Opinion ID: 2446723
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Impeachment Ruling Proper

Text: Austin was charged as an accomplice for the murder and robbery of Rafferty. He accepted the State's offer to plead guilty to reduced charges and testify as a prosecution witness at Robinson's trial. Austin made a statement to police, which was recorded and which was turned over to defense counsel in discovery. Austin testified on the second day of trial and was cross-examined at length by defense counsel. On the morning of the third day of trial, a question arose concerning Robinson's defense counsel's proposed cross-examination of Detective Smith, the chief investigating officer, who had taken Austin's prior statement. Defense counsel informed the trial judge that he wanted to question the detective about what Austin told her in that statement, and it's going to contradict what he said on the witness stand. Robinson's attorney acknowledged that he could also recall Austin as a defense witness and play his taped statement, but argued, I think I'm entitled to do it both ways. I was hoping to do it the easier way this morning through [Detective] Smith. The prosecutor objected and argued that the proper witness to examine regarding inconsistencies or contradictions in Austin's prior statement to Detective Smith was Austin, not the detective who took the statement and who had no personal knowledge of the facts recounted in the statement. The trial judge agreed and ruled that defense counsel must first confront Austin with any alleged inconsistencies or contradictions in his prior statement to Detective Smith. Robinson's attorney never recalled Austin to the witness stand and the prior statement was not introduced into evidence by either party. The issue in this appeal is the use of a prior statement for impeachment purposes under Delaware Rule of Evidence (D.R.E.) 613(b) and not its introduction as independent substantive evidence under title 11, section 3507 of the Delaware Code. [7] Under D.R.E. 613(b), [e]xtrinsic evidence of a prior inconsistent statement by a witness is not admissible unless the witness is afforded an opportunity to explain or deny the same and the opposite party is afforded an opportunity to interrogate him thereon.... [8] In this case, although Austin had testified and was cross-examined, defense counsel did not ask any questions regarding his prior statement to Detective Smith. Instead, Robinson's attorney waited until the following day to question Detective Smith regarding alleged inconsistencies between Austin's testimony and his statement to her. The 1820 decision in Queen Caroline's Case [9] was the basis of the former requirements for impeaching a witness using prior inconsistent statements. Although disfavored in England, that decision was popular in the United States before the Federal Rules of Evidence modified it. Queen Caroline's Case required the cross-examiner to establish a foundation for introducing extrinsic evidence of the prior inconsistent statement by questioning the witness about the circumstances when the statement was made and verifying that the witness made it. This procedure required the cross-examiner to reveal the content of the prior statement to the witness before questioning and eliminated the element of surprise. This longstanding procedure was modified by Federal Rule of Evidence (F.R.E.) 613 generally, and F.R.E. 613(b) specifically has relaxed any absolute requirement that the procedure established in Queen Caroline's Case be followed in federal courts. Instead, the federal rule now only requires that the witness be afforded at some time an opportunity to explain or deny the prior statement and to be available for further interrogation. The purpose of the new rule was explained by the Reporter of the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, of the Judicial Conference of the United States, as follows: The traditional practice in most jurisdictions, when it is sought to impeach a witness by proof of a prior inconsistent statement, has been to require that a foundation be laid during the cross-examination of the witness. This foundation consists of directing the attention of the witness to the time when, place where, and person to whom the alleged statement was made, and asking the witness whether under those circumstances he made substantially that statement. In the absence of this preliminary routine, extrinsic evidence to prove the prior statement is held inadmissible. The objectives of the procedure are: (1) to save time, since the witness may admit having made the statement and thus make the extrinsic proof unnecessary; (2) to avoid unfair surprise to the opposite party by affording him an opportunity to draw a denial or explanation from the witness; and (3) to give the witness himself, in fairness, a chance to deny or to explain the apparent discrepancy. These are desirable objectives. The second and third can, however, be achieved by affording an opportunity to explain at any time during the trial, and no particular time sequence is required. Only the first of the objectives named above, saving time, points in the direction of the traditional foundation requirement on cross-examination, and even here countervailing factors are present: the time saved is not great; the laying of the foundation may inadvertently have been overlooked; the impeaching statement may not have been discovered until later; and premature disclosure may on occasion frustrate the effective impeachment of collusive witnesses. The argument may be made that the recalling of a witness for further cross-examination will afford an adequate solution for these difficulties and hence that the traditional procedure should be retained. The argument is not a sound one. In the first place, recall for cross-examination has traditionally been very much within the discretion of the judge and seems likely to continue so. And secondly, the admissibility of prior inconsistent statements ought not to be enmeshed in the technicalities of cross-examination when all that is being sought is the presentation of an opportunity to deny or explain. In view of these considerations, the Advisory Committee concluded that the objectives could better be achieved by allowing the opportunity to deny or explain to occur at any time during the trial, rather than limiting it to cross-examination. Moreover, occasionally situations may arise where the interests of justice will warrant dispensing entirely with the opportunity to explain or deny. Thus if a witness becomes unavailable through absence or death, the judge ought to have discretion to allow the impeaching statement. In my view, the existing practice would continue in general to be followed under the rule. It is convenient and effective to raise the matter on cross-examination, and doing so would avoid problems that might ultimately arise if witnesses become unavailable before the end of the trial. The rule ought, however, to remain as drawn, leaving the practical approach to the good sense of the practitioner. [10] The opinion in Wammock v. Celotex Corporation , [11] includes an excellent analysis of how the traditional foundation requirements ( Queen Caroline's Case ) for allowing impeachment with prior inconsistent statements are modified by F.R.E. 613(b). The new federal rule requires that the witness be provided an opportunity to explain his or her inconsistent statement. However, this explanation may occur on direct examination or redirect examination, cross-examination or at any other point in the trial. Since the witness to be impeached must be given an opportunity to explain his or her inconsistent statements, the availability of the witness has become a touchstone of admissibility under Rule 613(b). [12] Delaware Rule of Evidence 613(b) is identical to F.R.E. 613(b). Therefore, federal court decisions construing that rule are persuasive authority when we are called upon to interpret the corresponding Delaware rule. The federal decision in Wammock explains F.R.E. 613 and its modification of Queen Caroline's Case: Traditionally, prior inconsistent statements of a witness could not be proved by extrinsic evidence unless and until the witness was first confronted with the impeaching statement. Rule 613(b) modifies this approach, however, by merely requiring that the witness be provided an opportunity to explain the statement at some point in the proceedings. There need be no particular sequence or timing, so long as the witness has that opportunity to explain the statement. [13] F.R.E. 613(b) and subsequent case law interpreting that rule reflect that the strict sequencing procedure established in Queen Caroline's Case is now unnecessary under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Nevertheless, as the opinion in Wammock noted, [i]t is equally clear, however, that Rule 613(b) does not supplant the traditional method of confronting a witness with his inconsistent statement prior to its introduction into evidence as the preferred method of proceeding. [14] We agree. Although D.R.E. 613(b) vests the trial judge with broad discretion regarding the introduction of prior inconsistent statements for impeachment purposes, the traditional sequencing procedure recognized in Queen Caroline's Case is the preferred methodology. Accordingly, we hold that the trial judge did not violate Robinson's constitutional rights and did not abuse his discretion by requiring Robinson's attorney to follow the traditional sequencing procedures for impeaching a witness with a prior inconsistent statement.