Opinion ID: 347435
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Grunsfeld: Prejudicial comment

Text: 56 Numerous complaints are made concerning evidentiary rulings made by the court during the extensive trial of the defendants. Only that raised by defendant Ronald Grunsfeld, in our judgment, justifies any extended comment. During the cross examination of Agent Seward by Grunsfeld's counsel, the following colloquy took place: 57 Q. Mr. Seward, did you think Mr. Grunzfeld (sic) was going to be a witness in this case and not a defendant? 58 A. He was a defendant at that time. However, he had indicated to me that he was going to plead guilty. 59 In their context the questions were part of a defense effort to probe the alleged failure of Agent Seward to record Grunsfeld's comment that he did not know what was being done with the chemicals he supplied. Seward's response to the question was stricken from the record and the court gave an appropriate cautionary instruction. However, Grunsfeld's counsel claims that this was such a plain and egregious error on the part of an agent who ought to have known better that Grunsfeld's conviction should be reversed. 60 It must be admitted that the statement, if believed by the jury, would indeed be damaging to Mr. Grunsfeld. But in the context in which it occurred, the answer was fairly responsive to the question put to him by Mr. Grunsfeld's counsel, was an isolated circumstance not elicited by the prosecutor, and was promptly followed by a cautionary statement. While this circuit has been particularly alert to the prejudice arising from this type of comment, United States v. Long, 323 F.2d 468, 471-72 (6th Cir. 1963); Oliver v. United States, 202 F.2d 521 (6th Cir. 1953), we decline to reverse where, as here, the answer was not elicited by the prosecution but by the defendant's own counsel, was generally responsive to the question, and was isolated in its nature. 61