Opinion ID: 2599107
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cross-Examination of Dr. Othmer

Text: Dr. Othmer, a psychologist, testified that he had diagnosed Kleypas as suffering from several paraphilias or sexual fantasies involving either innate objects or nonconsenting partners. Dr. Othmer testified that Kleypas could not control his paraphilias and that alcohol would lead to an increase in acting out these paraphilias. According to Dr. Othmer, there was no indication in Kleypas' history that he acted on his paraphilias while in prison. Dr. Othmer opined that this was because the triggers for the paraphilias, which were females, alcohol, and drugs, were missing. Dr. Othmer testified that with those triggers removed, the likelihood of Kleypas causing problems in prison was extremely low. During cross-examination, the prosecutor asked whether a weaker male could be a triggering device for someone with Kleypas' problem if the person had sexual identification problems. Dr. Othmer answered that he saw no indication of that in Kleypas. The prosecutor then said: I understand but the question is someone with this type of paraphilia who has a sexual identification problem, could a weaker male be a triggering device? Dr. Othmer answered: Theoretically. Defense counsel objected but was overruled. The prosecutor then attempted to rephrase the question, an objection from defense counsel was sustained, and the matter was dropped. Kleypas contends that the prosecutor was improperly asking the question regarding whether a weaker male could be a trigger for a paraphilia in an attempt to insinuate that Kleypas would sexually assault weaker males in prison. He argues that the prosecutor lacked a good faith basis for this question. There is really no question that the prosecutor was indeed attempting to rebut Kleypas' evidence of probable good behavior in prison by trying to establish that Kleypas would be a danger to weaker males due to his paraphilia. The only question is whether the prosecutor had a good faith basis for asking such a question. In State v. Cravatt, 267 Kan. 314, 330, 979 P.2d 679 (1999), we noted that as a general rule, counsel may not make assertions of fact in the form of questions to a witness absent a good faith basis for believing the asserted matters to be true. See State v. Wilkins, 269 Kan. 39, 45, 5 P.3d 520 (2000); State v. Marble, 21 Kan. App. 2d 509, 512, 901 P.2d 521, rev. denied 258 Kan. 861 (1995); KRPC 3.4(e) (2001 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 406); Graham, Evidence: Text, Rules, Illustrations and Problems, p. 436 (2d ed. 1989). In order for the prosecutor to have a good faith basis for asking the question that he asked on cross-examination, the prosecutor was required to have a good faith basis for believing that (1) Kleypas had a sexual identification problem and (2) a weaker male would indeed be a triggering device for a person with Kleypas' paraphilias and a sexual identification problem. However, Kleypas did not object to the prosecutor's question on the basis of lack of a good faith belief. We underscored the necessity for such an objection in Cravatt: An overruled objection at trial would have provided a basis for review. It would also have required the State to proffer its basis for the above questions. 267 Kan. at 330. While it is true that the State must be ready to establish the good faith basis for its questions, its responsibility to do so is triggered by an objection which asks it to do so, and where there is no such objection, the duty does not exist. See Wilkins, 269 Kan. at 45; Cravatt, 267 Kan. at 330. If the prosecutor had a good faith basis for believing that Kleypas had a sexual identification problem and that a weaker male might serve as a triggering device for someone with Kleypas' paraphilias and a sexual identification problem, the questions would have been highly relevant to the credibility of Dr. Othmer's opinion that Kleypas would do well in prison. The failure of the defendant to object and to trigger the prosecutor's proffer of a good faith basis precludes a finding of error on this issue. Of more concern to this court is another question asked by the prosecutor during its cross-examination of Dr. Othmer. The prosecutor noted that Dr. Othmer had said that alcohol was a triggering device. The prosecutor then asked if it was true that the prison records indicated that Kleypas had tested positive for alcohol. Dr. Othmer indicated that he had not been aware of such a specific incident but Lamed records had indicated that Kleypas had previously had a drinking problem in a controlled environment. At this point, the prosecutor asked: So why did you tell us then that he did not have any indications of being around these triggering devices? Defense counsel objected but was overruled. The prosecutor then resubmitted the question at which point defense counsel again objected, arguing that there was no good faith basis for the question. Defense counsel noted that the particular incident to which the prosecutor referred to did not happen in prison but instead occurred while Kleypas was on work release in Missouri and was working at a bar. The prosecutor then explained: Your Honor, the point is the defendant was in prison and in prison he got on work release and he goes out and he has access to alcohol. This ishe says the doctor made the statement that he has no access while he's in prison and he clearly does. The trial court sustained defense counsel's objection. With his questioning, the prosecutor was clearly trying to discredit Dr. Othmer's opinion that the triggers for Kleypas' paraphilias would be removed in the prison setting by inferring that Kleypas had access to alcohol in prison and bringing up the point that Kleypas had tested positive for alcohol was in prison. The problem is, as the prosecutor clearly knew, that Kleypas did not test positive for alcohol in prison but rather tested positive while he was on work release. This attempted cross-examination was made without a good faith basis and was improper.