Court Opinion

ID: 9896549
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-13 17:11:46.449114+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:07.707114
License: Public Domain

J-S29013-23

 NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS          :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                      :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                      :
              v.                      :
                                      :
                                      :
 TODD ALLEN DISE                      :
                                      :
                   Appellant              No. 1270 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0004174-1993

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS          :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                      :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                      :
              v.                      :
                                      :
                                      :
 TODD ALAN DISE                       :
                                      :
                   Appellant          :   No. 1271 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0000993-1995

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS          :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                      :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                      :
              v.                      :
                                      :
                                      :
 TODD A. DISE                         :
                                      :
                   Appellant          :   No. 1272 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0001685-1999
J-S29013-23

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1273 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0005085-2009

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALEN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1274 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0002446-2010

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1275 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0005159-2010

                                  -2-
J-S29013-23

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1276 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0008010-2013

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1277 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
                 Criminal Division CP-67-CR-0001107-2013

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1278 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0006290-2015

                                  -3-
J-S29013-23

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1279 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0004850-2016

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1280 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0003255-2021

 YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS            :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                        :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                        :
              v.                        :
                                        :
                                        :
 TODD ALAN DISE                         :
                                        :
                   Appellant            :   No. 1281 MDA 2022

              Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
               In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
               Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0003995-2021

                                  -4-
J-S29013-23

  YORK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS                    :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                                 :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                                 :
                v.                               :
                                                 :
                                                 :
  TODD ALAN DISE                                 :
                                                 :
                       Appellant                 :   No. 1282 MDA 2022

                 Appeal from the Order Entered August 10, 2022
                  In the Court of Common Pleas of York County
                  Criminal Division at CP-67-CR-0004893-2021

BEFORE:      MURRAY, J., KING, J., and COLINS, J.*

MEMORANDUM BY MURRAY, J.:                                   NOVEMBER 13, 2023

       Todd Allen Dise, a/k/a Todd Alan Dise, a/k/a Todd A. Dise, a/k/a Todd

Alen Dise (Appellant), appeals from the order granting the York County Clerk

of Courts’ motion to apply restitution received by Appellant to costs and fines

owed by Appellant.       After careful consideration, we transfer this appeal to

Commonwealth Court.

                            TRIAL COURT PROCEEDINGS

       The trial court summarized the following procedural history:

              On June 30, 2022, the Office of the York County Clerk of
       Courts (hereinafter referred to as “Clerk’s Office”) filed a Motion
       to Apply Restitution to [Appellant]’s Case. In that Motion, the
       Clerk’s Office set forth that [Appellant] is entitled to receive
       restitution in case CP-67-CR-0007527-2014; however, in light of
       the cumulative amount [Appellant] owes in cases CP-67-CR-
       0004174-1993, CP-67-CR-0000993-1995, CP-67-CR-0001685-
       1999, CP-67-CR0005085-2009, CP-67-CR-0002446-2010, CP-
____________________________________________

* Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.

                                           -5-
J-S29013-23

       67-CR-0005159-2010,       CP-67-CR-1107-2013,      CP-67-CR-
       0008010-2013, CP-67-CR-0006290-2015, CP-67-CR-0004850-
       2016, CP-67-CR-0003255-2021, CP-67-CR-0003995-2021, and
       CP-67-CR-0004893-2021, totaling Nineteen Thousand Three
       Hundred Fifteen Dollars and Forty-One Cents ($19,315.41), the
       Clerk of Courts requested to apply any amount [Appellant]
       received to the amount owed. A hearing was held on August 10,
       2022.

                                               ***

       [At the August 10, 2022 hearing, Appellant] averred that he had
       paid “Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) towards the collective
       amount” [Appellant owed]; however, the [trial c]ourt noted
       [Appellant paid this amount] over a period of thirty (30) years.
       Th[e trial c]ourt heard argument and ruled the Nine Hundred
       Eighty-Five Dollars ($985.00) owed to [Appellant] in restitution,
       on case CP-67-CR-0007527-2014, shall be applied to the costs
       and fines owed in [Appellant’s] cases “primarily to make up for
       what he didn’t pay in 2021.”

            On September 9, 2022, [Appellant] filed a timely Notice of
       Appeal to the Superior Court.

Trial Court Opinion, 12/1/22, at 2-3 (citations to notes of testimony omitted).

                          SUPERIOR COURT PROCEEDINGS

       In his notices of appeal,1 Appellant listed the Commonwealth,

represented by the York County District Attorney’s Office (DA), as Appellee.

Notably, Appellant’s counsel (Counsel) certified in the “PROOF OF SERVICE”

that Counsel had served the DA (as well as the trial court). See Notices of

____________________________________________

1 Appellant complied the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s directive in
Commonwealth v. Walker, 185 A.3d 969, 971 (Pa. 2018) (holding “where
a single order resolves issues arising on more than one docket, separate
notices of appeal must be filed for each case.”). On September 28, 2022, this
Court consolidated the appeals sua sponte.

                                           -6-
J-S29013-23

Appeal, 9/9/22, at 2 (unnumbered). Counsel did not serve the York County

Clerk of Courts. See id. When Counsel completed the section of Appellant’s

Superior   Court    Docketing    Statement,     which     requested    “CASE

IDENTIFICATION” and “Type of Order”, Counsel checked “Other” (as opposed

to the other options of “Judgment of Sentence” or “PCRA”). See Superior

Court Docketing Statement, 9/27/22, at 1 (unnumbered).

     On May 19, 2023, the DA filed a “Motion to Substitute Parties and

Withdraw Appearance” with this Court. The DA averred:

           The proceedings giving rise to this appeal involved the Clerk
     of Courts’ motion filed by their solicitor, Stephen McDonald of the
     CGA law firm that restitution owed to [Appellant] be used to pay
     his outstanding court costs.       (Appendix 1 [Motion to Apply
     Restitution])

          The District Attorney’s Office was not involved in filing this
     motion.

           The District Attorney’s Office was also not present at the
     hearing where the trial court addressed the motion by the clerk of
     courts. (Appendix 2 [Order])

           The proper party to address this appeal as appellee,
     is the movant:

           Stephen R. McDonald Esq.
           CGA Law Firm
           135 N. George Street
           York, PA 17401
           Telephone: 717- 848- 4900
           Fax: 717- 843- 9039
           smcdonald@cgalaw.com
           ID#310319,

           The York County District Attorney’s Office was not an active
     party to these cost recovery proceedings.

                                    -7-
J-S29013-23

Application for Relief, 5/19/23, at 1-2 (paragraph numbers omitted, emphasis

added). The DA thus requested “the York County District Attorney’s Office be

removed as counsel from this case, and the actual movant in this case be

substituted.” Id. at 2.

       On May 26, 2023, this Court granted the DA’s motion and entered a per

curiam order granting the DA’s request to withdraw appearance.            We also

directed our Prothonotary “to amend the docket to reflect that the Appellee is

the York County Clerk of Courts” and “reestablish a briefing schedule for the

Appellee.” Order, 5/26/23.          Thereafter, the appeal was assigned to this 3-

judge panel. On September 8, 2023, we entered an order providing for a

“new Appellee briefing schedule,” and directed service upon “the York County

Clerk of Courts and Attorney McDonald.” Order 9/8/23 (emphasis in original).

The new briefing schedule extended the due date for Appellee’s brief to

October 10, 2023.2

                                     JURISDICTION

       Due to Appellant’s failure to properly identify the York County Clerk of

Courts as Appellee, this Court was unaware of a jurisdictional conflict.

However, upon further review, we are compelled to address the issue. See

____________________________________________

2 The York County Clerk of Courts has not filed a timely appellee brief.

                                           -8-
J-S29013-23

Leininger v. Trapizona, 627 A.2d 194, 196 (Pa. Super. 1993) (“Although

neither party has raised the issue, it is well settled that this Court may sua

sponte raise a question as to our jurisdiction in a particular case.” (citation

omitted)).

       The Judicial Code provides the Superior Court with “exclusive appellate

jurisdiction of all appeals from final orders of the courts of common pleas

except such classes of appeals . . . within the exclusive jurisdiction of

the . . . Commonwealth Court.” 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 742 (emphasis added).

       In contrast, the Commonwealth Court is vested with

       exclusive jurisdiction of appeals from final orders of the courts of
       common pleas in the following cases:

       (1) Commonwealth              civil     cases. — All   civil   actions   or
       proceedings:

           ….

           (ii) By the Commonwealth government, including any
           officer thereof acting in his official capacity.

Id. § 762(a)(1)(ii).

       The Commonwealth Court has explained,3

       the General Assembly has defined the “Commonwealth
       government” in the Judicial Code to include “the courts and other
       officers or agencies of the unified judicial system,” 42 Pa.C.S. §
       102, and our appellate courts have relied on this definition in
       determining that original jurisdiction lies in [Commonwealth]

____________________________________________

3 While not binding, Commonwealth Court decisions may serve as persuasive

authority. Commonwealth v. Bowers, 185 A.3d 358, 362 n.4 (Pa. Super.
2018).

                                             -9-
J-S29013-23

     Court for civil actions filed against judges and officers of the courts
     of common pleas pursuant to Section 761(a)(1) of the Judicial
     Code. See, e.g., Richardson v. Peters, 610 Pa. 365, 19 A.3d
     1047, 1047–48 (2011) (per curiam) (Clerk of Courts of the Court
     of Common Pleas of Chester County); In re Domestic Relations
     Hearing Room, 796 A.2d 407, 409–10 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2002) (en
     banc) (President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of
     Northumberland County).

Russo v. Allegheny Cnty., 125 A.3d 113, 116 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2015) (footnote

omitted), aff'd, 150 A.3d 16 (Pa. 2016).

     As stated above, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court “concluded that the

Clerk of Courts of the Court of Common Pleas … ‘is considered to be the

Commonwealth government as a Commonwealth officer’ and thus the

Commonwealth Court had jurisdiction to hear an appeal brought by the Clerk

of Courts from a trial court order.” Richardson v. Peters, 19 A.3d 1047,

1048 (Pa. 2011) (citations omitted).

     More recently, the Commonwealth Court explained:

     Generally, individuals who are found guilty in criminal matters are
     liable for statutorily authorized costs, regardless of whether
     those costs are formally imposed through court orders or
     simply by operation of law. See 42 Pa. C.S. § 9721(c.1); id.
     § 9728(a)-(b) (allowing recovery of costs by authorized county
     agent, county correctional facility, county probation department,
     or Department of Corrections); id. § 9728(b.2).

     Additionally, the Commonwealth Court has original jurisdiction to
     consider certain kinds of related disputes, where a petitioner does
     not challenge the sentencing court’s decision to exact costs upon
     them, but rather contests subsequent administrative efforts to
     calculate, collect, or impose such costs. See Guarrasi v. Cnty.
     of Bucks, (Pa. Cmwlth. No. 176 M.D. 2018, filed Sept. 14, 2018),
     slip op. at 6-7, 2018 WL 4374280 at *3; Saxberg v. Dep’t of

                                     - 10 -
J-S29013-23

       Corr., 42 A.3d 1210, 1213 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2012); Spotz v. Com.,
       972 A.2d 125, 134 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2009).

McFalls v. 38th Jud. Dist., No. 4 M.D. 2021, 2021 WL 3700604, at *8 (Pa.

Cmwlth. Aug. 6, 2021) (bold and italic emphasis in original, footnotes

omitted).4    See also Fordyce v. Clerk of Courts, 869 A.2d 1049 (Pa.

Cmwlth. 2005) (reversing trial court’s grant of Clerk of Courts’ preliminary

objections to appellant/inmate’s petition challenging the imposition of costs of

prosecution related to sheriff’s costs in transporting inmate) (superseded by

statute as explained in McFalls, supra).

       Upon review and consistent with the above legal authority, we conclude

that transfer of this appeal to Commonwealth Court is warranted.5

____________________________________________

4The Commonwealth Court’s non-precedential decisions filed after January
15, 2008 may be cited as persuasive authority. See Pa.R.A.P. 126(b)(1)-(2).

5 The parties’ appellate rights are preserved pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 751(a)
(stating “the appeal . . . shall be treated as originally filed in transferee court
on the date first filed in [this] court.”).

                                          - 11 -
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      Appeal transferred to Commonwealth Court. Superior Court jurisdiction

relinquished.

Judgment Entered.

Benjamin D. Kohler, Esq.
Prothonotary

Date: 11/13/2023

                                  - 12 -