Case Title: State v. Paradee

Citation: 403 N.W.2d 640

Docket Number: C3-86-1611

State: minnesota

Court: Minnesota Supreme Court

Date: 1987-04-10T00:00:00Z

Document:
403 N.W.2d 640 (1987) STATE of Minnesota, Petitioner, Appellant, v. Patrick Vincent PARADEE, Respondent. No. C3-86-1611. Supreme Court of Minnesota. April 10, 1987. Hubert H. Humphrey, III, Atty. Gen., Robert A. Stanich, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., St. Paul, Thomas J. Simmons, Renville Co. Atty., Nancy L. Logering, Asst. Renville Co. Atty., Olivia, for appellant. Donald H. Walser, Olivia, for respondent. Considered and decided by the court en banc without oral argument. AMDAHL, Chief Justice. We granted the state's petition for review in order to decide whether the Court of Appeals erred in affirming a pretrial order of the trial court allowing defense counsel access to confidential county welfare records which defense counsel contends might contain something of use to the defense. We reverse the decisions of the Court of Appeals and of the trial court and remand to the trial court for further proceedings, including an in camera examination of the confidential records by the trial court. Defendant is charged with criminal sexual conduct for allegedly sexually penetrating two of his nieces. Defendant has been given full access to all the medical records relating directly to this case. But he alleges generally that confidential records concerning the welfare department's investigation of an earlier incident involving one of the nieces and another man might contain something of use in his defense. Specifically, the defense seeks access to "all department records, reports, notes, files and other documents relating to contacts with the alleged victims and their family members." The state's contention is that the *641 trial court should examine the confidential records in camera and determine if any of the information is relevant to this case. However, the Court of Appeals, affirming the trial court, held that defense counsel himself must be given access to the records to see if any of the information is relevant to the defense. State v. Paradee, 398 N.W.2d 647 (Minn.App.1987). The Court of Appeals reasoned that "[o]nly the defense counsel can accurately determine which documents may be helpful in the defense of a given case." 398 N.W.2d at 650. In reaching this decision, the Court of Appeals relied heavily on a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in a case similar to this one, Commonwealth v. Ritchie, 509 Pa. 357, 502 A.2d 148 (1985), a case which the United States Supreme Court had agreed to review but had not yet decided. After we granted review in this case, the United States Supreme Court filed its decision reversing the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision. Pennsylvania v. Ritchie, ___ U.S. ___, 107 S. Ct. 989, 94 L. Ed. 2d 40 (1987). The Pennsylvania Supreme Court had held that by denying the defendant access to confidential welfare records, the trial court violated both the confrontation and the compulsory process clauses of the Sixth Amendment and that the defendant's conviction of child sex abuse charges must be vacated and the case remanded to see if a new trial was needed. The Pennsylvania court held further that defense counsel was entitled to review the entire confidential welfare file himself. The United States Supreme Court reasoned (a) that under federal due process principles the government has the obligation to turn over evidence in its possession that is both favorable to the accused and material to the determination of guilt or punishment, (b) that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court erred in holding that defense counsel must be allowed to examine the confidential records in question, and (c) that both the defendant's and the state's interests in ensuring a fair trial can be protected by having the trial court review the confidential records in camera to determine if they contain favorable and material information. With respect to the last two points, the Court stated specifically: Our cases also mandate the in camera approach in a situation such as that presented here. Typical is State v. Kutchara, 350 N.W.2d 924, 926 (Minn.1984), where we stated: Indeed, prior decisions of the Court of Appeals are consistent with this approach: State v. Harmening, 376 N.W.2d 254 (Minn.App.1985), petition for review denied (Minn.1985) (relying on Kutchara in upholding trial court's in camera review of records), and State v. Hopperstad, 367 N.W.2d 546 (Minn.App.1985) (relying on Kutchara's in camera approach but without citing Kutchara). We believe that the in camera approach of these cases is superior to the approach taken by the Court of Appeals in this case and by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Ritchie, an approach which in effect allows defense counsel easy access to various types of privileged and confidential records simply by asserting that the records might contain material relevant to the defense. The in camera approach strikes a fairer balance between the interest of the privilege holder in having his confidences kept and the interest of the criminal defendant in obtaining all relevant evidence that might help in his defense. We believe that trial courts, who by training and experience are qualified for the task of determining matters of relevancy, are capable of determining what if any of the information in the records might help in the defense. Further, we note that the determination, like any other determination by the trial court, is subject ultimately to judicial review. We add only that it is not our intent to complicate or change the discovery process in criminal cases. Our decision is fully consistent with the broad discovery allowed by Minn.R.Crim.P. 9. Minn.R.Crim.P. 9.03, subd. 6 specifically provides: In this case we simply hold that in camera examination by the trial court is mandated by the facts. Reversed and remanded to trial court for further proceedings.