Frаternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, by its guardians ad litem, John McNesby, President; Roosevelt Len Poplar, Vice President; John McGrody, Vice President; Steve Weiler, Vice President; Nicholas Denofa, Vice President; Police Officer Sean Cahill; Detective Michael DeRose; Police Officer Richard Green; Police Officer Constance Harris; Police Officer Matthew Nodiff; and Police Officer Anthony Roselli, Appellants v. The City of Philadelphia, its Officials, Agents, Employees and Assigns; Jim Kenney, in his official capacity as Mayor of the City of Philadelphia; Larry Krasner, in his official capacity as District Attorney of the City of Philadelphia; R. Richard Ross Jr., in his former capacity as Police Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia
No. 1295 C.D. 2019
IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
November 9, 2021
Argued: June 11, 2020
BEFORE: HONORABLE MARY HANNAH LEAVITT, President Judge; HONORABLE RENEE COHN JUBELIRER, Judge; HONORABLE P. KEVIN BROBSON, Judge; HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge; HONORABLE MICHAEL H. WOJCIK, Judge; HONORABLE CHRISTINE FIZZANO CANNON, Judge; HONORABLE ELLEN CEISLER, Judge
OPINION BY JUDGE McCULLOUGH
FILED: November 9, 2021
BEFORE: HONORABLE MARY HANNAH LEAVITT, President Judge1
I. Facts and Procedural History
In March 2017, (now former) Philadelphia District Attorney, Seth Williams, created a Police Misconduct Review Committee to identify Philadelphia police officers whose testimony should be avoided in criminal cases. (Second Amended Complaint4 (Complaint) ¶35, Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 12a-13a.) As a result of the investigation, 66 officers who were accused of committing serious misconduct were placed on a “Do Not Call List,”5 which was made available to prosecutors who used it to identify which officers not to call during trial. Id. ¶36;
R.R. at 13a. This List “of Philadelphia‘s 66 problem cops” was published in a Philadelphia newspaper on March 16, 2018. The newspaper included information about on-duty and off-duty misconduct contained in the officers’ personnel files.6 Id. ¶¶51-52; R.R. at 16a.
DA Krasner took office in November 2017. On November 13, 2018, Appellants filed the instant action alleging that the District Attorney was actively compiling materials from the personnel files of police officers obtained from the Police Commissioner7 concerning allegations of purported police officer misconduct – even in which the police officer was exonerated by an administrative or other judicial or quasi-judicial body – in order to compile a new, updated “Do Not Call List.”8 Id. ¶¶53-54; R.R. at 16a-17a, 194a. In an article published in a Philadelphia newspaper on June 4, 2018, and attached to the complaint as Exhibit “H,” it was reported that DA Krasner was “seeking to develop a comprehensive list of tainted cops” and that he recently stated in an interview that the number of officers who will
ultimately “end up on the roster would almost certainly exceed the 66 on a similar list developed by his predecessor.”9 In that article, DA Krasner was also quoted as saying he was “compiling a database of infractions” that will help identify those officers who are “too questionable to testify.” Id. The complaint alleges that DA Krasner had openly voiced his frustration with FOP‘s history of defending police officers who had been punished by the City. The complaint alleges that DA Krasner publicly claimed that the Police Commissioner “has almost no capacity to discipline, terminate, or even move [officers] to another unit because everything is overturned in the corrupt arbitration process.” Id. ¶50; R.R. at 16a (emphasis removed) (quoting from an article in The New Yorker Magazine, Complaint Exhibit “G;” R.R. at 189a).
It is averred that, by its terms and as applied, the new Do Not Call List impermissibly mandates disclosure of police officers’ confidential personnel information to the District Attorney and then to third parties when the officer is charged with a violation of a Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) policy or procedure, but is later exonerated, by the Police Board of Inquiry (PBI), PPD‘s Internal Affairs Division (IAD), a labor arbitrator, or a court. Id. ¶101; R.R. at 27a.
The complaint alleges that the appellant police officers were not informed that they were being investigated or considered for the new Do Not Call List; they were only informed after they were placed on the List by the following form letter (Letter(s)):
The [District Attorney‘s Office] has received Giglio [v. United States, 405 U.S. 150 (1972)] information regarding you as reflected in the summary below:
Date:
Source:
Summary:
Action:Pursuant to the law and the [District Attorney‘s Office‘s] policy regarding police misconduct disclosures, the misconduct will be disclosed to the defense in all cases where you may be called to testify as a witness and said disclosure may also be made if required in closed cases where you were a critical witness.
Also, if required by law, supporting documentation in our possession regarding the misconduct will be disclosed to the defense.
Please note, if you believe our information is incorrect, feel free to communicate to us in writing through counsel.
Id. ¶¶61-65, 98; Complaint Exhibit “R“; R.R. at 18a-19a, 25a-26a, 231a. (Emphasis added.)
The complaint alleges that once placed on the Do Not Call List, police officers have lost opportunities to testify in criminal cases in which they served as investigator, and sometimes were subject to transfer to other departments or delegated to restrictive duty status. Id. ¶¶78, 90-91; R.R. at 21a, 24a. The complaint further alleges that for these officers, critical parts of police work were restricted, resulting in lost wages, reputational damage, and professional harm. Id. The complaint also alleges that the appellant police officers were not removed from the Do Not Call List even after the allegations of misconduct were determined to be unfounded or lacking in merit. Id. at 5; R.R. at 5a.
The complaint avers that the appellant police officers were not informed that they were placed on the Do Not Call List until after the fact, nor were they provided an opportunity to challenge their inclusion on the List prior to or after
being placed on the List. Appellants allege that the District Attorney, with assistance from the City, is engaging in the “wholesale release of confidential personnel information to third parties without an opportunity to be heard to challenge the legal necessity of such release” and that such disclosure has had a “direct and negative impact” on the appellant police officers’ reputations amongst their colleagues and the public, as well as their work assignments and promotional opportunities, and constitutes violations of their statutory and constitutional rights. Id. at 5-6; R.R. at 5a-6a. The complaint alleges that public disclosure of the new List, as ultimately occurred with the prior List, has and will result in reputational harm to the appellant police officers. Id. ¶83; R.R. at 22a.
For each named appellant police officer, the complaint summarizes the allegations of misconduct, the contents of the Letter he/she received, that each officer was exonerated of the charges (acquittal by federal grand jury, exoneration before PBI),10 that each officer was not afforded an opportunity to challenge inclusion on the List prior to or after being placed on it, and how each officer was harmed either by the violation of his/her statutory and constitutional rights or the loss of assignments, overtime, promotional considerations. Id. ¶¶102-203; R.R. at 27a-45a.
The complaint consists of seven counts and requests injunctive and declaratory relief.
In Counts I and II, it is averred that article I, sections 1, 11, and 26 of the Pennsylvania Constitution recognize a fundamental right to privacy that protects one‘s reputation.
Appellants seek equitable relief in the form of an injunction against the City and DA Krasner from creating or employing the new, updated, and revised Do
Not Call List, or disclosing the officers’ confidential personnel information unless and until a court orders such disclosure and/or adequate due process protections are established on behalf of appellant police officers. Id. ¶¶219-20; R.R. at 48a.
Counts III and IV - Violation of Due Process with Respect to Police Officers’ Statutorily Mandated Contractual Rights under Pennsylvania Constitution – Equitable and Declaratory Relief
In Counts III and IV, Appellants assert that, by creating and employing the new Do Not Call List and disclosing confidential personnel information, the District Attorney deprived appellant police officers of their fundamental constitutional right to contract and the contractual guarantees of their statutorily mandated collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Appellants aver that the Pennsylvania Constitution, article I, sections 1, 11, and 26 require adequate protections with respect to fundamental rights, including the right to contract. Id. ¶226, R.R. at 50a. Appellants contend that Act 11112 statutorily mandates a process by which uniformed public employees, such as police officers, may organize and bargain collectively for their terms and conditions of employment. Id. ¶227; R.R. at 50a-51a. Act 111 requires interest arbitration to resolve disputes over the terms and conditions of employment. Id. Appellants aver that through Act 111 procedures, the
misconduct, but who are later exonerated, were effectively “disciplined” by the District Attorney because they lost overtime, and promotional and assignment opportunities through placement on the Do Not Call List. Id. ¶¶232-35; R.R. at 51a-52a. According to Appellants, these deprivations of statutorily mandated collective bargaining rights occurred without any due process guarantees in violation of the Pennsylvania Constitution. Id. ¶236; R.R. at 52a.
Counts V and VI - Tortious Interference with Existing CBA – Equitable and Declaratory Relief
In Counts V and VI, Appellants assert that the District Attorney has publicly demonstrated his “displeasure and disgust” with the disciplinary procedures under the CBA and he has engaged in purposeful conduct intended to harm the existing contractual relationship between the City and FOP. Id. ¶¶246-47; R.R. at 55a. Appellants assert that the District Attorney‘s creation of the new List and his disclosure of confidential personnel information of police officers who have been exonerated shows a blatant disregard for the due process procedures existing under the CBA in handling misconduct of police officers. Id. ¶248; R.R. at 55a. Appellants claim that neither Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), nor Giglio, justify or authorize the District Attorney to disregard the conclusions of the PBI, an arbitrator, or a court of law, which exonerated a police officer of alleged misconduct and place him/her on a Do Not Call List and disclose his/her confidential personnel information to third parties. Id. ¶251; R.R. at 56a. Appellants allege that by placing the appellant police officers on the List and leaving them on the List despite the fact that the charges against them were determined to be unfounded, the District Attorney has undermined the contractual provisions of the CBA by creating alternative, extra-contractual disciplinary procedures which go beyond that upon which was agreed. Id. ¶¶249-50; R.R. at 55a-56a. Appellants contend that the officers have been
harmed by a violation of their constitutional rights to contract, due process, and reputation. Id. ¶252; R.R. at 56a.
Count VII - Violation of the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law – Equitable Relief
In Count VII, Appellants assert that the District Attorney and City are not complying with the mandates of the Right-to-Know Law (RTKL)13 and due process clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution by requesting and releasing police officers’ confidential personnel information without providing the officers the opportunity to challenge the release of such information before it is disclosed. Id. ¶¶276-79; R.R. at 60a-61a.
Relief Sought
Appellants request equitable relief in the form of a permanent injunction enjoining the District Attorney from creating and
Trial Court‘s Order Sustaining POs and Dismissing the Complaint
The City and the District Attorney each filed POs in the nature of a demurrer, challenging the legal sufficiency of the complaint under
The City argued, inter alia,14 that the due process claims must be dismissed because under the Supremacy Clause of the United States (U.S.) Constitution,15 the police officers’ state constitutional guarantee of rights to reputation cannot override the rights guaranteed to criminal defendants under the U.S. Constitution.
For his part, the District Attorney argued, inter alia, that the claims against him lack merit because: (1) the harm alleged was only hypothetical and speculative, and, therefore, Appellants’ claims do not constitute a case or controversy; (2) Brady and Giglio bar Appellants’ claims; (3) the procedural due process claims with respect to the appellant police officers’ fundamental right to reputation fail to state valid claims; and (4) injunctive relief to compel affirmative action is not available against a district attorney acting in his official capacity.
On August 21, 2019, the trial court entered separate orders, sustaining the POs filed by the City and the District Attorney and dismissing the complaint with prejudice. The trial court issued its Pa.R.A.P. (Rule) 1925(a) opinion on November 18, 2019. The trial court based its dismissal of the complaint against the District
Attorney on four grounds. First, it held that the actions alleged in the complaint are well within the District Attorney‘s capacity as prosecutor. The trial court held that under Brady, and Giglio, and under
Next, the trial court held that Appellants failed to establish that a Do Not Call List exists because (1) “contrary to [Appellants‘] assertions,” the Letters attached to the complaint “do not indicate that a Do Not Call List exists or will exist in any point in the future“; (2) Appellants “ha[ve] not produced any evidence that [the District Attorney] keeps or maintains a Do Not Call List, as alleged“; and (3) “[a]t this time [Appellants have] produced no evidence in any of [the] [c]omplaints to corroborate
Third, the trial court held that the District Attorney has “absolute immunity” from liability “for civil damages for actions relating to prosecution of a criminal case.” Id. at 6, 8.
Lastly, the trial court found that the complaint was “hypothetical and speculative in nature” because “no action has yet been taken that would infringe on [the appellant officers‘] rights.” Id. at 7. The trial court reasoned that appellant police officers received Letters informing them that “instances of misconduct that could potentially fall under the definition of exculpatory evidence, because they concern witness credibility [and] may be disclosed in some future case.” Id. (emphasis in original). Focusing on the content of the Letters, the trial court emphasized that they “do not indicate that [the District Attorney] ultimately will make any of the misconduct evidence public.” Id. The trial court further noted that
the Letters “do not indicate” that the officers “will be transferred to other departments or delegated to restrictive duty status.” Id.
With respect to the claims against the City, the trial court found that they were “trumped by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment[,
II. Appeal and Issues
On appeal, Appellants raise four issues:
- Did the trial court err in dismissing the complaint on the grounds that Appellants produced no evidence in the complaint to corroborate the existence of a Do Not Call List or that the District Attorney maintains such a List?
- Did the trial court err in dismissing the complaint on the grounds that Brady and Giglio authorize the actions of the City and the District Attorney, as alleged in the complaint?
- Did the trial court err in dismissing the complaint on the grounds that the District Attorney has absolute immunity from the claims and relief sought against him?
- Did the trial court err in dismissing the complaint on the grounds that the harms alleged by the appellant police officers in the complaint were only hypothetical and speculative in nature?
(Appellants’ Br. at 6.)
III. Analysis
It is well established that in reviewing a trial court‘s grant of preliminary objections, this Court must “determine whether the trial court committed an error of law,” and in doing so, must “apply the same standard as the trial court.”
Hahn v. Community Health Care Systems, Inc., 14 A.3d 120, 124 (Pa. Super. 2011). Where, as here, a defendant files preliminary objections to a plaintiff‘s complaint in the nature of a demurrer, see
Importantly, documents attached as exhibits, documents referenced in the complaint, as well as facts already of record may also be considered. See Jenkins v. County of Schuylkill, 658 A.2d 380, 383 (Pa. Super. 1995).
Did the Trial Court Err When it Dismissed the Complaint on the Grounds that Appellants Produced No Evidence that the District Attorney Keeps or Maintains a Do Not Call List?
Appellants argue that the trial court erred by dismissing the complaint on the grounds that Appellants failed to “produce evidence” that the District Attorney keeps or maintains a Do Not Call List. Appellants assert that they were
not required to identify or point to evidence in the complaint to corroborate the existence of the Do Not Call List. We agree.
Pennsylvania is a fact-pleading jurisdiction; as such, a complaint must provide notice of the nature of the plaintiff‘s claims and also summarize the facts upon which the claims are based. Youndt v. First National Bank of Port Allegany, 868 A.2d 539, 544 (Pa. Super. 2005).
There is no requirement that the plaintiff “produce” or “plead” the evidence or proof upon which the pleader will rely to establish those facts. Commonwealth by Shapiro v. Golden Gate National Senior Care, LLC, 194 A.3d 1010, 1029-30 (Pa. 2018); Wicks v. Milzoco Builders, Inc., 470 A.2d 86, 90 (Pa. 1983) (holding the plaintiff need only plead ultimate facts; evidentiary facts need not be set forth in the complaint); United Refrigerator Co. v. Applebaum, 189 A.2d 253, 255 (Pa. 1963); Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania v. Pennsylvania Game Commission, 950 A.2d 1120, 1134 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2008) (holding that to be sufficiently specific, “the complaint need not cite evidence but only those facts necessary for the defendant to prepare a defense“).
The trial court was required to accept as true all well-pleaded averments in the complaint. In sustaining the POs, the trial court was not convinced by the averments of the complaint that a Do Not Call List actually exists. In so doing, it effectively made a factual finding, i.e., there is no List. In ruling on preliminary objections, however, the trial court may not consider
Our review of the complaint confirms that Appellants sufficiently averred that there is a new Do Not Call List maintained by the District Attorney, which is continuously updated and contains the names and confidential personnel information of the appellant police officers who have been exonerated of charges of misconduct. (Complaint, ¶¶54-64; R.R. at 17a-19a.) Appellants averred that FOP learned on or about May 15, 2018, that the District Attorney was creating a new, updated, revised, and more expansive “Do Not Call List” as well as a process by which police officers were placed on the List. Id. ¶54; R.R. at 17a. Appellants specified that referеnces to the Do Not Call List in the complaint were not limited to a concrete or tangible List per se but included “the method by which [the District Attorney] obtains, reviews and stores confidential personnel information of police officers . . . and the compilation, tabulation, record-keeping, use of data bases, or any other methods employed to compile and keep track of those [p]olice [o]fficers.” (Complaint, at 3-4, n.1; R.R. at 4a.) Appellants attached magazine and newspaper articles to the complaint, quoting the District Attorney‘s statements that there is a List, that he was in the process of compiling a new updated database of infractions
and that the new “roster” would include more police officers than the previous Do Not Call List. These were well-pleaded allegations.
Because the trial court prematurely required evidence of a Do Not Call List rather than accepting the well-pleaded allegations of the complaint as true, we must conclude that the trial court‘s basis for sustaining the POs on this ground was error.
Did the Trial Court Err in Dismissing the Complaint on the Grounds that Brady and Giglio Authorized the District Attorney and the City‘s Actions?
Next, the trial court dismissed the complaint based on its conclusion that Brady, Giglio, and
conducted himself/herself with fidelity and honor in fulfilling the inherently weighty duties of his/her job. Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 5 v. The City of Philadelphia, ___ A.3d ___, ___ (Pa. Cmwlth., No. 1295 C.D. 2019, filed ____) (Ceisler, J., dissenting) slip op. at 5. We disagree with that conclusion. One of the most fundamental tenets and principles of our justice system is that people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Thus, an accusation is actually consistent with innocence; it does not establish guilt. This principle has been applied in the context of allegations of police officer misconduct and the Brady rule. See Dicks v. United States (W.D. Pa., No. 09-2614, filed Sept. 8, 2010), 2010 WL 11484356 (holding that police officer internal affairs investigation and civil lawsuits never resulted in any finding оf misconduct; thus, the allegations were not favorable to the petitioner under Brady); United States v. Booker (E.D. Pa., No. 95-211, filed Apr. 24, 1997), 1997 WL 214850, slip op. at *2-3 (finding that the probative value of the “evidence of prior unfounded or unsubstantiated allegations” is limited “and would be substantially outweighed by the risk of unfair prejudice“).
Unquestionably, the District Attorney has an affirmative duty to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence, as well as evidence that could be used to impeach prosecution witnesses, whether that evidence is in the possession of the Office of the District Attorney or the City itself and must provide that evidence to the accused. Kyles, 514 U.S. at 437-39. Furthermore, the City has a derivative duty to assist the District Attorney with fulfilling his constitutional obligation to criminal defendants, by providing the District Attorney, at his request, with information regarding such allegations. Id.
Accordingly, we conclude the trial court properly dismissed Appellants’ complaint to the extent that it seeks to enjoin the City from providing information from appellant officers’ personnel files to DA Krasner, and to enjoin DA Krasner from creating and maintaining an internal Do Not Call List, or from disclosing potentially exculpatory or impeachment information to criminal defense counsel.18
exonerated, they should not be on the List. Appellant police officers aver that the opprobrium associated with being on a Do Not Call List directly interferes with their constitutional rights to protect their reputations. They argue that their reputations will, in fact, be infringed if they are added to a publicized blacklist, without being given a meaningful opportunity to challenge their designation as such before an impartial tribunal. The complaint avers that there is no mechanism for an officer, who is found not guilty of the misconduct charges, to do so.
The trial court did not find merit in the appellant police officers’ argument because it found that the City‘s and the DA‘s constitutional duties under Brady and Giglio preempt or supersede the officers’ claimed reputation and privacy rights. We do not agree that this is the case.
First, the due process right asserted by the officers relates to the impropriety of being placed on the Do Not Call List. Second, neither Brady nor Giglio eliminate the right of innocent officers to be afforded a meaningful opportunity to argue why they should not be placed on the List or why they should be removed prior to any public disclosure of the List. Whether the appellant police officers, who have been exonerated of misconduct charges, must be given the opportunity to argue why they should not be on the Do Not Call List before it is disclosed to the public involves an inquiry, which is separate from the District Attorney‘s duty to disclose potentially exculpatory and impeachment information under Brady and Giglio. An officer may be afforded due process to argue why he should not be on the Do Not Call List without violating Brady.
Thus, we conclude it was error for the trial court to dismiss the entire complaint on the grounds that Brady and Giglio authorize the City‘s and District Attorney‘s аctions. Appellants have raised a separate due process claim, which is not preempted or superseded by Brady and Giglio and must be analyzed separately.
Due Process
In Counts I and II, Appellants seek to enjoin the dissemination of the Do Not Call List before the officers have the chance to demonstrate why, having been exonerated of misconduct, they should not be on the List.
The government is prohibited from depriving individuals of life, liberty, or property, unless it provides the process that is due. Commonwealth v. Turner, 80 A.3d 754, 764 (Pa. 2013). The basic elements of procedural due process are adequate notice, the opportunity to be
Appellants argue that the appellant police officers were mistakenly or unfairly placed on the Do Not Call List because the allegations of misconduct were deemed unfounded. They contend that their placement on the Do Not Call List interfered with their protected liberty interest in their professional and personal reputations. They aver that the District Attorney and the City violated their constitutional rights to reputation without proper process because they were denied the opportunity to argue why, having been cleared of any wrongdoing, they do not deserve to be on the List. See Complaint, ¶¶74, 82-83; R.R. at 22a.
The Pennsylvania Constitution establishes the right to protect one‘s reputation as one of the fundamental rights that cannot be abridged without compliance with state constitutiоnal standards of due process and equal protection.
All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent and indefeasible rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing and protecting property and reputation, and of pursuing their own happiness.
All courts shall be open; and every man for an injury done him in his lands, goods, person or reputation shall have remedy by due course of law and right and justice administered without sale, denial or delay. Suits may be brought against the Commonwealth in such manner, in such courts and in such cases as the Legislature may by law direct.
Neither the Commonwealth nor any political subdivision thereof shall deny to any person the enjoyment of any civil right, nor discriminate against any person in the exercise of any civil right.
These provisions, taken together, establish a legally cognizable protection against governmental infringement of reputation without due process. R. v. Department of Public Welfare, 636 A.2d 142 (Pa. 1994); Pennsylvania Bar Association v. Commonwealth Insurance Department, 607 A.2d 850 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1992). Due process entitles an individual to adequate notice of the charges against him and an opportunity to be heard. Dunn v. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Driver Licensing, 819 A.2d 189 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2003).
In Simon v. Commonwealth, 659 A.2d 631 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1995), the former Pennsylvania Crime Commission published a report entitled “Racketeering and Organized Crime in the Bingo Industry.” Id. at 634. In the report, the Commission named the petitioners as being involved in the operation of bingo games and being connected to organized crime figures. Id. Prior the publication of the report, the petitioners were not afforded notice that their names would be included in the report and tied to organized crime figures, or an opportunity to be heard. Id.
This Court held that an individual‘s reputation is fundamental under the Pennsylvania Constitution and cannot be abridged without compliance with both due process and equal protection requirements. Id. at 637. We observed that “[u]nder this scheme, there is no forum for an individual who believes that his reputation has been adversely affected to seek a remedy until after the possible damage has been done. This is clearly an unconscionable abrogation of a state protected constitutional right without due process.” Id. at 639. Emphasizing that advanced notice is the most basic of all requirements, we held that publication of the report without giving the petitioners notice that their reputations were at issue and to provide them an opportunity to present objections was in violation of
In Pennsylvania Bar Association, this Court held that before an attorney‘s name could be placed on a suspected fraud list because his/her client was suspected of fraud, the Commonwealth was required to give the attorney notice and an opportunity to be heard. There,
The fact that the reports are only accessible to member insurers and several other categories of individuals does not make them any less damaging, as the attorney must deal with these insurers in the course of his business, and his reputation in their eyes is at least as valuable as it is in the eyes of the general public, if not more so. Consequently, we find merit in PBA‘s allegation that section 1822‘s requirement that member insurers report the names of attorneys involved in the “suspected fraudulent claims” inevitably leads to the injury of these attorneys’ reputations, based upon suspicion alone.
Id. at 854 (emphasis added).
Here, the complaint avers that the original List of “rogue” or “tainted” police officers was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer. (Complaint, ¶37.) As alleged in the complaint, it is a blacklist of sorts. If, as Appellants allege in the complaint, a new updated List is being compiled, then it is not unreasonable for the appellant officers to be concerned that the new List will meet the same fate as the first List. It will be requested by the media and made public. There can be little question that placement on a formal list of officers who are
[T]he Brady-cop designation immediately puts a question mark on the officer‘s ability to testify, and that question mark has severe employment consequences. An officer who cannot be counted on to testify also cannot be counted on to make arrests, investigate cases, or carry out any other police functions that might lead to the witness stand. Brady cops may thus find themselves fast-tracked for termination and hard-pressed to find future work.
Considering the grave employment consequences, one might expect strong substantive and procedural protections to guard against mistakenly or unfairly placing an officer on the Brady list. But that is not the case. Unlike in police department disciplinary proceedings, which provide many procedural protections to accused officers, prosecutors can make Brady-cop designations based on flimsy evidence and without giving officers an opportunity to contest the allegations beforehand or to appeal the decisions afterward. Even if, on appeal, the officer overturns the misconduct finding that landed him on the Brady list, the prosecutor can continue to label the officer as a Brady cop if he doubts the officer‘s credibility. And forget whatever progressive discipline system might govern the traditional punishment of police misconduct: a prosecutor can put an officer on the Brady list for a small, first-time offense and leave her there for life without giving her any chance to clear her name.
Jonathan Abel, Brady‘s Blind Spot: Impeachment Evidence in Police Personnel Files and the Battle Splitting the Prosecution Team, 67 Stan. L. Rev. 743, 780-82 (Apr. 2015) (footnotes omitted).
In Duchesne v. Hillsborough County Attorney, 119 A.3d 188 (N.H. 2015), police officers who successfully challenged the discipline imрosed after they were accused of unnecessary use of force brought an action against the Hillsborough County Attorney (prosecutor), seeking among other things, the removal of their names from the county‘s list of officers whose personnel files contained potentially exculpatory evidence required to be disclosed pursuant to New Hampshire v. Laurie, 653 A.2d 549 (N.H. 1995).19 The officers argued that the prosecutor‘s refusal to remove them from the Laurie List violated their constitutional rights to due process of law. They argued that placement on the Laurie List affected a significant constitutional liberty and property interest because
The trial court denied the officers relief. On appeal, the officers argued inter alia, that the allegations of excessive use of force were determined to be unfounded, and, therefore, inclusion of their names on the Laurie List or disclosure of their names to a court or a defendant in a future criminal case was unwarranted.
Given that the original allegations of excessive force were determined to be unfounded, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire (Duchesne Court) agreed and held that the trial court erred in not ordering the removal of officers from the ”Laurie List” because there was “no sustained basis for the [officers‘] placement on the ’Laurie List.‘” Duchesne, 119 A.3d at 198. Recognizing that the inclusion on
the Laurie List carries a stigma, the Duchesne Court held that basic notions of fairness require that an officer must be removed from the list when it is clear that there are no valid grounds for his being on the list, and that, absent other available procedures, the courts can provide a remedy to an aggrieved officer. Id.
Although Duchesne is a New Hampshire case,20 we find the case instructive. Here, as in Duchesne, the complaint averred that the allegations against the appellant police officers were determined to be unfounded. They claim that because they were exonerated, there are no proper grounds for the DA‘s inclusion of their names on the Do Not Call List. We agree and find that the interests of the appellant police officers in their reputations and careers is such that there must be some post-placement mechanism available for an officer to seek removal from the Do Not Call List if the grounds for placement on the List are thereafter shown to be lacking in substance, as was the case in Duchesne.
Unlike the trial court, we do not agree that the complaint establishes that appellant police officers were afforded sufficient due process because the Letters informed them of the District Attorney‘s disclosure obligations “ahead of any hypothetical disclosure” and invited them to communicate in writing if they believed the information in the Letter was “incorrect.” (Trial ct. op., 11/18/19, at 7.)
We disagree with the trial court‘s view that the Letters “serve[d] as protection of the officers’ due process rights.” Id.
First, whether the information in the Letter is “correct” does not go to whether the officers were mistakenly placed on the List and should be removed from the List in light of their exoneration. The Letters acknowledge that the officers were cleared of wrongdoing. Limiting the officers’ challenge to whether the information is “correct” or not – is not the same as affording them the opportunity to establish before an impartial tribunal why, having been
Applying the above principles to the instant case, we conclude that the complaint alleges sufficient facts, which must be taken as true at this stage of the proceeding, to state a claim for violation of the appellant police officers’ fundamental right to protect their reputations without affording them due process. Accordingly, we find that the trial court erred by categorically concluding on POs that the appellant police officers are not entitled to prior notice that they are being considered for placement on the updated Do Not Call List or afforded a timely and meaningful opportunity to be heard concerning whether they should be placed on the List.21
Does the Doctrine of Absolute Immunity Bar the Due Process Claims Against the District Attorney?
Next, we address whether the trial court erred in sustaining the District Attorney‘s POs and dismissing the complaint based on the doctrine of absolute immunity. Citing Miller v. Nelson, 768 A.2d 858, 861 (Pa. Super. 2001), the trial court held that the district attorney “enjoys absolute immunity from liability for civil damages for actions related to prosecution of a criminal case.” (Trial ct. op., 11/18/19, at 7-8.)
Although the trial court is correсt that prosecutors are immune from lawsuits challenging their official conduct,22
and injunctive relief to enjoin an alleged constitutional due process violation. Appellant police officers contend that they were not provided constitutional due process before being placed on the Do Not Call List. That is, they seek to restrain the District Attorney from publicizing the List unless and until they are provided with an opportunity to demonstrate why they should not be on the List. In Fawber v. Cohen, 532 A.2d 429 (Pa. 1987), our Supreme Court explained that governmental immunity cannot shield these types of claims, which simply seek to restrain state officials from performing affirmative acts, as follows:
The distinction is clear between suits against the Commonwealth which are within the rule of its immunity and suits to restrain officers of the Commonwealth from enforcing the provisions of a statute claimed to be unconstitutional. Suits which seek to compel affirmative action on the part of state officials or to obtain money damages or to recover property from the Commonwealth are within the rule of immunity; suits which simply seek to restrain state officials from performing affirmative acts are not within the rule of immunity.
Id. at 433-34 (emphasis in original). See also Wilkinsburg Police Officers Association v. Commonwealth, 636 A.2d 134, 137 (Pa. 1993) (holding that lawsuits that seek to compel affirmative action on the part of state officials or to obtain money damages or to recover property from the Commonwealth are within the rule of immunity; suits which simply seek to restrain state officials from performing affirmative acts are not within the rule of immunity); R.H.S. v. Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health, 936 A.2d 1218, 1228 (Pa.
Cmwlth. 2007) (holding that, notwithstanding governmental immunity, “[c]laims arising from violations of the Pennsylvania Constitution may still be raised against local governments“).
Here, Appellants do not seek damages, nor do they seek to compel the District Attorney to perform an affirmative act. Rather, they seek constitutional compliance through equitable relief. Accordingly, the trial court incorrectly concluded that absolute immunity poses a bar to Counts I and II, insofar as Appellants seek injunctive relief to enjoin the DA from distributing the Do Not Call List unlеss, and until, they are provided with due process and have had an opportunity to challenge the placement of their names on the Do Not Call List. Because these counts seek a declaration that their right to protect their reputations was denied without due process, immunity poses no bar to appellant police officers’ claims.
Did the Trial Court Err in Dismissing the Complaint on the Grounds that Harms Allegedly Suffered by Appellant Police Officers are “Hypothetical” and “Speculative” in Nature?
The trial court dismissed the complaint based on its conclusion that “the [complaint] was speculative and hypothetical in nature because no action has yet been taken that would infringe upon [appellant police officers‘] rights.” (Trial ct. op., 11/18/19, at 7.) We find no merit in the trial court‘s conclusion that the complaint should be dismissed on these grounds.
The same rationale applies here. The appellant police officers should not be required to wait until damage to their reputations has been done before they are provided a meaningful opportunity to be heard. As in Pennsylvania Bar Association, the negative stigma of being included on a Do Not Call List is a threat to the appellant police officers’ reputations. See also Wolfe v. Beal, 384 A.2d 1187, 1189 (Pa. 1978) (holding that existence of government records containing information that might subject a party to negative stigmatization is a “threat” to that party‘s reputation).
Furthermore, contrary to the trial court‘s ruling, Appellants have alleged facts to establish that actual harm has already occurred as the result of placing the appellant police officers on the Do Not Call List. In Paragraphs 90 and 93 of the complaint, Appellants allege:
90. On [June 22, 2018, FOP] learned that some of its bargaining unit employees were informed orally and without advance notice that their job duties were being restricted based on the prior “Do Not Call List” of former District Attorney Williams.
***
93. On June 28, 2018, [FOP‘s President] sent a letter to [the Police Commissioner] informing him that bargaining unit employees had their work duties restricted by the PPD consequent to being placed on the new, updated and revised “Do Not Call List.”
(Complaint, ¶¶90, 93, R.R. at 24a.)
In Paragraph 180 of the complaint, Appellants allege that one of the appellant police offiсers who was placed on the new Do Not Call List “was removed from his new assignment and was returned to a position as a patrol officer, resulting in a loss of overtime income and the potential of other career promotions.” Id. ¶108, R.R. at 41a. Again, because this matter was before the trial court on POs, the trial court was required to assume these allegations are true. Borough of White Oak v. Department of Transportation, 360 A.2d 825, 826 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1976).
In this case, we cannot know that the harm alleged is theoretical or speculative until there is discovery, and the determination is made by a factfinder based on substantial evidence. For now, at this stage in the proceedings, we find that appellant
Thus, the trial court erred in sustaining the POs and dismissing the complaint on the grounds that the harm alleged was hypothetical or speculative.
IV. Conclusion
Based on the foregoing, we conclude that the trial court erred by categorically concluding on POs that the appellant police officers are not entitled to prior notice that they are being considered for placement on the updated Do Not Call List or afforded a timely and meaningful opportunity to be heard concerning whether they should be removed from the Do Not Call List. We find Counts I and II of the complaint state cognizable constitutional due process claims and must be allowed to proceed. In so doing, we emphasize that the DA‘s obligations under Brady and Giglio are not contingent upon whether a police officer is placed on the Do Not Call List. As we have made clear, the DA may provide information about any police officer to criminal defense counsel regardless of whether that officer is on the Do Not Call List. Thus, the due process we have found is owed to exonerated police officers should not in any way interfere with the timeliness or conduct of the criminal trial.
Accordingly, the trial court‘s dismissal of the complaint is affirmed, in part, and vacated, in part. To the extent that the trial court dismissed Appellants’ requests to enjoin the DA and the City from carrying out their functions under Brady and Giglio, that portion of the trial court‘s decision to dismiss the complaint is affirmed. The trial court‘s dismissal of the due process claims raised in Counts I and II is vacated.
PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge
IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, :
by its guardians ad litem, John :
McNesby, President; Roosevelt Len :
Poplar, Vice President; John McGrody, :
Vice President; Steve Weiler, Vice :
President; Nicholas Denofa, Vice :
President; Police Officer Sean Cahill; :
Detective Michael DeRose; Police :
Officer Richard Green; Police Officer :
Constance Harris; Police Officer :
Matthew Nodiff; and Police Officer :
Anthony Roselli, :
Appellants :
: No. 1295 C.D. 2019
v. :
:
The City of Philadelphia, its Officials, :
Agents, Employees and Assigns; Jim :
Kenney, in his official capacity as :
Mayor of the City of Philadelphia; :
Larry Krasner, in his official capacity :
as District Attorney of the City of :
Philadelphia; R. Richard Ross Jr., in :
his former capacity as Police :
Commissioner of the City of :
Philadelphia :
ORDER
AND NOW, this 9th day of November, 2021, the August 21, 2019 orders of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County (trial court) dismissing Appellants’ Second Amended Complaint is hereby affirmed in part and vacated in part as follows:
- To the extent that the trial court dismissed Appellants’ requests to enjoin Appellees from carrying out their functions under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) and Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150 (1972), that portion of the trial court‘s decision to dismiss the complaint is AFFIRMED.
- The trial court‘s dismissal of Appellants’ due process claims raised in Counts I and II is VACATED and the matter is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Jurisdiction is relinquished.
PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge
IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, :
by its guardians ad litem, John :
McNesby, President; Roosevelt Len :
Poplar, Vice President; John McGrody, :
Vice President; Steve Weiler, Vice :
President; Nicholas Denofa, Vice :
President; Police Officer Sean Cahill; :
Detective Michael DeRose; Police :
Officer Richard Green; Police Officer :
Constance Harris; Police Officer :
Matthew Nodiff; and Police Officer :
Anthony Roselli, :
Appellants :
:
v. : No. 1295 C.D. 2019
: ARGUED: June 11, 2020
The City of Philadelphia, its Officials, :
Agents, Employees and Assigns; Jim :
Kenney, in his official capacity as :
Mayor of the City of Philadelphia; Larry :
Krasner, in his official capacity as :
District Attorney of the City of :
Philadelphia; R. Richard Ross Jr., in his :
former capacity as Police Commissioner :
of the City of Philadelphia :
BEFORE: HONORABLE MARY HANNAH LEAVITT, President Judge
HONORABLE RENÉE COHN JUBELIRER, Judge
HONORABLE P. KEVIN BROBSON, Judge
HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge
HONORABLE MICHAEL H. WOJCIK, Judge
HONORABLE CHRISTINE FIZZANO CANNON, Judge
HONORABLE ELLEN CEISLER, Judge
CONCURRING AND DISSENTING OPINION BY JUDGE CEISLER FILED: November 9, 2021
I concur in part and dissent in part from the majority‘s treatment of the Trial Court‘s August 22, 2019 orders, as it is readily apparent that the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County (Trial Court) properly dismissed The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, by its guardians ad litem, John McNesby, President; Roosevelt Len Poplar, Vice President;
States Constitution.3 I come to this conclusion in light of the fact that this solemn duty, which is critical to ensuring that justice is fairly and accurately dispensed, vitiates whatever claims rooted in Pennsylvania law that Appellants may have otherwise been able to pursue.4
Pursuant to Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), and the case law which has sprung forth from that seminal decision, the District Attorney has an unshakable responsibility under the Fourteenth Amendment‘s Due Process Clause to disclose potentially material evidence to criminal defendants. To that end, the United States Supreme Court has held that “the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused . . . violates due process where the
prosecution.” Brady, 373 U.S. at 87. “[R]egardless of [whether a criminal defendant requests specific information], favorable evidence is material, and constitutional error results from its suppression by the government, ‘if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different.‘” Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 433 (1995) (quoting United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682 (1985) (plurality opinion of Blackmun, J.)) and citing id. at 685 (White, J., concurring in part and concurring in judgment).
“When the ’reliability of a given witness may well be determinative of guilt or innocence,’ nondisclosure of evidence affecting credibility falls within this general rule.” Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 154 (1972) (quoting Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264, 271 (1959)) (emphasis added).
[T]he prosecution, which alone can know what is undisclosed, must be assigned the consequent responsibility to gauge the likely net effect of all such evidence and make disclosure when the point of “reasonable probability” is reached. This in turn means that the individual prosecutor has a duty to learn of any favorable evidence known to the others acting on the government‘s behalf in the case, including the police. But whether the prosecutor succeeds or fails in meeting this obligation (whether, that is, a failure to disclose is in good faith or bad faith, see Brady, 373 U.S. at 87 . . .), the prosecution‘s responsibility for failing to disclose known, favorable evidence rising to a material level of importance is inescapable.
. . . .
[T]he prosecution cannot be subject to any disclosure obligation without at some point having the responsibility to determine when it must act. Indeed, even if due process [was] thought to be violated by every failure to disclose an item of exculpatory or impeachment evidence (leaving harmless error as the government‘s only fallback), the prosecutor would still
be forced to make judgment calls about what would count as favorable evidence, owing to the very fact that the character of a piece of evidence as favorable will often turn on the context of the existing or potential evidentiary record.
. . . .
Unless, indeed, the adversary system of prosecution is to descend to a gladiatorial level unmitigated by any prosecutorial obligation for the sake of truth, the government simply cannot avoid responsibility for knowing whеn the suppression of evidence has come to portend such an effect on a trial’s outcome as to destroy confidence in its result.
This means, naturally, that a prosecutor anxious about tacking too close to the wind will disclose a favorable piece of evidence.
Kyles, 514 U.S. at 437-39 (emphasis added); accord United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 108 (1976) (“Because we are dealing with an inevitably imprecise standard, and because the significance of an item of evidence can seldom be predicted accurately until the entire record is complete, the prudent prosecutor will resolve doubtful questions in favor of disclosure.”). In short, the District Attorney has an affirmative duty to seek out potentially exculpatory
It is at this juncture that I part company with the majority opinion. First and foremost, I agree with the District Attorney, and the Trial Court, that information regarding a PPD employee’s alleged perpetration of misconduct may certainly be material in some instances, even if the allegation has previously been deemed by others to have been unfounded. This is becausе such an accusation goes to the heart of a PPD employee’s trustworthiness and speaks to whether they have conducted themselves with fidelity and honor in fulfilling the inherently weighty duties of their job. Giglio, 405 U.S. at 154; cf. Com. v. Mejia-Arias, 734 A.2d 870, 876 (Pa. Super. 1999) (quoting Com. v. Herrick, 660 A.2d 51, 61 (Pa. Super. 1995)) (a police officer’s personnel file is, at most, protected by “a common law privilege” which “[‘]must yield to the constitutional rights of a criminal defendant’”). Therefore, in order to avoid running afoul of the
Appellants do not challenge the District Attorney’s broad constitutional responsibilities and admit “that under Brady[,] . . . [the District Attorney] is obligated to provide exculpatory information to criminal defendants concerning the nature of the criminal investigation that resulted in
With regard to the first issue, Appellants run headlong into the District Attorney’s constitutional duty to affirmatively seek out potentially exculpatory and impeachment evidence, as well as his responsibility to err on the side of disclosure when faced with evidence of uncertain matеriality.
Affording police officers authority . . . that prevent[s] the district attorney from carrying out his duties would present a clear infringement of powers which the constitution and the legislature, as well as our case law, have reposed in the district attorney. Not only would it shift power from an elected and publicly accountable official to appointed public servants, but it would create havoc in the administration of justice by creating unbridled and decentralized decisions [regarding the handling of criminal cases].
Com. v. Stipetich, 652 A.2d 1294, 1295 (Pa. 1995). Simply put, Appellants cannot be permitted to interfere with or block the District Attorney’s discretionary authority to determine what constitutes material or potentially material evidence, nor with his concomitant duty to disclose that evidence to criminal defendants, as doing so would inevitably force the District Attorney to violate criminal defendants’ due process rights. Similarly, allowing Appellants to invade the District Attorney’s discretionary realm would cause the City to commit due process violations as well, since Appellants would then be able to prevent the City from disclosing requested information to the District Attorney and, by extension, to criminal defendants.
Given this, Appellants’ procedural concerns cannot, as the majority argues, be disentangled from the District Attorney’s Fourteenth Amendment-based disclosure obligations. See Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 5 v. City of Philadelphia, __ A.3d __, __ (Pa. Cmwlth., No. 1295 C.D. 2019, filed November 9, 2021 (FOP), slip op. at 19-28. To reiterate, allowing police officers to interject themselves into the District Attorney’s Brady information disclosure decisions, in the manner sought by Appellants and sanctioned by the majority, would run counter to Pennsylvania Supreme Court case law and inevitably lead to violations of criminal defendants’ due process rights. Suсh an outcome, for reasons legal, practical, and moral, would be utterly unacceptable.7
The majority seeks to counter this by invoking the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” and argues, in essence, that PPD employees who have been “exonerated of misconduct charges,” as the majority puts it, must be given the opportunity to contest their placement on the District Attorney’s Do Not Call List prior to disclosure of any misconduct-related information
It is important to note that, per the Second Amended Complaint and the exhibits attached thereto, each allegation of misconduct relevant to this matter was found sufficient by the government itself, such that each named PPD employee was thereafter subjected to potential sanction either by the PPD itself or a jury of their peers. Regardless of whether each named PPD employee was then found guilty and punished, either administratively or in a court
This is not to suggest that all such information will necessarily be admissible at trial in every situation. Determinations of that nature require a separate analysis, which will ultimately be made by the trial judge in each individual case, in line with the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence. Com. v. Hawk, 709 A.2d 373, 376 (Pa. 1998) (“In determining the admissibility of evidence, the trial court must decide whether the evidence is relevant and, if so, whether its probative value outweighs its prejudicial effect.”); see, e.g.,
As for Appellants’ second issue, their theoretical concerns about the potential future impact of disclosure upon PPD employees’ careers cannot, by law, serve as a basis fоr granting them declaratory or injunctive relief. “Although the Declaratory Judgments Act10 is to be liberally construed, one limitation on a court’s ability to issue a declaratory judgment is that the issues involved must be ripe for judicial determination, meaning that there must be the presence of an actual case or controversy.” Pa. State Lodge v. Dep’t of Lab. & Indus., 692 A.2d 609, 613 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1997), aff’d, 707 A.2d 1129 (Pa. 1998). “A declaratory judgment must not be employed to determine rights in anticipation of events which may never occur or for consideration of moot cases or as a medium for the rendition of an advisory opinion which may prove to be purely academic.” Gulnac by Gulnac v. S. Butler Cnty. Sch. Dist., 587 A.2d 699, 701 (Pa. 1991). With the exception of Officer Reilly, who claims that he was transferred to a less desirable position within the PPD after receiving the aforementioned letter,11 none of Appellants point to any actual harm in their Second Amended Complaint that has been visited upon them as a result
I also note that Appellants fail to identify any specific instances where the District Attorney has prevented them from testifying at trial. However, this is more of an academic point, as PPD employees do not have a constitutional, statutory, or common law right to force the District Attorney or his subordinates to call them as trial witnesses. It is well settled that a prosecutor has “no duty . . . to call witnesses whose names appear on a bill of indictment or even eye witnesses, if [he] believes after examination or investigation that their testimony is unreliable, or unworthy of belief, or surplusage or irrelevant.” Com. v. Horn, 150 A.2d 872, 874 (Pa. 1959).
[T]he prosecuting officer is so far bound to a judicial attitude that he should present to the jury substantially all the evidence within his reach that may throw important light on the case. This, however, does not mean that he must call as a witness everybody that anybody else may think desirable. The responsibility is upon him, and a large measure of discretion must be allowed him in meeting it.
Com. v. Karamarkovic, 67 A. 650, 651 (Pa. 1907). Ultimately, the District Attorney and his subordinates are responsible for serving the interests of justice and cannot be forced to prosecute cases in a manner which they believe will fail to deliver a righteous outcome for both the accused perpetrators, and the victims, of criminal acts. See Com. v. Giacobbe, 19 A.2d 71, 75 (Pa. 1941) (“[T]he district attorney is a quasi[-]judicial officer and as such should be motivated by a desire to accomplish justice rather than by an inordinate zeal to obtain convictions[.]”).
Furthermore, Appellants do not allege in their Second Amended Complaint that the District Attorney has operated in bad faith to prevent specific PPD employees from offering witness testimony. It is thus immaterial whether the Do Not Call List actually exists, due to the District Attorney’s broad purview to identify PPD employees whose work histories could significantly undermine their credibility and trustworthiness, and thus their viability as witnesses at trial, for such reasons as internal affairs complaints and investigations, disciplinary actions, excessive force incidents, or civil rights lawsuits. Cf. Com. v. Michaliga, 947 A.2d 786, 795 (Pa. Super. 2008) (“[I]t is presumed that the district attorney act[s] in good faith[.]”). To that point, Appellants themselves admit that their “causes of action in no way attempt to stop . . . the creation of a ‘Do Not Call List,’ but rather seek to prevent disclosures of personnel information not required by [Brady and its progeny] without first protecting [Appellants’] constitutional, statutory, and common law rights[.]” Appellants’ Br. at 31. Thus, even if the aforementioned reasons why Appellants’ suit is legally untenable could be ignored, it remains that the overwhelming balance of them would be without a legal basis for obtaining their desired relief at this juncture.12
ELLEN CEISLER, Judge
Judge Wojcik joins in the Concurring and Dissenting Opinion.
Notes
Council 13, Am. Fed‘n of State, Cnty. & Mun. Emps., AFL-CIO ex rel. Fillman v. Rendell, 986 A.2d 63, 77-78 (Pa. 2009) (internal footnote omitted).It is fundamental that by virtue of the Supremacy Clause, the State courts are bound by the decisions of the Supreme Court with respect to the federal Constitution and federal law, and must adhere to extant Supreme Court jurisprudence.
U.S. CONST. art. VI, cl. 2 ; [] Chesapeake & O. Ry. Co. v. Martin, 283 U.S. 209, 221 . . . (1931) (“The determination by this [C]ourt of [a federal] question is binding upon the state courts, and must be followed, any state law, decision, or rule to the contrary notwithstanding.“); Com[.] v. Ware, . . . 284 A.2d 700, 702 ([Pa.] 1971) (“[A] state court is not free to ignore the dictates of the United States Supreme Court on federal constitutional matters because of its own conclusion that those dictates are ‘ill-considered.‘“).
(B) Disclosure by the Commonwealth.
(1) Mandatory. In all court cases, on request by the defendant, and subject to any protective order which the Commonwealth might obtain under this rule, the Commonwealth shall disclose to the defendant‘s attorney all of the following requested items or information, provided they arе material to the instant case. The Commonwealth shall, when applicable, permit the defendant‘s attorney to inspect and copy or photograph such items.
(a) Any evidence favorable to the accused that is material either to guilt or to punishment, and is within the possession or control of the attorney for the Commonwealth[.]