Commonwealth v. Ford, C.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA MIDDLE DISTRICT COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, : No. 170 MAL 2018 : Petitioner : : Petition for Allowance of Appeal from : the Order of the Superior Court v. : : : CHRISTIAN LEE FORD, : : Respondent : ORDER PER CURIAM AND NOW, this 22nd day of August, 2018, the Petition for Allowance of Appeal is GRANTED. The issue, as stated by petitioner, is: Where a defendant bargains for and agrees to pay a specific fine as part of a negotiated plea agreement, must the sentencing court conduct a separate inquiry into the defendant’s ability to pay the agreed-upon fine?