Opinion ID: 884034
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Did the District Court err when it denied Kelman's motion for a new trial based on alleged juror misconduct?

Text: We review a district court's denial of a motion for a new trial to determine whether the district court abused its discretion. State v. Mummey (1994), 264 Mont. 272, 276, 871 P.2d 868, 870. Absent an abuse of discretion the district court's decision concerning whether or not to grant a motion for a new trial will be affirmed. State v. Hatfield (1995), 269 Mont. 307, 310, 888 P.2d 899, 901. Kelman moved for a new trial on the ground that the jury was exposed to extraneous prejudicial information. Kelman attached to his motion an affidavit from one of the jurors stating that during deliberations another juror stated that she believed that David Kelman owned the Playground Bar in Great Falls, Montana. Kelman alleges that the Playground Bar is a strip bar with a bad reputation. The affiant stated that it appeared the comment was made to make Kelman look bad. The District Court considered the juror affidavit but denied the motion for new trial reasoning that the juror statement was not material to Kelman's guilt or innocence and that insufficient evidence existed to show that the conviction was related to the alleged remark. Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid., provides that a juror may not testify as to what occurred during the jury's deliberations except when the information pertains to: (1) whether extraneous prejudicial information was improperly brought to the jury's attention; (2) whether any outside influence was brought to bear on any juror; or (3) whether any juror was induced to assent to any verdict or finding by resort to the determination of chance. Kelman argues that the juror statement was extraneous prejudicial information properly received under Rule 606(b)(1), M.R.Evid. Kelman contends that the initial jury panel vote was 6-6 but that sometime after the comment was made the panel vote was 9-3 in favor of a guilty verdict. He maintains that the statement was inherently prejudicial given the generally sleazy image of strip clubs and concludes that many jurors would assume that a strip club owner is likely to be a person who would intentionally mislead governmental regulatory authorities. He argues that the jury herein was comprised almost exclusively of women, likely to have an unfavorable opinion of strip clubs no matter how honest or lawful their operation. Kelman argues that the jury statement amounted to juror misconduct sufficient to require a new trial. The State counters that the alleged statement was an internal influence and therefore does not fall within one of the three exceptions set forth in Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid. The State further argues that even if the statement was extraneous information, the information was not prejudicial to Kelman and the District Court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for new trial. In State v. Brogan (1995), 272 Mont. 156, 900 P.2d 284, we held that juror affidavits may not be used to impeach a verdict based upon internal influences on the jury such as a mistake of evidence or misapprehension of the law. Brogan, 900 P.2d at 287 (citing Harry v. Elderkin (1981), 196 Mont. 1, 8, 637 P.2d 809, 813). Where external influence is exerted or external prejudicial information is brought to the jury's attention, juror affidavits can be the basis of overturning the judgment. Brogan, 900 P.2d at 287. Examples of external influence include a juror's telephone call obtaining information with regard to previous litigation by the plaintiff, visiting the scene of an accident, or bringing a newspaper article about the trial into the jury room for the jurors to see. Brogan, 900 P.2d at 287 (citing Geiger v. Sherrodd (1993), 262 Mont. 505, 510-11, 866 P.2d 1106, 1109). We must therefore determine whether the statement was an external or internal influence on the jury. In State v. Hage (1993), 258 Mont. 498, 853 P.2d 1251, among other claims of juror misconduct was the allegation that one juror had informed other jurors that he had personal knowledge that a telephone log was kept of all telephone calls made from the jail. Hage, 853 P.2d at 1256. Citing State v. DeMers (1988), 234 Mont. 273, 762 P.2d 860, we concluded that knowledge and information shared from one juror to another or others is not an extraneous influence. Hage, 853 P.2d at 1257. Moreover, one of the purposes behind Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid., is to ensure that jurors are able to deliberate free from the frivolous and recurrent invasions of their privacy by disappointed litigants. State v. Maxwell (1982), 198 Mont. 498, 505, 647 P.2d 348, 353. Jurors are expected to bring to the courtroom their own knowledge and experience to aid in their resolution of the case. DeMers, 762 P.2d at 863. The statement at issue in the present case is a juror's belief that Kelman owned the Playground Bar. Like the juror's belief as to the jailhouse telephone log at issue in Hage, we conclude that the statement made in the present case, whether mistaken or not, was an internal influence and within the prohibition of Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid. Even though we hold that the District Court erred in considering the juror affidavit in ruling on Kelman's motion for a new trial, we conclude the court did not abuse its discretion when it denied the motion. In affirming the District Court on this issue, we rely on our determination that the juror statement was not an external influence subject to the exceptions of Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid. Affirmed. TURNAGE, C.J., and GRAY and NELSON, JJ., concur.