Opinion ID: 1933759
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Disclosure of Location of Instrumentality of the Crime.

Text: The decision by defense counsel to disclose the location of the knife implicates a legal principle deeply rooted in history. The concept that communications between a lawyer and client are absolutely privileged from disclosure is the oldest of all privileges involving confidential communications and has been firmly entrenched in English law since the reign of Elizabeth I over 400 years ago. 8 John H. Wigmore, Evidence § 2290, at 542 (McNaughton rev. 1961); see also The Attorney-Client Privilege: Fixed Rules, Bargaining & Constitutional Entitlement, 91 Harv. L.Rev. 464 (1977). It developed not long after the very concept of presenting testimony by witnesses at trial grew into favor. 8 John H. Wigmore, Evidence § 2290, at 542. Some legal scholars even suggest the roots of the privilege extend to Roman times, as a product of the ancient concept that a slave was incompetent to bear witness against his master and the idea that a roman advocate was incompetent to testify against his client. Max Radin, The Privilege of Confidential Communications Between Lawyer & Client, 16 Cal. L.Rev. 487, 487-88 (1928). Regardless of its source, the attorney-client privilege has always been a foundational part of our own American system of justice. It was a part of the original codification of our Iowa laws, as well as our own common law. See Iowa Code § 2393 (1851); Squealer Feeds v. Pickering, 530 N.W.2d 678, 684 (Iowa 1995). The privilege originated to assure the sanctity of the oath and honor of an attorney. It evolved, however, over time to satisfy the utilitarian need of encouraging unrestrained communication by clients so they, without fear of betrayal, may conduct their affairs through the hands of their learned attorneys. The Lawyer-Client Privilege, 56 Nw. U.L.Rev. 235, 235 (1961). By the last quarter of the 18th Century, this rationale (unrestrained communication) became the exclusive justification for the preservation of confidentiality, although, to be sure, the earlier underpinnings remain, particularly where the attorney's obligation rests on the ethical duty as opposed to the privilege against compelled disclosure. People v. Fentress, 103 Misc.2d 179, 425 N.Y.S.2d 485, 491 (1980). This utilitarian justification for the privilege rests today on three major propositions. 1 McCormick on Evidence § 87, at 314 (4th ed.1992) (hereinafter McCormick). First, the law is complex and pervasive in today's society and lawyers are needed to help others manage their affairs and resolve disputes. Id. Second, lawyers need full knowledge of all of the facts to properly discharge this important function. Id. Third, a client would be reluctant to reveal all of the facts to a lawyer without assurance that the lawyer will not reveal those confidences. Id. In the context of a criminal case, these three propositions take on special significance. See People v. Meredith, 29 Cal.3d 682, 175 Cal.Rptr. 612, 631 P.2d 46, 51 (1981). While the attorney-client privilege is not derived from the constitution, violation of the privilege may implicate the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Clutchette v. Rushen, 770 F.2d 1469, 1471 (9th Cir.1985); see also Maness v. Meyers, 419 U.S. 449, 466 n. 15, 95 S.Ct. 584, 595 n. 15, 42 L.Ed.2d 574, 588 n. 15 (1975); State v. Coburn, 315 N.W.2d 742, 748 (Iowa 1982) (attorney-client privilege impacts right to counsel). Adequate legal representation can depend upon the full disclosure of the facts by the client to counsel. Meredith, 175 Cal.Rptr. 612, 631 P.2d at 51 (citing City & County of San Francisco v. Superior Ct., 37 Cal.2d 227, 231 P.2d 26, 30 (1951)). Thus, if a criminal defendant is to receive the full benefits of the right to counsel, the confidence and privacy of communications with counsel must be assured. Id. (citing Barber v. Municipal Ct., 24 Cal.3d 742, 157 Cal.Rptr. 658, 598 P.2d 818, 822 (1979)); see also Fisher v. United States, 425 U.S. 391, 403, 96 S.Ct. 1569, 1577, 48 L.Ed.2d 39, 51 (1976); McCormick § 87, at 314. Although a strong tradition of loyalty exists between a lawyer and client, a lawyer is also an officer of the court who is bound by a code of professional conduct. The legal privilege of confidentiality between a lawyer and client is, therefore, intricately related to our Code of Professional Responsibility. McCormick § 87, at 317. Under our rules of professional responsibility, a lawyer is not, except under special circumstances, permitted to reveal confidential information of a client and may not use it to the disadvantage of the client. Iowa Code of Prof'l Responsibility DR 4-101. A lawyer may reveal the confidence of a client only when consent is given by the client, when permitted under disciplinary rules or the law, when the intention of the client is to commit a crime and the information is necessary to prevent the crime, or when necessary to collect a fee or provide a defense against an accusation of wrongful conduct. Id. On the other hand, a lawyer is not permitted to suppress evidence the law requires to be revealed or produced. See id. DR 7-109. Furthermore, a lawyer may not conceal or knowingly fail to disclose matters in the representation of a client which are required by law to be revealed. See id. DR 7-102(A)(3). Thus, the ethical prescriptions essentially rely upon the legal principles to guide the requirements of a lawyer to disclose matters otherwise protected within the attorney-client privilege. Nevertheless, the legal responsibility imposed upon lawyers who learn of the existence of tangible evidence of a completed crime in the course of an attorney-client relationship is complex and far from settled. Moreover, a lawyer can be faced with a host of conflicting important obligations to balance, including the duty to preserve client confidences, investigate the case, and maintain an allegiance to the system of justice as an officer of the court. Two legal principles, however, seem to have emerged from the conundrum generated by the privilege which find common agreement. The beginning premise is a lawyer may not rely upon the privilege to actively participate in hiding [a fruit or instrumentality of crime], or take possession of it in such a way that its discovery becomes less likely. Rubin v. State, 325 Md. 552, 602 A.2d 677, 686 (1992) (quoting 1 Geoffrey Hazard & W. William Hodes, The Law of Lawyering § 1.6:401, at 193 (2d ed.1991) (hereinafter Hazard)). Such an act has no reasonable relationship to the attorney-client privilege and constitutes an abuse of a lawyer's professional responsibilities. Id. at 686-87 (citing cases supporting the rule); see McCormick § 89, at 328 n.12; see also Hazard § 1.6:401, at 193 n.1 (Supp.1992). The second premise in the thicket of problems faced by a lawyer is the attorney-client privilege protects statements by a client revealing the location of the fruits or instrumentality of a completed crime. Meredith, 175 Cal.Rptr. 612, 631 P.2d at 51-52, 54; see McCormick § 89, at 328; see also Hazard § 1.6:303, at 169 (Supp.1993) (there is no situation that calls for stronger application of the confidentiality principle and no exception even arguably applies). The main rationale for the rule requiring disclosure of the fruits and instrumentalities of the crime when taken into possession by the lawyer is that a lawyer must not impede or inhibit the discovery of evidence by the state. Rubin, 602 A.2d at 688. However, if defense counsel leaves the evidence alone, the only matter possessed is the communication which remains insulated from disclosure by the attorney-client privilege. See State ex rel. Sowers v. Olwell, 64 Wash.2d 828, 394 P.2d 681, 684 (1964). Thus, a defense lawyer has no legal obligation to disclose information about the location of an instrument of a crime when possession of the instrument is not taken. See Clutchette, 770 F.2d at 1472. Instead, a defense lawyer has a duty to preserve the confidences of the client. Evidence protected by the attorney-client privilege which the State obtains in the course of a criminal case from counsel and introduces at trial is a paradigm example of the denial of the right to counsel. See id. Yet, the duty of a lawyer not to disclose the location of an instrumentality of a crime does not always mean disclosure to the prosecution compromises the right to effective counsel. Disclosure may be justified as a tactical choice or strategy. Meredith, 175 Cal.Rptr. 612, 631 P.2d at 54. If the defense lawyer does not take possession of the instrument of the crime, there can be no opportunity to have it examined for any evidence that may be critical to the defense. Id. at 53 n. 7. Thus, the particular facts of a case may justify disclosing the location of the instrument of a crime even if disclosure is not legally required and the information is legally protected. In this case, the decision by defense counsel to disclose the location of the knife to the prosecutor was premised upon ethical concerns which did not require disclosure. Although tactical reasons were also considered, these tactics were a response to the faulty premise, not underlying reasons to disclose privileged information. Wemark was informed by his defense counsel that the location of the knife must be disclosed, and tactics were developed as a means to deal with the disclosure. Tactics or strategy cannot support disclosure in this case. Notwithstanding, relief is not granted for claims of ineffective assistance of counsel unless prejudice resulted. To establish prejudice in an action for postconviction relief, the applicant must show a reasonable probability that the result of the trial would have been different but for counsel's errors. Osborn v. State, 573 N.W.2d 917, 922 (Iowa 1998) (quoting State v. Bugely, 562 N.W.2d 173, 178 (Iowa 1997)). Reasonable probability means a probability sufficient to undermine the confidence in the outcome of the trial. Id. There was overwhelming evidence that Wemark repeatedly stabbed his wife with the knife. Wemark did not deny the stabbing but claimed self-defense, lack of premeditation, and provocation. Although the location of the knife and the forensic evidence discovered from the knife ultimately may have been more helpful to the State than the defense, there was an abundance of other evidence to support premeditation and the lack of provocation independent of the knife. The knife was only a small portion of the host of evidence used by the prosecution to support its claim of first-degree murder. Aside from the evidence that Wemark hid the knife in the basement following the stabbing, there was evidence Wemark changed his clothing following the stabbing and washed Melissa's blood from the clothing he was wearing at the time of the stabbing. There was also evidence Wemark wiped blood from the floor and moved Melissa's body into a bedroom. Wemark never summoned help from neighbors or police, but fled the house. There was further evidence that the knife wounds on his body were largely superficial and self-inflicted, and done only as an after thought to enable him to claim self-defense. There was also evidence Wemark had expressed an intent to kill Melissa on more than one occasion, and was very upset and angry over the estrangement of their marriage. Some of the fifteen stab wounds in Melissa's body were in her back. Considering all the evidence, the disclosure of the knife did not affect the outcome of the proceedings. Additionally, there was no claim that any other statement or information given to Dr. Taylor by Wemark was used by the State at trial. There was no prejudice.