Opinion ID: 1587246
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Psychological/psychiatric reports.

Text: On June 4, 1999, a discovery order was entered requiring the Commonwealth to furnish Goforth with all results or reports of mental and physical examinations ... including, but not limited to, ... any psychological/psychiatric tests of Johnathon Wayne Goforth or Virginia Caudill in the possession of the Commonwealth. Goforth's appellate counsel claims that his trial counsel never received Dr. Schilling's report and that the Commonwealth's failure to furnish that report after receiving it from Caudill's attorney impaired Goforth's trial counsel's right of cross-examination. This, however, is a claim Goforth's trial counsel never made. During the lengthy discussion at the pretrial hearing held on January 27, 2000, concerning time frames for obtaining mental health examinations and furnishing reports of experts, Goforth's counsel indicated that he was not interested in reports of mental health examinations of Caudill. Nevertheless, his motion to limit Dr. Schilling's testimony indicates that he had advance notice of the nature of Dr. Schilling's proposed testimony. KRS 504.070(1) requires a defendant to give the prosecution twenty days notice of an intention to introduce mental health evidence at trial, and KRS 504.070(2) gives the prosecution the right to have the defendant examined by an independent mental health expert. However, KRS 504.070(4) requires the prosecution to file any reports prepared by its witnesses ten days prior to trial. Dr. Schilling testified that he examined and tested Caudill four times over the period November 4, 1999, through January 13, 2000. On January 18, 2000, exactly twenty days before trial, Caudill filed her notice of intent to introduce evidence of mental illness, retardation or deficiency. The Commonwealth was unable to schedule Caudill's examination by Dr. Cooley until February 45, 2000, the Friday and Saturday before the trial began on February 7, 2000. Both appellants complain that they never received a final report of Dr. Cooley's examination. In fact, it appears that Dr. Cooley never prepared a final report. Caudill's counsel admitted receiving Dr. Cooley's preliminary report prior to Dr. Cooley's testimony. Goforth's trial counsel did not raise the issue at all, no doubt because Dr. Cooley's testimony did not prejudice Goforth in any respect. Finally, since neither doctor's report is in the record, we are unable to determine whether either appellant was prejudiced by the failure, if any, to timely receive it. Garrett v. Commonwealth, Ky., 48 S.W.3d 6, 15 (2001) (affirming where disputed document not introduced by avowal); Commonwealth v. Ferrell, Ky., 17 S.W.3d 520 (2000).