Commonwealth v. Ellison

851 A.2d 977, 2004 Pa. Super. 203, 2004 Pa. Super. LEXIS 1314
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJune 3, 2004
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 851 A.2d 977 (Commonwealth v. Ellison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Ellison, 851 A.2d 977, 2004 Pa. Super. 203, 2004 Pa. Super. LEXIS 1314 (Pa. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinions

KLEIN, J.

¶ 1 This case returns to us on remand from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for reconsideration of our order affirming the dismissal of Marcus Ellison’s petition under the Post-Conviction Relief Act (PCRA).1 Ellison claimed his prior appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to file a petition for allowance of appeal (PAA) in the Supreme Court following our affirmance of his judgment of sentence. We concluded that this claim lacked merit because,- under the law existing at the time, Ellison failed to prove that the Supreme Court likely would have granted his PAA had it been filed.

¶2 Subsequent to our earlier decision, the Supreme Court decided Commonwealth v. Liebel, 573 Pa. 375, 825 A.2d 630 (2003), which eliminated the requirement that the petitioner show that the Supreme Court would have granted his PAA had it been filed. Under the new standard, we are now compelled to reverse and remand, directing the PCRA court to grant Ellison’s request for nunc pro tunc relief. We also wish to clarify the current law regarding the required proof for an ineffectiveness claim based on counsel’s failure to file a PAA.

I. Factual and Procedural History

¶ 3 On April 23, 1998, a jury convicted Ellison of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 3123, stemming from his gunpoint assault of a woman in an alleyway. He was sentenced to 7 to 15 years in prison. On June 16, 1999, this Court affirmed the judgment of sentence. No further appeal was filed.

¶ 4 Ellison timely filed a PCRA petition, pro se, on July 3, 2000. Counsel was appointed and an amended petition was [979]*979filed. On August 2, 2001, the PCRA court dismissed Ellison’s petition, without a hearing, following proper notice.

¶ 5 On July 3, 2002, we affirmed the order dismissing Ellison’s PCRA petition. In his petition, Ellison claimed his prior appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to file a PAA in the Supreme Court following our affirmance of his judgment of sentence. He also sought reinstatement of his appellate rights nunc pro tunc. We concluded that Ellison’s ineffectiveness claim lacked merit because he failed to show that the Supreme Court likely would have granted his petition had it been filed, which was required at the time of our decision. See Commonwealth v. Padden, 783 A.2d 299 (Pa.Super.2001); Commonwealth v. Byrd, 441 Pa.Super. 351, 657 A.2d 961 (1995). After we denied PCRA relief, Ellison timely filed a PAA in the Supreme Court. -

¶ 6 After the filing of our memorandum decision, the Supreme Court decided Lie-bel, supra, which changed the requirements for proving a claim of ineffectiveness of counsel for failure to file a PAA. On November 14, 2003, the Supreme Court granted Ellison’s PAA, vacated our prior order, and remanded for reconsideration in light of Liebel. On remand, we permitted the parties to file supplemental briefs to address the effect of Liebel.

¶ 7 We have reviewed the parties’ filings as well as Liebel and subsequent cases interpreting that decision. Under the standard announced in Liebel, we reverse the order of the PCRA court and remand for the reinstatement of Ellison’s right to file a PAA nunc pro tunc.

II. Discussion

¶ 8 In Liebel, supra, the Supreme Court held that a petitioner is no longer required to prove that the Court would have granted review had a timely PAA been filed in order to state a cognizable claim of counsel’s ineffectiveness under the PCRA. The Supreme Court noted that while a defendant does not have an automatic right to an appeal in the Supreme Court, he has a right to file a PAA, “provided that appellate counsel believes that the claims that a petitioner would raise ... would not be completely frivolous.” 825 A.2d at 635 (citing Pa.R.A.P. 1112). A defendant also has a rule-based right to counsel throughout the direct appeal process. See id.; Pa.R.Crim.P. 122(C)(3). The Court observed that counsel’s unjustified failure to file a PAA when requested to do so “is the functional equivalent of having no representation at all on direct appeal.” 825 A.2d at 635. Thus, “ “where the remaining requirements of the PCRA are satisfied, the petitioner is not required to establish his innocence or demonstrate the merits of the issue or issues which would have been raised on appeal.’” ' Id. (quoting Commonwealth v. Lantzy, 558 Pa. 214, 736 A.2d 564, 572 (1999)) (emphases in original).

¶ 9 The Supreme Court reasoned that the prior law placed an undue burden on PCRA petitioners, who “simply cannot be expected to speculate on the internal operations and decisions of this Court.” Id. at 636 n. 10. The Court ultimately held that “such a wholesale denial of counsel sufficiently establishes that the truth-determining process has been undermined, rendering a showing that this Court would have granted review on Appellant’s underlying claims unnecessary.” Id. at 635-36.

¶ 10 Liebel, however, does not spell out exactly what a petitioner needs to show to establish ineffectiveness with respect to the filing of a PAA, especially in relation to the general requirements for proving an ineffectiveness claim under the [980]*980PCRA.2 Liebel suggests that all a petitioner needs to show is that he asked counsel to fide a PAA, counsel failed to file a PAA, and that failure was “unjustified.” 825 A.2d at 635. At least one panel of our Court has interpreted Liebel this way. See Commonwealth v. Gadsden, 832 A.2d 1082, 1088 (Pa.Super.2003) (remanding to PCRA court for determination of “whether Appellant asked counsel to file a[PAA], and if so, whether counsel’s failure to do so was justifiable”).3 The parties in this case, however, have advocated a different standard. In their post-submission filings, they assert that Liebel requires a PCRA petitioner to prove that the claims he would have raised in a PAA are not “completely frivolous” in order to establish ineffectiveness.

¶ 11 One thing is clear; Liebel eliminates the petitioner’s need to prove prejudice, the third prong of an ineffectiveness claim. See 825 A.2d at 636 & n. 11; see also Commonwealth v. Halley, 839 A.2d 392 (Pa.Super.2003) (noting Liebel demonstrates limited circumstance in which counsel’s failure to file requested PAA to Supreme Court results in presumption of prejudice). This means a PCRA petitioner no longer needs to show that he is innocent or that the Supreme Court would have taken the appeal or that he would have won in the Supreme Court. Prejudice is presumed.

¶ 12 That brings us to the remaining two prongs of ineffectiveness — arguable merit and no reasonable basis. While Liebel does not directly address these requirements, based on our dose reading of the opinion, we believe they are intertwined.

¶ 13 Liebel

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
851 A.2d 977, 2004 Pa. Super. 203, 2004 Pa. Super. LEXIS 1314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-ellison-pasuperct-2004.