Opinion ID: 418819
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: unavailability of deputy marshal wilson and decision to

Text: ADMIT HIS DEPOSITION UNDER RULE 804(b)(1) 16 The only witness to the shooting of Jeffrey Parrott was Deputy Marshal Max Wilson. On or about July 1, 1981, counsel for the Fulton County defendants was informed by the Fulton County Marshal's office that Wilson had left his position as Deputy Marshal due to a mental disability. On July 17, counsel contacted Wilson's psychiatrist, Dr. Elmer H. Harden, Jr., and apparently was told that Wilson's disability might make him unavailable for the upcoming trial. Defense counsel then notified the appellant's attorney, and both parties deposed Dr. Harden on July 21, 1981. 12 At this time approximately two months remained before trial; discovery had formally ended, however, on July 17, 1981. 17 At his deposition Dr. Harden testified that Wilson had been referred to him by a neurologist on January 28, 1981. Dr. Harden found Wilson to be suffering from grand mal seizures, absence seizures, and dementia or serious depression. 13 According to Dr. Harden, the seizures could be controlled through medication and in fact their frequency had decreased substantially. On the other hand, he stated that there was no medication that could be used to control Wilson's dementia. 18 Dr. Harden did not have personal knowledge of the origin of Wilson's disorders. Rather, Wilson had told him that he had suffered a head injury in a fall in mid-1978. In December of 1978, he apparently suffered his first seizure and did not work for approximately two months. In the summer of 1980, the seizures recurred subsequent to an automobile accident and Wilson had not returned to work since that time. According to Dr. Harden, the types of seizures involved would most definitely be of an organic basis. 19 Dr. Harden's prognosis for Wilson was somewhat bleak. He stated that in his opinion Wilson could not function in a stressful situation, and that because of Wilson's confusion and disorientation Dr. Harden would not necessarily trust his memory at any time. Finally, Dr. Harden stated that it was extremely unlikely to expect any significant improvement within the next six months to a year and one-half. 20 On the basis of Dr. Harden's testimony, the defendants told appellant that they would move to have Wilson declared unavailable and to substitute for trial testimony a deposition by Wilson dated February 29, 1980. This deposition had been taken after Wilson's injury in mid-1978 but before the subsequent recurrence of seizures in the summer of 1980, and almost one year before he sought Dr. Harden's medical assistance. 21 At the scheduled pretrial conference on July 27, 1981, appellant therefore moved to reopen discovery for the following purposes: (1) to ascertain for herself the extent of Wilson's disorder; (2) to hire another expert to examine Wilson; and (3) to determine why she had not been informed of Wilson's condition at an earlier date. On September 11, the trial court formally declared Wilson unavailable, admitting his deposition under Rule 804(b)(1), and on the 15th, one day before trial, the court formally denied appellant's motion to reopen discovery. 22 Appellant now challenges both the decision to declare Wilson unavailable and the decision to admit Wilson's deposition testimony under Rule 804(b)(1). 14 Our examination of Dr. Harden's deposition convinces us, however, that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in declaring Wilson unavailable: The duration of the illness was in probability long enough so that, with proper regard to the importance of the testimony, the trial [could not] be postponed. United States v. Amaya, 533 F.2d 188, 191 (5th Cir.1976) (citing 5 Wigmore, Evidence Sec. 1406(a) (Chadbourn rev. 1974)), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1101, 97 S.Ct. 1125, 51 L.Ed.2d 551 (1977). 23 With respect to the admission of Wilson's deposition in lieu of testimony, appellant argues that the defendants did not demonstrate Wilson's competence at the time of his deposition. Appellant adds that Dr. Harden's testimony demonstrates that at the time Wilson was deposed in February of 1980 Wilson already was suffering seizures and dementia. There are two answers to this contention. First, appellant did not raise in the court below the issue of Wilson's competence at the time of the deposition. Appellant raised this issue neither in her opposition to the defendant's motion to declare Wilson unavailable, nor in her motion during trial based on the revelation of Wilson's earlier episode involving mental health. See infra note 17; Record at 622-23. Second, the testimony of Dr. Harden does not, in our view, support appellant's assertions. 24 Wilson's first injury occurred in mid-1978; his first seizure in December of 1978 occurred over one year prior to his deposition in February, 1980. Apparently, he missed only two months of work as a result of the first injury, and there is no evidence of dementia throughout this period. Further, Wilson's second injury, which led to a recurrence of his seizures, occurred in the summer of 1980, several months after his deposition. Moreover, not until January, 1981, when Dr. Harden began treating Wilson, was there any evidence regarding the dementia which led to Wilson's unavailability. Thus, at the most the evidence suggests only that Wilson may have been suffering grand mal or absence seizures during the period in which he was deposed. A careful reading of the deposition, however, makes it clear that such seizures did not occur during his examination. We therefore conclude that there is no factual basis for a challenge to the introduction of Wilson's deposition on the ground that he was incompetent at the time he was deposed. 15 Thus, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the deposition of Wilson in lieu of his testimony. 25 Appellant next contends that the trial court erred in denying her motion to reopen discovery for the purpose of informing herself as to Wilson's condition. The defendants argue, however, that at the pretrial conference on July 27, 1981, the court stated that appellant would be allowed additional discovery by means of deposition; if this is true, then appellant had well over a month and a half in which to discover the information she deemed necessary to her case. Appellant does not directly dispute this contention. In fact, the record convinces us that the defendants' version of the pretrial conference is an accurate one. First, the docket entry for July 27, 1981, states: Court denied motion to add party and motion to reopen discovery, court will enter order on motion for S.J., deposition may be taken subject to rule up until trial. Record at 7 (emphasis added). Second, appellant's counsel sent a letter to the trial court one week after the pretrial conference. That letter makes clear that the appellant did have an opportunity to conduct limited discovery concerning Wilson's physical and mental condition. 16 Thus, during the time between the pretrial conference and the formal denial of appellant's motion on September 15, appellant was afforded the discovery opportunity she requested; she simply failed to make use of that opportunity. We conclude that there is no merit in appellant's argument that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to reopen discovery. 17