Court Opinion

ID: 9756408
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 21:27:25.229818+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:28:21.709105
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Spaulding, J.:
I respectfully dissent.
The majority has disposed of all the issues expressly raised in appellant’s eighteen page holographic prose brief. In my view, however, the very existence of that partly illegible and incomprehensible brief, considered in light of correspondence from counsel and appellant to this Court, raises a further issue: I do not believe appellant has been afforded effective representation of counsel on this appeal.
The Norristown Public Defender, appellant’s court-appointed counsel, has apparently limited his services to the xeroxing of appellant’s handwritten brief. In his two letters to this Court, counsel stated:
(September 16, 1970)
“. . . It was Mr. Reeves’ intention that I supply citations, additions and corrections to his Brief. However, I do not feel that it is the responsibility of the Public Defender Office to loork within a limited context created by the client. Accordingly, I have sent the original of Mr. Reeves’ Brief to you as it was sent to me, and, as a courtesy to the Court, I have made the abovementioned photo copies.” (Emphasis added.)
(September 17, 1970)
“In accordance with my letter to you yesterday and my conversation with you yesterday, I am notifying *94the Superior Court of Pennsylvania that my client, who has retained me through the Public Defender Office of Montgomery County, wishes to have his own holographic brief submitted and desires no additional brief from counsel. I have again verified this through a visit to G-raterford Prison yesterday afternoon.
“Mr. Reeves does not want me to withdraw my appearance in that he wishes me to assist him in procedural aspects of his case.” (Emphasis added.)
Appellant’s letter to the Court stated that he had in fact requested counsel’s assistance on this appeal, but counsel had told him that “there wasn’t too much more he could do” after having received appellant’s brief. There is some question whether counsel made any independent effort to study the record or research the issues raised by appellant. It is clear, however, that counsel did not assist in the preparation of this appeal.
I find counsel’s procedure in this case unsupportable under the standards enunciated in Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967), and Commonwealth v. Baker, 429 Pa. 209, 239 A. 2d 201 (1968). Counsel gives us no express indication that he regards the appeal as frivolous. If that is his opinion, following Anders and Baker, he has two alternatives: (1) He can effectively represent his client by presenting the traditional advocate’s brief even though he feels the arguments to be of little merit or (2) He can file a petition to withdraw after researching and presenting the issues in a written brief. If the latter course is chosen it must be clear that counsel had discussed the case with his client, that he advised his client of his decision to abandon the appeal and that he gave his client a copy of the brief and petition in time for the client to present the appeal in propria persona. Commonwealth v. Baker, supra, at p. 212, 239 A. 2d at 203. In the instant case, counsel has not followed either alternative.
*95Further, since appellant did not ask counsel to withdraw and did in fact request assistance, it is not for counsel to decide that he will not work “within a limited context created by the client.” The Supreme Court of this State, in a pre-Anders case, Commonwealth ex rel. Cunningham v. Maroney, 421 Pa. 157, 218 A. 2d 811 (1966), stated: “Had appellant the funds with which to retain counsel, we do not doubt that he would have been able to indulge his grievances, real or fanciful, on appeal. Appellant [an indigent] was entitled to no less.” At pp. 160-161, 218 A. 2d at 813.
In this case, where counsel has neither been asked to withdraw by his client, nor requested permission to do so from this Court, it is incumbent upon him to aid in his client’s appeal in whatever maimer possible. Had appellant made a frivolous, unethical, or totally irrelevant request, counsel, of course, could properly refuse it. That was not the case here.
I would remand the record for the appointment of effective counsel. Cf. Commonwealth v. Villano, 435 Pa. 273, 256 A. 2d 468 (1969); Commonwealth v. McFall, 436 Pa. 329, 257 A. 2d 847 (1969).
Hoffman, J., joins in this dissenting opinion.