A.L. Davis v. PA BPP ( 2016 )


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  •           IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
    Angelo Lenell Davis,                           :
    Petitioner       :
    :
    v.                              :    No. 944 C.D. 2015
    :    Submitted: April 22, 2016
    Pennsylvania Board of Probation                :
    and Parole,                                    :
    Respondent             :
    BEFORE:        HONORABLE ROBERT SIMPSON, Judge
    HONORABLE ANNE E. COVEY, Judge
    HONORABLE BONNIE BRIGANCE LEADBETTER, Senior Judge
    OPINION NOT REPORTED
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    BY JUDGE SIMPSON                               FILED: June 3, 2016
    Angelo Lenell Davis (Requester) petitions for review from the Office
    of Open Records’ (OOR) final determination that denied access to records he sought
    pursuant to the Right-to-Know Law (RTKL).1 Requester sought a copy of his
    sentencing order from the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (Board).
    The Board denied access under its confidentiality regulation that applies to parole
    files, 
    37 Pa. Code §61.2
    , as well as the investigative exceptions under the RTKL.
    Upon review, we affirm.
    I. Background
    Requester submitted a request to the Board seeking: “a copy of the
    written, signed, and dated ‘Probation Order’ issued by the Dauphin County Court
    of Common Pleas Judge Lawrence F. Clark, Jr. issued on January 30, 2007, Case
    1
    Act of February 14, 2008, P.L. 6, 65 P.S. §§67.101-67.3104.
    No. 3275-CF-2006 July 7, 2006.” Certified Record (C.R.) at Item No. 1 (Request).
    The Board denied access, asserting the record was protected by its confidentiality
    regulation, 
    37 Pa. Code §61.2
    , by the criminal and noncriminal investigative
    exceptions under the RTKL, and by the Criminal History Record Information Act,
    18 Pa. C.S. §§9101–9183. However, the Board directed Requester to request a
    copy of the order directly from the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas
    (Sentencing Court). Requester appealed to OOR.
    On appeal to OOR, the Board submitted a position statement
    describing its operations and the record requested. The Board reasserted its denial
    grounds and submitted an affidavit of its Deputy Open Records Officer (Affidavit).
    In the Affidavit, the affiant attested the requested record did not constitute a
    “statement of the reasons for actions by the Board granting or refusing a parole.”
    C.R. at Item No. 3, Affidavit at 3.
    OOR issued a final determination upholding the Board’s denial of
    access. See Davis v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & Parole, OOR Dkt., No. AP 2015-0479
    (issued May 4, 2015). OOR reasoned the Board established the probation order is
    maintained in its parole file, which is confidential under the Board’s regulation, 
    37 Pa. Code §61.2
    . OOR determined the regulation is sufficiently broad to encompass
    the entire contents of the parole file, other than the Board’s statement of reasons
    for granting or refusing parole. However, OOR noted its determination did not
    preclude Requester from obtaining the probation order from other sources.
    Requester then filed a petition for review to this Court.
    2
    II. Discussion
    On appeal,2 Requester argues the probation order3 is a public record.
    He contends the clerk of courts for the Sentencing Court is required to maintain
    such orders in the criminal case file. He also claims he requested the record from
    the Sentencing Court, which responded that “[a] sentencing order was not filed.”
    Pet. for Review at 2, Ex. 1. As a consequence, he asserts his sentence is void.
    Under the RTKL, records in possession of a Commonwealth agency
    are presumed to be public unless they are: (1) exempt under Section 708 of the
    RTKL; (2) “protected by a privilege; or[,] (3) … exempt from disclosure under
    any other Federal or State law or regulation or judicial order or decree.” Section
    305 of the RTKL, 65 P.S. §67.305 (emphasis added). When the ground for
    exemption is a state law or regulation, the agency bears the burden of proving the
    regulation applies. Jones v. Office of Open Records, 
    993 A.2d 339
     (Pa. Cmwlth.
    2010) (construing 
    37 Pa. Code §61.2
     to bar access to parole recommendations).
    Here, the Board argues the record is exempt under its regulation
    regarding confidentiality of parole files, 
    37 Pa. Code §61.2
    . Section 61.2 provides,
    “records, reports and other written things and information ... touching on matters
    concerning a probationer or parolee are private, confidential and privileged ....” 
    Id.
    The only exception is “a brief statement of the reasons for actions by the Board
    granting or refusing a parole,” which will be open to public inspection. 
    Id.
    2
    In a RTKL appeal involving a Commonwealth agency, this Court has the discretion to
    rely upon the record created below or to create its own. Dep’t of Labor & Indus. v. Heltzel, 
    90 A.3d 823
     (Pa. Cmwlth. 2014) (en banc).
    3
    Requester uses the terms “probation order” and “sentencing order” interchangeably.
    3
    In Jones, this Court explained the “broad language of this regulation,”
    encompassed any records in the Board’s custody concerning a probationer or
    parolee. 
    Id. at 342
    . Further, we noted, “we [were] not aware of any authority that
    allows a sentencing judge or a prosecuting attorney to waive the Board’s
    confidentiality provisions.” 
    Id. at 343
    .
    We defer to the Board in interpreting its own regulations as it has
    expertise in their application. 
    Id.
     Here, the Board explained the record requested
    is one of the materials it gathers in fulfilling its role, and it is a record that touches
    on matters concerning Requester, a probationer or parolee. C.R. at Item No. 3
    (Position Statement). The Affidavit supports these facts. C.R. at Item No. 3
    (Affidavit). It also confirms that the probation order is not excepted from the
    regulation as a written statement of the reasons for granting or refusing parole. 
    Id.,
    Affidavit at 3. Thus, under the broad language of the regulation, the probation order
    is protected.
    Requester also argues the lack of a sentencing order means he is being
    held without authority. Pet. for Review at 2, Ex. 1. This argument, questioning the
    propriety of confinement, is beyond the scope of an appeal under the RTKL. Faulk
    v. Phila. Clerk of Courts, 
    116 A.3d 1183
     (Pa. Cmwlth. 2015). This Court previously
    rejected similar arguments on similar facts. See id.; Sturgis v. Dep’t of Corr., 
    96 A.3d 445
     (Pa. Cmwlth. 2014). Sentencing orders, which may qualify as court
    records, may be accessible outside the RTKL. Faulk.
    4
    We also reject Requester’s claim that he is entitled to the record as it
    concerns him. The public status of a record does not depend on the identity of a
    requester, which is irrelevant. Padgett v. Pa. State Police, 
    73 A.3d 644
     (Pa. Cmwlth.
    2013); Coulter v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & Parole, 
    48 A.3d 516
     (Pa. Cmwlth. 2012).
    III. Conclusion
    For the foregoing reasons, the final determination of OOR is affirmed.
    However, we emphasize that Requester may have alternate access to the record.
    See Faulk.4
    ROBERT SIMPSON, Judge
    4
    In a proceeding related to our disposition of the RTKL appeal in Faulk v. Philadelphia
    Clerk of Courts, 
    116 A.3d 1183
     (Pa. Cmwlth. 2015), our Supreme Court allowed Faulk to file
    original process seeking a writ of habeas corpus and mandamus relief from the Court of
    Common Pleas of Philadelphia when he alleged lack of an alternate remedy to receive a copy of
    his sentencing order. Faulk v. Phila. Common Pleas Courts, 
    127 A.3d 1288
     (Pa. 2015) (per curiam
    order).
    5
    IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
    Angelo Lenell Davis,                  :
    Petitioner     :
    :
    v.                         :   No. 944 C.D. 2015
    :
    Pennsylvania Board of Probation       :
    and Parole,                           :
    Respondent    :
    ORDER
    AND NOW, this 3rd day June, 2016, the final determination of the
    Office of Open Records is AFFIRMED.
    ROBERT SIMPSON, Judge