Opinion ID: 2329763
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Recall of McCain and Cross-examination of Wright

Text: After Officer Wright had testified on rebuttal, the trial court refused to permit the defense to recall McCain for cross-examination about the disputed paragraph in Wright's witness statement. The court also did not permit counsel to cross-examine Wright about that paragraph or about the other Jencks material; it indicated that such an inquiry lacked an adequate foundation and was beyond the scope of direct examination. `[The] extent of cross-examination [of a witness] with respect to an appropriate subject of inquiry is within the sound discretion of the trial court.' Mitchell v. United States, 408 A.2d 1213, 1214 (D.C. 1979) (quoting Alford v. United States, 282 U.S. 687, 694, 51 S.Ct. 218, 220, 75 L.Ed. 624 (1931)). Likewise, recall of witnesses for additional cross-examination is a matter committed to sound trial court discretion. Wilson v. United States, 261 A.2d 513, 514 (D.C.1970) (per curiam); Jackson v. District of Columbia, 200 A.2d 199, 201 (D.C. 1964). The trial judge always can limit cross-examination to prevent inquiry into matters having little relevance or probative value, Springer v. United States, 388 A.2d 846, 854-55 (D.C.1978), or where the examination becomes repetitive, protracted or cumulative, Hilton v. United States, 435 A.2d 383, 388 (D.C.1981); Brown v. United States, 409 A.2d 1093, 1099 (D.C. 1979). Moreover, the scope of cross-examination is generally limited to matters elicited on direct examination and matters testing the credibility of a witness. Id. at 1099; Waller v. United States, 389 A.2d 801, 810 (D.C.1978), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 901, 100 S.Ct. 1824, 64 L.Ed.2d 253 (1980); United States v. Stamp, 147 U.S.App.D.C. 340, 354, 458 F.2d 759, 773 (1971), cert. denied, 406 U.S. 975, 92 S.Ct. 2424, 32 L.Ed.2d 675, 409 U.S. 842, 93 S.Ct. 104, 34 L.Ed.2d 81 (1972). Where extensive cross-examination has been allowed, as was the case here, reversal is warranted only when an exercise of discretion curtailing further cross-examination leads to demonstrable prejudice. Springer, 388 A.2d at 856; Singletary v. United States, 383 A.2d 1064, 1073 (D.C.1978). The trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to allow the defense to recall McCain for additional cross-examination. As discussed earlier, the paragraph with which appellants wished to confront McCain falls far short of demonstrating that he had lied to the police or to the jury; it concerns collateral matters. Furthermore, McCain was fully and repetitively cross-examined, and his credibility was clearly called into question. The jurors had ample opportunity to draw whatever inferences they chose regarding [McCain's] bias and credibility. Mitchell, 408 A.2d at 1215. As to Officer Wright, defense counsel's intended inquiries into Jencks material revealing what Bowman may have told her, or about what McCain had told Wright beyond describing one of the assailants, were outside the scope of direct examination. Furthermore, defense counsel's attempts to impeach Wright with the information in the controversial paragraph is misplaced. Counsel did not lay a foundation showing, as he apparently wanted to, why the information in that paragraph would be relevant to a characterization of Wright as a sloppy police officer. See Beale v. United States, 465 A.2d 796, 801 (D.C.1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1030, 104 S.Ct. 1293, 79 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984); United States v. Wright, 160 U.S.App.D.C. 57, 63, 489 F.2d 1181, 1187 (1973). Any effort to impeach Wright with the paragraph at issue would have depended on McCain's credibility  there is irony here, to say the least  and yet McCain testified at trial that he had not told Wright what had happened, only that I had seen it. Apparently, what the defense was really trying to do by seeking to cross-examine Wright about the paragraph was to undermine further McCain's trial testimony by reference to his statement to Officer Wright. And yet we have concluded that the court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to permit the recall of McCain for that purpose, absent any other foundation.