Court Opinion

ID: 9648003
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 13:58:35.771659+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:55.300793
License: Public Domain

OLSZEWSKI, Judge,
concurring and dissenting.
For the reasons articulated by the majority, I concur as to the disposition of the first two issues. I respectfully dissent as to the disposition of the third issue and recommend that the appeal be dismissed and judgment of sentence be affirmed.
Appellant asserts that his prior appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise, in the previous appeal, the issue of trial counsel’s ineffectiveness for failing to call witnesses to testify as to appellant’s character. The proper inquiry is “whether the disputed action or omission by [appellant's trial] counsel was of questionable legal soundness. If so, we ask whether counsel had any reasonable basis for the questionable action or omission which was designed to effectuate his client’s interest. If he did, our inquiry ends.” Commonwealth v. Davis, 518 Pa. 77, 83, 541 A.2d 315, 318 (1988). Both appellant and the majority rely upon Commonwealth v. Luther, 317 Pa.Super. 41, 463 A.2d 1073 (1983) to take them through the inquiry. The present case is quite distinct from Luther.
When questioning the legal soundness of trial counsel’s decision not to offer character testimony, the Luther Court stressed the importance of character testimony when an *201accused is unable to produce evidence other than his own oath and evidence of others attesting to his character. Id., 463 A.2d at 1077. The current appellant’s defense was alibi. He offered alibi witnesses at trial and, thus, was not limited, like the defendant in Luther, to offering evidence of good character.
In Luther, the accused's defense to rape charges was consent of the alleged victim. The credibility of the parties was the central issue at trial. The majority misapplies Luther which stated, “In a case where virtually the only issue is the credibility of the witness for the Commonwealth versus that of the defendant, failure to explore all available alternatives to assure that the jury heard the testimony of a known witness who might be capable of casting doubt upon the truthfulness of the Commonwealth witness is ineffective assistance of counsel.” Id., 463 A.2d at 1080 (emphasis added). Such was not the case here. The credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses, victims of armed robbery and sexual assault, was not an issue at trial and it is likely that appellant’s trial counsel soundly believed that character witnesses would not have cast doubt upon the victims’ identification testimony.
Because it is not unsound, as a matter of advocacy, to chose an alibi defense over character defense, appellant’s trial counsel did not render ineffective assistance under the Davis standards. In turn, appellant’s prior appellate counsel did not render ineffective assistance for failing to raise trial counsel’s ineffectiveness on appeal.
For the foregoing reasons, I would dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of sentence.