Opinion ID: 1760295
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The lower court erred in denying surrebuttal testimony by Nicholson.

Text: ¶ 39. Because we have found that C.D. should not have been allowed to testify as a rebuttal witness this issue becomes moot, and will not be discussed.
¶ 40. Nicholson argues that the State erroneously failed to disclose, discover, or call during direct, Witness C.D. Nicholson cites Parker v. State, 691 So.2d 409 (Miss. 1997), for the proposition that one cannot circumvent discovery rules by withholding a witness from the case-in-chief, and allowing the witness to testify on rebuttal. ¶ 41. The State conceded that C.D.'s testimony was not admissible during the State's casein chief. The State's entire argument is based on the fact that C.D could not testify until and after Nicholson opened the door, and added that even if the information was brought out on cross-examination [6] under Hosford, the prosecutor cannot bring out information in cross-examination and then introduce additional information to rebut it. However, the State could have had C.D. testify during its case-in-chief, as did another teammate of L.T.B. that Nicholson had taken them home and put everyone out before L.T.B., and had passed L.T.B.'s house on his way to taking other children home before dropping her off. The State could have indicted Nicholson for fondling C.D. Obviously, the State did not feel it had sufficient evidence to indict Nicholson for any alleged acts against C.D., so they attempted to get this information in through the back door, so to speak, by attempting to impeach Nicholson with testimony concerning specific instances of conduct, or misconduct, with C.D. on rebuttal. This is not permitted according to our established case law and rules. ¶ 42. The State argues that the Uniform Rules of the Circuit Court do not require the State to furnish names of rebuttal witnesses. Our case law mandates otherwise. If C.D.'s testimony had been admissible on rebuttal, the State would have been required to disclose her name during discovery. This Court held in Johnson, 491 So.2d at 836-37 citing Tolbert: In Tolbert v. State, 441 So.2d 1374 (Miss. 1983), the court addressed the narrow question of whether the fact that statements made by the defendant in a criminal case were reserved for rebuttal removed them from the scope of a discovery order. We held, Under our holding in Jackson v. State, 426 So.2d 405 (Miss. 1983); and Morris v. State, 436 So.2d 1381 (Miss. 1983), there is no distinction in an incriminating statement being offered by the state's case in chief, or reserving it for rebuttal, the accused is nevertheless entitled to discovery so as not to be caught by surprise at trial... . 441 So.2d at 1375. We went on to hold that after a court has entered a discovery order it must be complied with in some meaningful way. We are therefore required to reverse and remand this case for a new trial because of non-compliance with Circuit Court Rule 4.06. Id. See also Coates, 495 So.2d at 467 (In recent decisions we have been loathe to allow the prosecution to circumvent our discovery rules by pleas that the evidence was used for impeachment purposes. See Johnson, 491 So.2d at 836-37; Tolbert, 441 So.2d at 1375). ¶ 43. This Court continued in Coates: The practice of trial by ambush, however savored by the skillful advocate, has long since been discredited... . It is a purposeful effort to achieve justice, its possibilities of success enhanced in no small measure by a fidelity to procedural fairness. It is in this context that this Court has been required time after time in recent years to reverse criminal convictions because at trial the prosecution was allowed to use evidence which in discovery it was obligated to disclose to the defense but for whatever reason withheld. See e.g., Henry v. State, 484 So.2d 1012, 1013-14 (Miss. 1986); McKinney v. State, 482 So.2d 1129 (Miss. 1986); Box v. State, 437 So.2d 19, 21 (Miss. 1983); Morris v. State, 436 So.2d 1381, 1385-87 (Miss. 1983). Coates, 495 So.2d at 467. ¶ 44. Thus, C.D. should not have been allowed to testify on rebuttal, but if such testimony would have been admissible, her name should have been disclosed in discovery. The failure to comply with Circuit Court Rule 4.06 would constitute reversible error if this situation arises again. ¶ 45. REVERSED AND REMANDED TO THE CIRCUIT COURT OF WINSTON COUNTY FOR A NEW TRIAL. DAN LEE, C.J., PRATHER and SULLIVAN, P.JJ., and PITTMAN, BANKS, McRAE and SMITH, JJ., concur. MILLS, J., not participating.