Opinion ID: 2522805
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Allegedly Prejudicial Comments by the Court

Text: Finally, Agostini contends that during the trial, the court made prejudicial comments or asked questions that may have had the effect of bolstering the testimony of witnesses for Manganiello and suggesting to the jury that the court favored the plaintiff's case. A court must strive for `that atmosphere of perfect impartiality which is so much to be desired in a judicial proceeding' .... and must be especially cautious and circumspect in language and conduct during a jury trial. Santa Maria v. Metro-North Commuter R., 81 F.3d 265, 273 (2d Cir.1996) (quoting Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 82, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942)). [A]sking numerous and probing questions of witnesses is unquestionably proper, although the trial judge should limit questioning to inquiries necessary to clarify ambiguities, correct misstatements, or obtain information necessary to make rulings. Shah v. Pan American World Services, Inc., 148 F.3d 84, 98 (2d Cir.1998) (internal quotation marks omitted), cert. denied, 525 U.S. 1142, 119 S.Ct. 1033, 1034, 143 L.Ed.2d 42 (1999). Reversal may be appropriate if the judge has expressed his opinion on an ultimate issue of fact in front of the jury or [has argued] for one of the parties, id. (internal quotation marks omitted). Nonetheless, [i]n reviewing a challenge to a trial judge's conduct, we determine not whether the trial judge's conduct left something to be desired, but rather, in light of the record as a whole, whether the judge's behavior was so prejudicial that it denied [a party] a fair, as opposed to a perfect, trial. Id. (internal quotation marks omitted); see, e.g., United States v. Rosa, 11 F.3d 315, 343 (2d Cir. 1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1042, 114 S.Ct. 1565, 128 L.Ed.2d 211 (1994); United States v. Manko, 979 F.2d 900, 905-06 (2d Cir.1992), cert. denied, 509 U.S. 903, 113 S.Ct. 2993, 125 L.Ed.2d 687 (1993). We see no basis for reversal here. Although the court asked questions and made comments, our review of the record persuades us that the court was attempting to gain clarification for the jury and to prevent the trial from becoming bogged down in repetitious or inappropriate advocacy. And the court so informed the jury. In denying Agostini's motion for a new trial on this ground, the district court, after discussing the above principles governing the conduct of a trial judge, noted in part that [a]ll the questions that this Court posed to witnesses were for clarification and due to the fact that, in the case of Agostini, his testimony was frequently contradictory and ambiguous and appeared less than candid and forthcoming. In any event, the jury was thoroughly instructed that they were not to draw any inferences from the Court's questions: I also ask you to draw no inference from the fact that upon occasion I may have asked questions of certain witnesses. Such questions were only intended for clarifications or to expedite matters and certainly were not intended to suggest any opinion on my part as to the verdict you should render or whether any of the witnesses may have been more credible than any other of the witnesses. Manganiello II, 2008 WL 5159776, at  (quoting Tr. 772). The court also instructed the jury to draw no inferences from the court's rulings: During the trial, I have been called upon to make rulings on various questions. Those rulings are not evidence and need not be considered by you. Procedural matters are matters of law and, although you may have been curious about them, you should not consider them. The rulings I have made during the trial are not any indication of my views of what your decision should be. (Tr. 772.) We have no doubt that the court's cautionary instructions were heeded. The jury returned a finely tuned verdict in which it found that three of the five defendants it was considering had not engaged in malicious prosecution of Manganiello, and that of the two defendants who had, only Agostini had done so knowing that he was engaging in misconduct. We have examined the record and are persuaded that the trial court's comments, questions, and rulings did not deny Agostini a fair trial.