Opinion ID: 2337648
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Allegation of Brady Violation

Text: Defense counsel unsuccessfully attempted to discover a 2003 annual registration report that was in the attorney general's possession from a separate prosecution of Defendant. The prosecutor asked defense witness Brown at trial why her address, as listed in Corporation's records, was identical to Defendant's address. Defense counsel objected to this question, arguing that the two had not lived together. Defendant alleges that the 2003 report contained Brown's correct address and would have contradicted the State's attempt to impeach her. Defendant argues that the trial court erred in not taking remedial action against the State for failing to produce the report. He also claims the State's failure to produce this evidence violated the Brady rule of disclosure. Under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), due process is violated when the prosecutor suppresses evidence that is favorable to the defendant and material to either guilt or punishment. Anderson v. State, 196 S.W.3d 28, 36 (Mo. banc 2006). Evidence is material only when there is a reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different if the evidence had been disclosed to the defense. Id. at 36-37. Brady , however, only applies in situations where the defense discovers information after trial that had been known to the prosecution at trial. State v. Myers, 997 S.W.2d 26, 33 (Mo.App. 1999). If the defendant had knowledge of the evidence at the time of trial, the State cannot be faulted for nondisclosure. Id. The 2003 annual registration report is not the type of evidence to which Brady applies. At the time of his trial, Defendant was already aware that the report existed. Additionally, the report was not material to Defendant's case. Defendant contends that the report would have contradicted the State's attempt to impeach Brown. This Court, however, found in State v. Brooks, 960 S.W.2d 479, 495 (Mo. banc 1997), that prison records, which would only have been used to rebut the State's impeachment, were not likely to change the outcome of the case since there was other evidence that supported the jury's decision. There was sufficient additional evidence to support the jury's verdict in this case. Defendant did not dispute the fact that he did not procure workers' compensation insurance for Corporation's employees, and corporate records verified that it employed at least five persons in each year. Considering the report may only have served to rebut Brown's impeachment, there is no reasonable probability that the outcome of Defendant's trial would have been different. The State did not violate the Brady rule of disclosure, and the trial court did not err in refusing to take remedial action against the State.