Opinion ID: 3133038
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Comment on Counsel’s Argument

Text: Similarly, the Court appropriately instructed the jury on how to understand a statement of the law made by James’s counsel in closing argument that differed from one given by the Court in its charge. James’s lawyer argued to the jury that James had correctly understood the Homebuyer Credit to have been available to those who were contemplating buying a first home even if they never actually bought one. The District Court charged the jury that counsel had misstated the law and immediately added, “[B]ut that’s not the issue.” Supp App. 693:19. The Court then directed the jury’s attention to the important issue in the case: “[Y]ou have to consider whether [James] misunderstood 6 the law and thought that he had the right to claim it for these people or whether he willfully claimed it to get the large refunds whether or not that was legally permissible.” Id. at 693:22–694:1. When considering whether a Court’s remarks on argument are appropriate, we consider “the materiality of the comment, its emphatic or overbearing nature, the efficacy of any curative instruction, and the prejudicial effect of the comment in light of the jury instruction as a whole.” United States v. Olgin, 745 F.2d 263, 268–69 (3d Cir. 1984). Here, there is no suggestion that the comment was material, and in fact the Court stated that any disagreement on the law between counsel and the Court was “not the issue.” Supp. App. at 693:22. The Court’s instruction was by no means disparaging or overbearing; it merely explained to the jury the District Judge disagreed with defense counsel’s view of the law, a necessary clarification as defense counsel’s closing argument endorsed James’s take on the availability of the Homebuyer Credit. Nor can we discern any prejudicial effect from this necessary instruction in the middle of a lengthy charge. James thus fails to persuade us that the Court’s comments require reversal.