Opinion ID: 165371
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Surrebuttal Opinion Testimony

Text: 94 Finally, Saiz contends that her Sixth Amendment right to confrontation was violated when the trial court prohibited surrebuttal opinion testimony by two defense attorneys who were familiar with Dr. Morall and would have testified as to her character and reputation for truthfulness. The trial court ruled that Dr. Morall's truthfulness was not at issue, since she was testifying as to her expert opinion rather than testifying as to facts. Therefore, since her truthfulness was not relevant, the court ruled that the surrebuttal testimony would not be permitted under Colo. R. Evid. 608(a). 12 95 The Colorado Court of Appeals held that because CRE 608(a) makes no exception for expert witnesses, we conclude that the trial court's ruling was erroneous. Saiz, 923 P.2d at 204. The court determined, however, that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt: 96 [T]he psychiatrist's testimony was not crucial to the prosecution's case because other expert witnesses also testified that the results of defendant's psychiatric tests suggested that she did not suffer from battered woman's syndrome or post-traumatic-stress disorder. Also, the trial court had permitted extensive cross-examination of the psychiatrist. Moreover, there was other evidence overwhelmingly supporting the verdict and overcoming defendant's theory of self-defense, including evidence that defendant shot her husband while he was sleeping, tried to cover up the homicide instead of reporting it, and stood to receive a large amount of insurance money upon his death. 97 Id. 98 In Saiz's first federal habeas proceeding, she prevailed on this issue. The federal district court found that the Colorado Court of Appeals' decision that Dr. Morall's testimony was not crucial to the prosecution's case is factually incorrect. Saiz v. McGoff, No. CIV. A. 98-D-68, 2001 WL 629663, at  (D.Colo. May 23, 2001). The court further held that the error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. After we remanded that decision to the district court for further review on the ground that the court had applied the wrong standard under the AEDPA, 13 the federal district court held that, under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1), the Colorado Court of Appeals' conclusion that the trial error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt was not an unreasonable application of the harmless-error analysis in Chapman: 99 The state appellate court applied the correct legal standard in determining (1) that Dr. Morall's testimony was not critical to the prosecution's case, (2) that other expert witnesses corroborated Dr. Morall's testimony that Ms. Saiz did not suffer from battered woman's syndrome or post-traumatic stress disorder, (3) that extensive cross-examination of Dr. Morall had been permitted, and (4) that other evidence, including that Ms. Saiz shot her husband while he was asleep, tried to cover up the homicide, and stood to receive a large amount of insurance money upon his death, overwhelmingly supported the jury's verdict and overcame the defendant's self-defense theory. However, I disagree with the first and second conclusions, as I did in my May 23, 2001, order granting habeas corpus relief, because I find that Dr. Morall's testimony was critical to the prosecution's case, that her testimony was not cumulative, and that other expert witnesses did not also testify that the results of Ms. Saiz's psychiatric tests suggested that she did not suffer from battered woman's syndrome or post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite this disagreement, I find that the Colorado Court of Appeals' application of the Chapman standard in reaching its ultimate conclusion is not objectively unreasonable. I reach this determination because I do not find that the appellate court's conclusions with which I disagree outweigh its two remaining conclusions, i.e., that extensive cross-examination of Dr. Morall had been permitted and that other evidence overwhelmingly supported the jury's verdict and overcame the defendant's self-defense theory. 100 Order at 26-27. Saiz argues the district court erred in reaching that conclusion. 101 Assuming that it was an error to refuse to permit the surrebuttal witnesses to testify as to Dr. Morall's reputation for truthfulness, all parties agree that the relevant inquiry is whether the Colorado Court of Appeals' conclusion that that error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt is contrary to or an unreasonable application of Chapman. After carefully reviewing the record, we conclude that it was not, for substantially the reasons stated in the federal district court's order.