In re Thirty-Third Statewide Investigating Grand Jury

27 Pa. D. & C.5th 555
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County
DecidedApril 9, 2012
DocketNo. CP-22-CR-5164-2011; No. CP-22-CR-5165-2011; 217 M.D. MISC. DKT. 2010
StatusPublished

This text of 27 Pa. D. & C.5th 555 (In re Thirty-Third Statewide Investigating Grand Jury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Thirty-Third Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, 27 Pa. D. & C.5th 555 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2012).

Opinion

FEUD ALE, </.,

Before this court is the Joint Motion to Quash Presentment filed by Defendants Graham B. Spanier, Timothy M. Curley and Gary Schultz (herein referred to as “Spanier,” “Curley” and “Schultz”).

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Thirty-third Statewide Investigating Grand Jury (“Grand Jury”) conducted an ongoing investigation into the serial child molestation by Gerald A. Sandusky (“Jerry Sandusky”), a former assistant football coach at the Pennsylvania State University (“Penn State”). In June 2012, Jerry Sandusky was convicted of forty-five counts relating to criminal charges of child molestation and in [557]*557October 2012 he was sentenced to imprisonment for thirty to sixty years. As part of the on-going investigation, the Grand Jury expanded the scope of its investigation to include the involvement of Penn State Officials, namely Spanier, Schultz and Curley, in the handling of reports of Jerry Sandusky’s activities.

On October 26,2012, the Grand Jury Supervising Judge signed an Order Accepting Presentment No. 29 in which the Grand Jury recommended that charges be brought against Spanier, Schultz and Curley for Endangering the Welfare of Children, Obstructing the Administration of Law or Other Governmental Function and Criminal Conspiracy. Additionally, in its Presentment, the Grand Jmy recommended that Spanier be charged with Perjury and Penalties for Failure to Report or to Refer. On November 1, 2012, a criminal complaint was filed against Spanier, Schultz and Curley, memorializing these charges.

On November 26, 2102, Spanier, Schultz and Curley filed a Joint Motion to Quash the Presentment As Defective for Relying on Attorney-Client Privileged Communication and Work Product. In response, on January 2, 2013, the Commonwealth filed its Answer to Motion to Quash Presentment. On January 18, 2013, Spanier, Schultz and Curley filed Replies to Commonwealth’s Answer to Defendants’ Joint Motion to Quash Presentment. Additionally, Curley filed a motion to Join Schultz’s Reply to Commonwealth’s Answer to Joint Motion to Quash and Spanier filed a Supplemental Motion to Quash Presentment, or in the Alternative, to Strike Defendant’s Grand Jury Testimony.

[558]*558On January 24, 2013, oral argument was held before this court to determine whether the joint motion to quash presentment should be granted. Counsel for Spanier, Schultz and Curley argued that presentment 29 should be quashed because of its reliance on information provided by Attorney Cynthia Baldwin when she testified before the Grand Juiy. As follow-up to the oral argument proceedings, on Januaiy 31,2013, Schultz and Curley filed defendants’ Joint Bench Memorandum Regarding the Admissibility of Expert Testimony on the Attorney Standard of Care Issues Presented in Defendants’ Joint Motion to Quash the Presentment.

II. LEGAL ANALYSIS

Counsel for all parties raised several issues in both the written documents filed with this court and at oral argument. However, this court believes that the singular issue before this court involves the absence of jurisdictional authority for the Grand Juiy Supervising Judge to quash a presentment after steps were properly taken to issue the presentment and to adhere to the statutory procedure following the submission of the presentment.

On December 27, 2010, the Honorable Ronald D. Castille, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, granted the application of the Office of Attorney General to convene the Thirty-Third Statewide Investigating Grand Jury and with reliance on the Investigating Grand Jury Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 4541, et seq., ordered the following:

The Honorable Barry F. Feudale, Senior Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Eighth Judicial District, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, is hereby [559]*559designated as Supervising Judge of the Thirty-Third Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. All applications and motions relating to the work of the Thirty-Third Statewide Grand Juiy — including motions for disclosure of grand jury transcripts and evidence — shall be presented to said Supervising Judge....”

See Order at217M.D. 2010 (December27,2010). Underthe Investigating Grand Jury Act (the “Act”), the Supervising Judge is specifically directed to supervise the activities of the Grand Jury. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 4542. Furthermore, it is well established that “[t]he supervising judge of the grand jury is responsible for upholding the rule of secrecy and deciding issues related of the disclosure of grand jury information.” Pennsylvania Grand Jury Practice at 65. Thus, the Supervising Judge acts as the guardian of the vault of grand jury secrecy and must protect and oversee all “matters occurring before the grand juiy.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 4549(b).

One of the concluding matters before the grand jury is the issuing of apresentment. Once the grand juiy completes its investigation and has determined that there is enough evidence presented against an individual, the grand juiy directs the Commonwealth to prepare a presentment. See 42 Pa. C.S. § 4551(a). This presentment is then reviewed and voted upon by the grand jury. See id. If approved, the presentment is submitted to the supervising judge. See Id. Under the act, “the supervising judge shall examine the presentment, and if it is within the authority of the investigating grand jury ... the supervising judge shall issue an order accepting the presentment.” Id. The supervising judge is also required under the act to select [560]*560the county where the criminal trial will take place after the attorney general initiates criminal proceedings. 42 Pa. C.S. § 4551(d). Then, the act is clear on the procedure following the acceptance of the presentment. “When the attorney for the Commonwealth proceeds on the basis of a presentment, a complaint shall be filed and the defendant shall be entitled to a preliminary hearing as in other criminal proceedings.” 42 Pa. C.S. § 4551(e)1. Thus, the supervising judge plays a key role in the conclusion of the grand jury process and the presentment acts as the catalyst for instituting criminal proceedings outside the realm of the grand jury.

In the case at hand, the grand jury investigated the actions taken by Spanier, Schultz and Curley in regards to the Jerry Sandusky case and determined that the evidence presented supported the issuance of a presentment against these three individuals. The Commonwealth submitted Presentment No. 29 to the grand jury and after a majority vote approved it, the presentment was submitted to the supervising judge. The supervising judge then issued an Order Accepting Presentment No. 29 authorizing the attorney general oftheCommonwealthtoprosecuteSpanier, Schultz and Curley as recommended in. The presentment by instituting appropriate criminal proceedings in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. This concluded the supervising judge’s role in the grand jury’s investigation leading up to Presentment No. 29. Per the chief justice’s order, as well as under the act, the remaining responsibility of the [561]*561supervising judge is to maintain the secrecy by handling any motions for disclosure of transcripts and evidence involved in the grand jury’s proceedings. Neither the chief justice’s order nor the act purport to expand the supervising judge’s authority beyond the statute and thus upon the signing of the Order Accepting Presentment No.

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Related

Pirillo v. Pirillo
341 A.2d 896 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1975)
In re Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury
861 A.2d 876 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2004)

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Bluebook (online)
27 Pa. D. & C.5th 555, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-thirty-third-statewide-investigating-grand-jury-pactcompldauphi-2012.