Opinion ID: 384938
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mendoza and Pardo

Text: 28 Before considering the more difficult questions presented by this issue, this court is faced with an insurmountable obstacle with respect to appellants Mendoza and Pardo: never once did these appellants raise this issue in the trial court. Neither Mendoza nor Pardo ever suggested to the trial judge that they desired Corbett's testimony. Neither Mendoza nor Pardo ever made any showing as to what Corbett would say in their behalf if compelled to testify. 17 When the trial judge specifically asked (w)ho was going to call him (Corbett) as a witness, both Mendoza and Pardo stood silent (Tr. 17). 29 We hold that in such circumstances, these appellants may not raise this matter for the first time on appeal. We recognize that in certain situations, it may be redundant and inefficient to require each defendant in a joint trial to stand up individually and make every objection to preserve each error for appeal. 18 We certainly do not establish such a requirement. However, that is not the case presented here. It is not that Mendoza and Pardo failed to object to a trial decision vigorously opposed by others; Mendoza and Pardo failed to make any motion or request in the first place, despite the trial judge's explicit invitation to do so. It is certainly plausible that Mendoza and Pardo did not want Corbett's testimony for tactical reasons known best by them. Now that trial is over, with nothing more to lose, appellants may not latch onto Tate's and Goodwin's motions and obtain a free ride. 30 It goes without saying that matters not properly raised at the trial court may not be pursued on appeal, unless deemed to be plain error. Fed.R.Crim.P. 52(b). 19 The error complained of in this case cannot be found to be plain error, however. We do not believe that there can be any error in failing to compel testimony which a defendant does not request. This is especially true in this case where defendants Mendoza and Pardo made absolutely no attempt to put the witness on the stand, even though they were given a clear and explicit opportunity to raise the issue. 20 31 We hold that Mendoza and Pardo lost any right they might have had to compel Clifford Corbett's testimony by failing to ever request that testimony in the trial court. All that these appellants had to do was respond in the affirmative to a simple and direct question raised by the District Court judge. For reasons known only to them, they freely chose not to do so; therefore, appellants Mendoza and Pardo cannot now complain of the consequences of that decision.