Opinion ID: 2543852
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 19

Heading: Exclusion from Pretrial Conference

Text: Next, we address Ault's claim that he was improperly excluded from a pretrial conference. Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.180(a)(3), a criminal defendant has the right to be present at any pretrial conference, unless waived by the defendant in writing. Ault argues that at a pretrial status hearing, defense counsel spoke with the trial judge outside of Ault's presence and gave the judge negative information about Ault's case. Neither party asserts that Ault waived his right to be present. However, we need not address the propriety of the meeting because we conclude that any error was harmless. See Pomeranz v. State, 703 So.2d 465, 471 (Fla.1997). The conversation to which Ault objects occurred following a status hearing on September 27, 2005. At the previous hearing, held on August 17, 2005, the trial court addressed a motion to dismiss counsel filed by Ault, and a motion to withdraw filed by Ault's attorney. After discussing the allegations raised in the motion to dismiss, which concerned defense counsel's failure to deliver certain medical records to the defendant, Ault informed the court that he had filed a nine-page complaint against defense counsel with The Florida Bar. On the court's inquiry, defense counsel explained that the Bar complaint concerned the same issues that had been raised in Ault's motion to dismiss counsel. After additional discussion, the court denied both motions. At the next status hearing, held on September 27, 2005, defense counsel's delivery of documents to Ault was again discussed. Ault again mentioned the Bar complaint and expressed the opinion that counsel had lied to the Bar in his response. After the hearing, defense counsel met with the judge outside of Ault's presence. Referring back to his motion to withdraw, counsel stated that he was concerned about the Bar complaint, specifically that certain allegations made therein might force him to divulge privileged information, and that any such information could be obtained by the State. Counsel also stated that Ault had filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in which defense counsel and the prosecutor were both named. The judge responded that he would not address the matter until it became an issue in the case, and that whether it was appropriate for counsel to withdraw would depend on the nature of the complaint. Regardless of whether the discussion qualifies as a pretrial conference under rule 3.180, errors of this kind are subject to reversal only if fundamental fairness is thwarted. Kearse, 770 So.2d at 1124 (quoting Pomeranz, 703 So.2d at 471). We have rejected claims of error under rule 3.810(a) where a defendant has not suffered any prejudice from his or her absence from a pretrial conference. See, e.g., Pomeranz, 703 So.2d at 471. We have also held a defendant's absence to be harmless where no adverse rulings were made outside the defendant's presence, and where the defendant would not have been able to assist his counsel in opposing adverse rulings. See Roberts v. State, 510 So.2d 885, 890-91 (Fla.1987); Garcia v. State, 492 So.2d 360, 363 (Fla.1986). Here, Ault did not suffer prejudice from the discussion outside his presence. See Pomeranz, 703 So.2d at 471. The information that Ault asserts was damaging was in fact discussed at the previous status hearing in Ault's presence and was initially introduced by Ault himself. The only new information presented to the court was that Ault had subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit in addition to the Bar complaint. However, the judge did not discuss with defense counsel any of the substantive claims made in either the lawsuit or the Bar complaint, and no rulings were made in Ault's absence. Accordingly, we hold that any error in excluding Ault from this conversation was harmless. [13]