Opinion ID: 1945980
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Inadequate Sanction

Text: Finally, Edwards' claim that the trial court gave an inadequate sanction for a Jencks Act violation in relation to the government's failure to disclose the grand jury testimony of Detective Bradley fails. Sanctions for such actions are left to the discretion of the trial judge. See McGriff, supra, 705 A.2d at 287. We do not think the court's adverse-inference instruction to the jury informing them of the government's failure was an abuse or an otherwise inadequate sanction, especially where appellant was afforded the opportunity to effectively and extensively cross-examine the detective with the previously undisclosed testimony. See Woodall v. United States, 684 A.2d 1258, 1265 (D.C.1996) (absent gross negligence or significant prejudice in failing to preserve Jencks material, court's decision not to strike testimony was not an abuse of discretion), cert. denied, 520 U.S. 1130, 117 S.Ct. 1278, 137 L.Ed.2d 354 (1997); Williams v. United States, 385 A.2d 760, 763 (D.C.1978) (affirming trial court's refusal to strike testimony despite evidence that police officer deliberately destroyed Jencks material).