Opinion ID: 2187807
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the lytal decision

Text: In People v Lytal, 415 Mich 603, 607; 329 NW2d 738 (1982), where defendant was on trial for the same kind of drug offense, the prosecutor moved to admit evidence of defendant's prior conviction of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance for the purpose of impeaching defendant's credibility should he take the stand. The trial court, however, reserved ruling on this motion until after defendant testified. The defendant did testify, and, pursuant to the prosecutor's renewed motion, the trial court ruled that evidence of the prior conviction was admissible to refute Lytal's testimony that he did not know or understand what was in pharmaceutical bottles in his codefendant's possession. We held that a trial judge may not reserve a ruling until after a defendant has testified on a motion to suppress evidence of the defendant's prior conviction when offered to impeach credibility under MRE 609. Citing People v Hayes, 410 Mich 422; 301 NW2d 828 (1981), we stated that [t]he defendant is entitled to know before he takes the stand whether, if he does so, the prior record can be used for impeachment. 415 Mich 609. This Court further noted that while the trial judge ruled that the evidence was admissible to impeach Lytal's testimony, the evidence had been offered by the prosecutor to impeach credibility and not testimony and therefore defense counsel did not have the opportunity to argue that point before the judge ruled. 415 Mich 610. Moreover, there was no cautionary instruction to the jury as to the limited use of a prior conviction offered to impeach testimony since the evidence was offered to impeach the defendant's credibility. Id.