Legal Opinion
Commonwealth Ex Rel. Buchanan v. Verbonitz
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Decided October 10, 1990No. 63 Eastern District Appeal Docket 1989PublishedCited by 55 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT
LARSEN, Justice.
The issue presented in this case is whether hearsay testimony presented at a preliminary hearing regarding a victim’s account of an alleged criminal incident, which is the sole evidence presented by the Commonwealth, is sufficient to establish a prima facie case.
On June 24, 1987, Appellant, M. Russell Buchanan, was arrested and charged with statutory rape, corruption of a minor and endangering the welfare of a child. A preliminary hearing was held before District Justice Edward Verbonitz, Luzerne County. At the hearing the Commonwealth, over defense…
2Cases cited12 opinions
- Gerstein v. PughSupreme Court of the United States · 1975
- Coleman v. AlabamaSupreme Court of the United States · 1970
- Commonwealth v. WojdakSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1983
- Commonwealth Ex Rel. Maisenhelder v. RundleSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1964
- Commonwealth v. PradoSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1978
7 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by55 opinions
- Robert Stewart v. Lynne AbrahamCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit · 2001
- Commonwealth v. BazemoreSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1992
- State v. RandolphSupreme Court of Connecticut · 2007
- Stewart v. AbrahamCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit · 2001
- Commonwealth v. TylerSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1991
50 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.