsel’s ineffectiveness was not raised in post-verdict motions1 it could not be raised on direct appeal; and, therefore, the only avenue to pursue this issue would be through the PCHA. In addition, counsel’s decision to proceed through the PCHA, rather than via direct appeal, was supported and, in fact, directed by several pre-Dancer cases in *304which the issue of ineffective assistance of trial counsel was either considered through the PCHA procedure (although not brought or considered on direct appeal) or when raised on direct appeal was even remanded for PCHA relief. See Commonwealth v. Cook, 230 Pa. Superior Ct. 283 (1974); Commonwealth v. Owens, 454 Pa. 268 (1973); Commonwealth v. Robinson, 452 Pa. 316 (1973); Commonwealth v. Dennis, 451 Pa. 340 (1973). From the above, it is clear that a conflict did exist prior to Dancer as to where to raise the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel. Concisely stated, appellant’s counsel was faced with the following dilemma; after studying the PCHA, he could have reasonably concluded that this issue should have been raised on direct appeal; however, after studying case law, he could have, on the other hand, reasonably concluded that PCHA was the proper forum. Therefore, the appellant in the instant case should not be punished simply because his counsel was acting in reliance upon pre-Dancer case law which appeared valid on its face. Accordingly, I agree with the majority conclusion which grants appellant a PCHA hearing as to the issue of ineffective assistance of trial counsel.
However, it should be pointed out that the exception made above to the general principles of waiver set forth in Sections 3 and 4 of the PCHA is limited only to the issue of ineffective assistance of trial counsel which arose prior to Dancer. Therefore appellant’s contention, on this PCHA appeal, that his guilty plea was invalid due to an insufficient colloquy cannot now be considered. As to this substantive issue, waiver is applicable due to appellant’s failure to pursue it on direct appeal. Unlike the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel, no ambiguity in the status of the law existed which would permit an appellant to forego raising any issue, such as the validity of his guilty plea, other than by direct appeal. To not do so constitutes a waiver of such issue.

. The court in Dancer properly concludes that this would he an unrealistic expectation because it would require trial counsel to raise his own ineffectiveness in post-verdict motions.