Opinion ID: 1889530
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Appeal from Objections Sustained by Trial Court

Text: Appellant complains that although his objections were sustained and the testimony stricken, Francis' testimony that appellant had beaten their father and had beaten her obviously ... could not be erased from the minds of the jurors. Appellant asked the trial court for no other remedy. Because he received the remedy for which he asked, appellant has no grounds for appeal. The Court of Special Appeals addressed a similar issue in Ball v. State, 57 Md.App. 338, 358-59, 470 A.2d 361, 372 (1984), aff'd in part and rev'd in part on other grounds by Wright v. State, 307 Md. 552, 515 A.2d 1157 (1986). In Ball, the defendant claimed he was denied a fair trial because of the nature of some of the prosecutor's closing arguments. The defendant had objected to the comments and the trial court sustained the objection; however, the defendant requested no other relief. Holding the trial court did not err, the intermediate appellate court stated: The appellant Ball did not ask for a curative instruction. The appellant Ball did not move for a mistrial. It would certainly have been the height of irresponsibility for the trial judge to have declared a mistrial sua sponte, whether the appellant wanted one or not.... In a nutshell, the appellant Ball got everything he asked for. This is not error. Id. (citation omitted). See also Blandon v. State, 60 Md.App. 582, 586, 483 A.2d 1320, 1322 (1984), aff'd, 304 Md. 316, 498 A.2d 1195 (1985). In any event, the trial court in the case sub judice gave specific instructions to the jury that [i]nadmissible or stricken evidence mustn't be considered or used by you. You have to disregard questions that I didn't permit the witness to answer, and you must not speculate, you must not speculate as to the possible answers. And if after an answer was given I ruled that the answer should be stricken, please disregard it. Accordingly, there was no error.