Opinion ID: 1243076
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The question at this point is whether the objections alone were sufficient to preserve this issue for review on appeal.

Text: A party who maintains the prejudicial effect of a trial court's erroneous ruling on a challenge to the admission of evidence in a jury trial cannot be cured by an admonition to the jury must ordinarily move for a mistrial as soon as the grounds therefore first become apparent in order to preserve the question for review on appeal. See in support State v. Ware, 205 N.W.2d 700, 702 (Iowa 1973). However, in our opinion, the record here presents an extraordinary situation. The trial court made clear to defense counsel, Mr. Gutz, it had determined its admonition to the jury was sufficient to remove any prejudice created by admission of Miss Blackcloud's statements. Mr. Gutz stated to the court that such a determination by the court was its own to make and he would not object to an admonition on the record. He did, however, object and reserve a right to make a record that no admonition to the jury was sufficient to erase the prejudicial effect. When the court stated it would have to take its chances on the form of the admonition, it had, in effect, decided the form was correct. The only possible purpose of a motion for mistrial here would have been to alert the court and opposing counsel to error in the form of the admonition. We conclude this was accomplished, and consequently the matter is preserved for our review on the strength of Mr. Sullivan's objections. II. We now consider whether a party may impeach his own witness by proof of the witness' prior statement when the witness claims not to remember the underlying facts described in the statement. There can be no doubt the State had the right to impeach its own witness. In State v. Trost, 244 N.W.2d 556, 559-560 (Iowa 1976), this court adopted rule 607, Uniform Rules of Evidence, which allows impeachment of one's own witness and announced:    Henceforth, in all trials in this state, the credibility of a witness may be attacked by any party, including the party calling him. The problem arises from the method employed by the State in seeking to impeach Mary Jo Blackcloud, its own witness, when she did not recall the underlying facts that occurred on the night of the shooting and which she had detailed in her statement to the police. Although Miss Blackcloud admitted making a statement to the police she denied remembering anything that happened after she came out of the house until Howard Cook was lying on the ground. Defendant maintains the prejudicial effect of the introduction and admission in evidence of Miss Blackcloud's prior statement to the police was not cured by the trial court's later admonition to the jury to disregard totally the questions and answers directed to the prior statement of Miss Blackcloud. The State, on the other hand, argues that even if it were error to allow it to impeach its own witness in the manner previously described such error did not reach prejudicial proportions justifying reversal. It argues the court's admonition to the jury avoided the prejudicial effect and the evidence admitted was merely cumulative of that to which other witnesses testified without objection. Our task is to determine whether the statement given to the police was admissible as a prior inconsistent statement under the record presented here. The first test in determining if such a statement, written or oral, is admissible is whether a proper foundation has been laid for its admission. The laying of a proper foundation is necessary as a warning to the witness. The witness is warned the statement is going to be used so that he can prepare to prove he did not make it or so that he can prepare to explain it away if he admits he made it. The use of a proper foundation is a prerequisite in most jurisdictions to the use of the statement. 3A, Wigmore on Evidence, (Chadbourn Rev.), section 1028, pp. 1023-1029. However, the foundation requirements to prior inconsistent statements do not apply to admissions of a party-opponent. State v. Hephner, 161 N.W.2d 714, 720 (Iowa 1968). See also Rule 613, Uniform Rules of Evidence, 1974, and Fed. Rules Evid. Rule 613(b). It is usually necessary for the questioner to ask foundation questions which specify some details as to the occasion of the remarks or written statement. This warning was given in the instant case and thus this test was met. The second test is whether the statement goes to a question at issue in the case, or to discrediting the witness or whether it is collateral thereto. As explained by Wigmore the true test as to collateralness is the test laid down in Attorney General v. Hitchcock, 1 Exch. 91, 99 (1847):    Could the fact, as to which error is predicated, have been shown in evidence for any purpose independently of the contradiction?  (Emphasis in original). Wigmore, section 1003, at p. 961. In explanation of this test, Wigmore offers the following: In applying the test of Attorney General v. Hitchcock , it is obvious that there are two different groups of facts of which evidence would have been admissible independently of contradiction: (1) facts relevant to some issue in the case, and (2) facts relevant to the discrediting of a witness. (1) Facts relevant to some issue in the case. The test in question usually causes here no difficulty in its application; the issues in the case indicate what facts would be relevant:    (2) Facts discrediting the witness in respect to bias, corruption, skill, knowledge, etc. Since, by the rule in Attorney General v. Hitchcock , any fact which would be independently admissible may be made the subject of a contradiction, a second class of facts includes those which could otherwise be receivable for the purpose of impeaching some specific testimonial quality.  (Emphasis in original). Wigmore, sections 1004-1005, pp. 965-966. The statement here offered into evidence went directly to an issue in the case, self-defense. It therefore met the second test. The third test concerns the use to which the statement is to be put. It is widely, but not universally, maintained by the courts that prior self-contradictions are not to be treated as having any substantive or independent testimonial value.  Wigmore, section 1018, pp. 996-998. (Emphasis in original). The foregoing statement from Wigmore concerns a question that is currently the subject of great controversy. For a full discussion of the question see Beavers v. State, 492 P.2d 88, 92-94 (Alaska 1971). See also California v. Green, 399 U.S. 149, 163, 90 S.Ct. 1930, 1938, 26 L.Ed.2d 489, 499, and Nelson v. O'Neil, 402 U.S. 622, 91 S.Ct. 1723, 29 L.Ed.2d 222. Immediately preceding the last above quote from Wigmore there appears this statement:    It follows, therefore, that the use of prior self-contradictions to discredit is not obnoxious to the hearsay rule. (b) It does not follow, however, that prior self-contradictions, when admitted, are to be treated as having no affirmative testimonial value, and that any such credit is to be strictly denied them in the mind of the tribunal. The only ground for doing so would be the hearsay rule. But the theory of the hearsay rule is that an extrajudicial statement is rejected because it was made out of court by an absent person not subject to cross-examination (§ 1362 infra ). Here, however, by hypothesis the witness is present and subject to cross-examination. There is ample opportunity to test him as to the basis for his former statement. The whole purpose of the hearsay rule has been already satisfied. Hence there is nothing to prevent the tribunal from giving such testimonial credit to the extrajudicial statement as it may seem to deserve. Psychologically of course, the one statement is as useful to consider as the other; and everyday experience outside of courtrooms is in accord. (Emphasis in original). In the case presently before us the earlier statement given by Miss Blackcloud to the police was being offered for the sole purpose of impeaching her as a witness. This prior statement was not being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted in the statement. Hence, the controversial subject discussed in Beavers need not be reached in this case. We conclude the statement given by Miss Blackcloud could be admissible as a prior inconsistent statement under a proper factual record. III. Defendant maintains the factual situation presented by the record here is not one which would permit the use of the prior statement for impeaching Miss Blackcloud's testimony at trial. We turn to defendant's argument in support of this position. Defendant contends the prior statement was inadmissible because the fact to be impeached was whether Miss Blackcloud remembered making the statement to the police. Defendant maintains the ultimate end of any questioning of Miss Blackcloud once she stated she did not remember the details of the events would be, at best, her admission she remembered the events described in the statement and, at worst, her adherence to her claim she could not remember those events. Defendant argues that at no point could the prosecution have gained a proper admission of the statement into evidence. Defendant's argument is partially incorrect; there are circumstances in which a witness' testimony he cannot remember may properly be contradicted by his prior inconsistent statement. In support of his position, defendant cites this court to McCormick on Evidence, (Second Ed.), section 36, p. 71, where it is stated: A distinct but somewhat cognate notion is the view that if a party interrogates a witness about a fact which would be favorable to the examiner if true, and receives a reply which is merely negative in its effect on examiner's case, the examiner may not by extrinsic evidence prove that the first witness had earlier stated that the fact was true as desired by the inquirer. An affirmative answer would have been material and subject to be impeached by an inconsistent statement, but a negative answer is not damaging to the examiner, but merely disappointing, and may not be thus impeached.   . This statement is not applicable here because Miss Blackcloud's testimony did not elicit either a negative or affirmative answer. Her lack of memory cannot be interpreted as either. There is considerable law that goes to the proposition that a witness can be impeached by a prior inconsistent statement when he answers, I don't remember, or is otherwise evasive. An examination of some of the cases will serve to illustrate our point. In Blackford v. Kaplan, 135 Ohio St. 268, 20 N.E.2d 522, 525, we find the following pertinent comments: Defendant also contends that the trialcourt erred in not permitting the use of the deposition testimony of Pauline Hanna and Christine Hanna. The court ruled that the credibility of a witness can not be impeached by showing a contradictory statement when the witness answers a question, `I don't know,' `I don't remember' or `I don't believe so.' In this ruling the trial court committed prejudicial error. The trial court may properly exclude impeaching evidence of this character when the witness sought to be impeached admits making the statements attributed to him; otherwise not. In Lawson v. State, 36 Ala.App. 438, 57 So.2d 643, 644, there is the following pronouncement: On cross-examination this entire statement [one made to police officers after the homicide with which the witness' brother was charged] was read to L.C. He admitted signing it, but he stated that he did not remember relating to the officers the facts set out in the written document.    We come, therefore, to consider the purpose and purport of the written statement in the factual proceedings. It is permissible and proper to attack the credibility of a witness by showing that at a previous time and place he made a statement which was out of accord with the testimony he gave at the instant trial. It may be noted that, before this prior contradictory character of evidence is admissible, the witness involved must either deny he made the previous statement or testify that he does not remember making it.    [citing authorities]. In Schwam v. Reece, 213 Ark. 431, 210 S.W.2d 903, 908, the court (citing Humpolak v. State, 175 Ark. 786, 300 S.W. 426, 428), made the following pertinent remark:    `But the great weight of authority is to the effect that a witness may be impeached by proof of prior contradictory statements, where he merely testified that he does not remember, or has no recollection of, making the statements referred to. Of course if the witness admitted that he made the contradictory statements there is no necessity for proving them and they are, therefore, not admissible in evidence.'   . In Reams' Administrator v. Greer, 314 S.W.2d 511, 513 (Ky.1957), this statement appears:    The appellant contends that, since Wood did not specifically deny making the statement, it could not be shown that he had. Where a witness has said he does not remember making a statement, he may be impeached by proof of prior contradictory statements.    [citing authorities]. In People v. Preston, 341 Ill. 407, 173 N.E. 383, 388, 77 A.L.R. 631, reh. den., there appears this statement in the case which is factually similar to the instant case: Defendant on direct examination testified that he had no idea when he left Hansen's and did not know where he went when he left there, that the next thing he knew after that was finding himself on the freight train on the outskirts of West Chicago. During the cross-examination of the defendant, he was asked questions regarding his statements alleged to have been made to the coroner on October 13 and 14.    He did not deny that the questions were asked him and that he made answer as indicated by the state's attorney in his interrogatories, but in each instance his answers were evasive, such as, `Not to my knowledge,' `I don't remember,' `I can't say as I remember.' Where a witness, when asked as to the making of statements inconsistent or at variance with his testimony, neither directly admits nor denies the making of such statements, but states he does not know or recollect, or gives any other answer not amounting to an admission, it is competent to prove the affirmative by way of impeachment.    [citing authorities]. For other cases which adhere to the same proposition as those previously cited see the following: State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. v. Newell, 270 Ala. 550, 120 So.2d 390, 396; Trickel v. Rainbo Baking Company of Phoenix, 100 Ariz. 222, 412 P.2d 852, 854; People v. Roach, 148 Cal.App.2d 364, 306 P.2d 523, 526; Diebold v. People, 175 Colo. 96, 485 P.2d 900, 902; Wingate v. New Deal Cab Company, 217 So.2d 612, 614 (Fla. Dist.Ct.App.1969); Reilly Tar & Chemical Corp. v. Lewis, 326 Ill.App. 84, 61 N.E.2d 290, 293; People v. Saunders, 132 Ill.App.2d 421, 270 N.E.2d 217, 220, 50 A.L.R.3d 1; Jenkins v. State, 14 Md.App. 1, 285 A.2d 667, 670-671; People v. Graves, 15 Mich. App. 244, 166 N.W.2d 480, 481-482; Koop v. Great Northern Ry. Co., 224 Minn. 286, 28 N.W.2d 687, 690-691; Ingram v. State, 87 Okl.Cr. 223, 196 P.2d 534, 539; State v. Nortin, 170 Or. 296, 133 P.2d 252, 258-259; Ashton v. Higgins, 80 R.I. 350, 96 A.2d 632, 636; Yellow Bus Line, Inc. v. Brenner, 31 Tenn.App. 209, 213 S.W.2d 626, 630-631; Hutson v. State, 164 Tex.Cr.R. 24, 296 S.W.2d 245, 249 (See opinion on rehearing); Morton v. Hood, 105 Utah 484, 143 P.2d 434, 437-438; Keatts v. Shelton, 191 Va. 758, 63 S.E.2d 10, 13; Spence v. Browning Motor Freight Lines, 138 W.Va. 748, 77 S.E.2d 806, 811; Heddles v. Chicago & N.W. Ry. Co., 77 Wis. 228, 46 N.W. 115, 117; United States v. Alper, 156 F.2d 222, 225 (2 Cir. 1946); Williamson v. United States, 310 F.2d 192, 198-199 (9 Cir. 1962). Three Iowa cases have been found which support the proposition adhered to in the previously cited cases. In the first, State v. Tharp, 258 Iowa 224, 235-236, 138 N.W.2d 78, 85, there is this statement: Evidence of prior statements inconsistent with those made by a witness at the trial on a material matter may, of course, be introduced for the purpose of impeachment.    [citing authority]. From the record we learn Lela Hanlin was called by the State on rebuttal and was allowed to testify, over defendant's objections, that she had heard the appellant's mother, Mary Barta, say: `Monte's mad at Larry because he's treating me so mean. The next time Larry lays a hand on me, Monte said he would kill him.` Defendant was not present at the time of the conversation. Mrs. Barta, testifying for the defense, had previously asserted, in answer to a question on cross-examination, that she could not remember making any statement to Mrs. Hanlin that her son had threatened to kill Salter, and in effect denied it, saying; `A statement like that? That's never crossed my mind.   .'    However, since the jury was not allowed to consider this testimony as substantive evidence, but as impeachment evidence only, we cannot say its admission as such was so improper as to directly prevent a fair trial and require the granting of a new trial. In State v. Galloway, 187 N.W.2d 725 (Iowa 1971), this court upheld a conviction where a witness on cross-examination was asked questions by defense counsel about her testimony in the first trial of the defendant. The witness could not remember everything to which she had testified but would not deny she had made the statements attributed to her. On redirect the prosecution was allowed to read, over defense counsel's objections, the previous testimony of the witness. This court found no error in the trial court's admission of such evidence. In State v. Reynolds, 250 N.W.2d 434, 440 (Iowa 1977), the court said:    On the witness stand Allen identified the defendant and described in detail one of the confederates, but could not describe the other and was unable to name them. He did however recall identifying them from the photographs he had seen earlier. The prosecutor then asked him if he had identified Jerry Jean Bainter and Robert Larry Anderson previously from photographs, and he answered in the affirmative. Counsel for the defendant interposed an objection that the question was leading and a blatant attempt to impeach the State's own witness, which objection was overruled.    The prosecutor used the prior identification made by the witness Allen to refresh his memory after Allen was unable to recall the names of the two men in his station. Prior statements may be repeated to jog the memory of a witness who surprises a party on the stand with his unexpected response.    [citing authority]. Prior statements may be used to impeach a witness as well as to refresh his memory. A party confronted with an unexpected answer will either try to rehabilitate the witness by eliciting an explanation for the different statements or may attempt to neutralize the testimony by introduction of a prior inconsistent statement. The trial court properly overruled the defendant's objection to the use of the prior statement of the witness Allen.    [citing authority]. (Emphasis supplied). While it is apparent many other states have allowed impeachment of a witness by his prior statements where he does not remember or is evasive in his answers, it is equally clear we have not explicitly done so in Iowa. However, the three Iowa cases cited certainly approached such a holding. Such a rule would be of great value in jurisdiction. Without it a witness whose bias, prejudice, corruption, etc., is not apparent on direct or cross-examination can give facts only favorable to the defense (or defendant) or prosecution (or plaintiff) and totally avoid confrontation by his prior statement favorable to the other side. Without such a rule outside pressures could convince the witness that it would be to his advantage to conveniently forget the facts and, thus, the truth would be lost. With such a rule justice will be served where it might otherwise be thwarted. In light of defendant's contention we deem it advisable to express our view that the proper rule to be followed where a witness makes a testimonial statement and then does not remember a prior inconsistent statement he made dealing with the same facts or is evasive as to that statement would permit either party to introduce the prior inconsistent statement into evidence if it meets the other tests previously set out herein. Its admission is subject to the laying of a proper foundation. It is not admissible unless it meets this test of collateralness:  Could the fact, as to which the prior self-contradiction is predicated, have been shown in evidence for any purpose independently of the self-contradiction ? (Emphasis in original). Wigmore, section 1020, p. 1010. Here there was no testimonial statement with which Miss Blackcloud's prior statement to the police regarding Howard Cook's possession of a gun could be inconsistent. Miss Blackcloud did not remember the underlying facts dealing with the issue of self-defense which were the subject of her prior statement. Defense's arguments as to the inadmissibility of the prior statement are meritorious. As previously noted, the defense argued the fact to be impeached was whether or not Miss Blackcloud remembered the facts contained in the statement. The only avenue of attack on the witness' credibility in this situation was on her memory or ability to recollect. The State was free to try to make her admit she remembered the underlying facts bearing on the issue of self-defense but was not free to read into evidence the prior statement. This point is discussed by Wigmore, section 1037, pp. 1042-1043, as follows: A notion that for a time obtained with some English judges, before the principle of self-contradiction was thoroughly differentiated, and a notion not uncommon today at our bar, is that a witness' answer to the preliminary question is the testimonial statement against which the impeaching contradictory statement is to be set off as inconsistent. Two fallacies, now generally discredited by the courts, have cropped out as the result of this underlying notion. One fallacy is that if the witness, when asked whether he did not say such-and-such a thing to the contrary, professes failure to remember or evades the question, then the contrary statement cannot be offered, because there is no assertion to contradict. In truth, however, his answer to the preliminary question is wholly immaterial. He had already made on the stand an assertion A; we wish to know that he has elsewhere made the opposite assertion A'; and, before introducing the latter we must ask him whether he made it; this preliminary question is simply to give warning and lay the foundation required by the rule; the contradiction already exists (if at all) between the assertions A and A'; and thus his answer to the preliminary question is of no consequence as forming a contradiction. It is the question alone that is essential; if the warning has been given, that is all the law is concerned with:   . (Emphasis in original). In this case there was no assertion A with which statement A' could be found inconsistent. Miss Blackcloud did not make a testimonial statement as to the events described in her prior statement bearing on the question of self-defense. She did not remember the facts necessary to make statement A. She admitted making statement A'. If she had been asked if Howard had pulled out his gun while lying on the ground and had answered, No, the answer No would have been a testimonial statement with which her prior statement could have been found inconsistent and thus admissible. We conclude the record before us fails to present a situation which would permit the use of Miss Blackcloud's prior statement to the police for the purpose of impeaching her. As acknowledged by the trial court, it was error to admit the statement for this purpose.