Case Title: State v. Foster

Citation: 318 N.W.2d 176

Docket Number: 66973

State: iowa

Court: Iowa Supreme Court

Date: 1982-04-21T00:00:00Z

Document:
318 N.W.2d 176 (1982) STATE of Iowa, Appellee, v. Rick Dean FOSTER, Appellant. No. 66973. Supreme Court of Iowa. April 21, 1982. *177 Joseph E. Owens, Des Moines, for appellant. Thomas J. Miller, Atty. Gen., and Joseph P. Weeg, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee. Considered by LeGRAND, P. J., and HARRIS, ALLBEE, LARSON, and SCHULTZ, JJ. LARSON, Justice. Rick Dean Foster appeals from his conviction of first-degree kidnapping, §§ 710.1, 710.2, and of second-degree sexual abuse, §§ 709.1, 709.3, The Code 1979. He contends the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss on the ground it entered an order granting the State's application for a neurological examination in his absence, in violation of Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 25(1) (a defendant shall be present "at every stage of the trial").[1] We affirm. After the information had been filed, the defendant gave notice of his defense of insanity, Iowa R.Crim.P. 10(10)(b)(1), and moved to obtain his medical examination. His motion was granted after a hearing. He was examined at Oakdale, and an evaluation and report were sent to the trial court. The defendant then applied for a "psychiatric and/or psychological examination" which, after another hearing, was also granted. Thereafter, the State applied ex parte for a neurological examination of the defendant, Iowa R.Crim.P. 10(10)(b)(2),[2] which the trial court summarily granted. The defendant was readmitted to Oakdale from April 7th to April 10th, 1981, pursuant to the ex parte order. Immediately before trial the defendant moved to dismiss the information, Iowa R.Crim.P. 10(2), because the "defendant and his counsel were denied the opportunity to be present at any hearing held on [the State's application for neurological examination] and to resist same, contrary to due process and [rule 25(1)]." The trial court discussed the motion with defense counsel on the first day of trial in chambers: The trial court then denied the motion because "the defendant through his counsel had notice of the intention of the State to require the examination, ... did not act upon the knowledge, and ... therefore waived any objection to the order entered." Rule 25(1), which implements constitutional rights, State v. McKee, 312 N.W.2d 907, 914 (Iowa 1981); see State v. Blackwell, 238 N.W.2d 131, 135 (Iowa 1976), provides that an accused (Emphasis added.) The issue in the present case is whether the failure to hold a hearing on the State's application to have the defendant examined by its expert violated his right to be present at every stage of the trial within the meaning of the rule.[3] The State contends that any right the defendant had to be present at the time the order was entered was waived by his attorney's failure to timely respond to the application for examination. See, e.g., State v. Epps, 313 N.W.2d 553, 555-56 (Iowa 1981). We have held, however, that if a defendant's presence is required at a particular stage of the proceedings, that right may not be waived by defense counsel. State v. Wilcoxen, 200 Iowa 1250, 1252, 206 N.W. 260, 261 (1925) (under § 13806, The Code 1924, precursor to rule 25(1)). In State v. Hempton, 310 N.W.2d 206, 209 (Iowa 1981), we noted case law concerning waiver of a defendant's constitutional right to be present but declined to decide the issue in view of the fact it was harmless error. See generally Annot., InstructionsAbsence of Accused, 94 A.L.R.2d 270 (1964). We presume this principle is not disturbed by the enactment of rule 25(1). As we view it, the issue presented in this case is not whether the defendant's right to be present was waived, but whether his presence at this proceeding was mandated by rule 25(1). This court has defined "trial" in other contexts. Some of our decisions indicate that the word should be narrowly construed. For example, we have held that resentencing is not a part of trial for purposes of the sixth-amendment right to speedy trial: State v. Drake, 259 N.W.2d 862, 866 (Iowa 1977) (citations omitted). In applying rule 25(1), however, we have not been so restrictive in defining "trial." In State v. Hemminger, 308 N.W.2d 17, 19 (Iowa 1981), for example, we indicated that trial, as used in rule 25(1), included matters beyond the mere presentation of evidence before the trier of fact. Although it was held rule 25(1) did not encompass a motion by the State made immediately prior to the selection of the jury to reinstate certain language in a second trial information, we reasoned: Id. We have held that whether issues of fact are presented at a particular proceeding is the determinative criterion in assessing a claim of harmless error where defendant is not present at a stage of the trial. E.g., State v. McKee, 312 N.W.2d at 915, State v. Blackwell, 238 N.W.2d at 135. This view is also supported by one authority's interpretation of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 43, the counterpart to rule 25(1): 3 C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 721, at 195 (1969) (emphasis added) (footnote omitted); accord, 3 Wharton's Criminal Procedure § 483, at 342-45 (1975). See, e.g., United States v. Sinclair, 438 F.2d 50, 52 (5th Cir. 1971); United States v. Malinowski, 347 F. Supp. 347, 355 (E.D.Pa.1972), aff'd, 472 F.2d 850 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 411 U.S. 970, 93 S. Ct. 2164, 36 L. Ed. 2d 693 (1973). (We note federal rule 43 has now been amended to provide an accused need not be present "[a]t a conference or argument on a question of law." See Fed.R.Crim.P. 43(c)(3)). We conclude that "stage of the trial" as used in rule 25(1) includes the trial itself, from the selection of the jury through the verdict and, in addition, all pretrial and post-trial proceedings when fact issues are presented or when their dispositions, for some other reason, will be significantly aided by the defendant's presence. See State v. Neal, 350 Mo. 1002, 169 S.W.2d 686, 693 (1943). Cf. State v. Orozco, 290 N.W.2d 6, 9 (Iowa 1980) (due process requires an accused to be present "`whenever his presence has a relation, reasonably substantial, to the fullness of his opportunity to' present his defense"); State v. Gruber, 281 N.W.2d 636, 638 (Iowa 1979) (same). Pretrial proceedings involving questions of law or procedure, as a general rule, would fall outside the scope of the rule. We believe the proceeding here was not covered by rule 25(1). It is, of course, better practice to include the defendant and defense counsel, if reasonably practical, to avoid problems such as this. The trial court correctly refused to dismiss the charges. AFFIRMED. [1] In his motion, and at an in-chambers hearing the day of trial, the defendant also asserted his right to due process under the federal constitution had been denied. See State v. Orozco, 290 N.W.2d 6, 9 (Iowa 1980); State v. Gruber, 281 N.W.2d 636, 638 (Iowa 1979). He has not urged that basis as error on appeal and we do not address it. See Iowa R.App.P. 14(a)(3). [2] Rule 10(10)(b)(2) provides: Where a defendant has given notice of the use of the defense of insanity or diminished responsibility and intends to call an expert witness or witnesses on that issue at trial the defendant shall within the time provided for the filing of pretrial motions file written notice of the name of each such witness. Upon such notice or as otherwise appropriate the court may upon application order the examination of the defendant by a state-named expert or experts whose names shall be disclosed to the defendant prior to examination. [3] In his brief the defendant also complains he was not given time or opportunity to resist the State's application. His statement of the issue presented for appeal, however, is limited to the alleged failure of the trial court to conduct the hearing in his presence, Iowa R.Crim.P. 25(1), and we limit our consideration to that issue.