Court Opinion

ID: 9755013
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 20:21:11.354236+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:57:14.904073
License: Public Domain

POPOVICH, J.,
concurring and dissenting:
¶ 1 Although I agree with the majority’s determination that appellant’s judgment of sentence must be affirmed, I disagree with its conclusion that appellant’s challenge to the lower court’s suppression ruling was waived by her failure to file a concise statement of matters complained of on appeal when ordered to do so by the lower court pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925.
¶ 2 As the majority correctly notes, our Supreme Court in Commonwealth v. Lord, 553 Pa. 415, 419-20, 719 A.2d 306, 309 (1998), held: “[I]n order to preserve their claims for appellate review, Appellants must comply whenever the trial court orders them to file a Statement of Matters Complained of on Appeal pursuant to Rule 1925. Any issues not raised in a 1925(a) statement will be deemed waived.” Presently, appellant did not file a 1925 statement, even though ordered to do so by the lower court. Thus, on its face, our Supreme court’s holding in Lord, supra, would appear to mandate the result reached by the majority.
¶ 3 However, I am convinced such a blanket approach to application of the afore-quoted language of Lord, supra, is not appropriate in this case. In Lord, 719 A.2d at 308, our Supreme Court stressed the crucial importance of a trial court’s opinion in meaningful appellate review. However, in that case, the appellant did not include several issues in his 1925 statement which he later sought to be reviewed on appeal. Thus, there was not a trial court opinion for the appellate courts to review in considering the defendants claims on appeal, and meaningful appellate review was substantially impaired.
¶ 4 Presently, however, appellant filed a pretrial motion to suppress, which the lower court rejected in an opinion dated December 3, 1997. This opinion has been a matter of record since well before trial. Thus, the concerns present in Lord, supra, are not present herein. Compare Commonwealth v. Ortiz, 745 A.2d 662, 663 n. 3 (Pa.Super.2000) (where appellant filed untimely 1925 statement, and court addressed issue, issue is not waived on appeal), with Commonwealth v. Overby, 744 A.2d 797, 798 (Pa.Super.2000) (where appellant filed an untimely 1925 statement and lower court did not address issues raised therein, issues were waived on appeal).
¶ 5 Since a written opinion on the very issue raised on appeal exists in this case, I am convinced we are possessed with the discretion to consider appellant’s claim, as expressly granted to us by our Supreme Court in Pa.R.A.P. 1925, which provides: “A failure to comply with such direction may be considered by the appellate court as a waiver of all objections to the order, ruling or other matter complained of.” (Emphasis added).
¶ 6 Turning to appellant’s suppression claim, I nevertheless agree with the majority’s determination that appellant’s judgment of sentence must be affirmed, albeit on other grounds. Upon review of appellant’s claim, the parties’ briefs and the applicable law, I find that the opinion of the lower court dated December 3, 1997, adequately addresses and disposes of appellant’s claim. Accordingly, I would affirm and adopt the opinion of the lower court for the purposes of allocatur.