Opinion ID: 2598759
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Alleged Bias

Text: Laybourn also alleges that the superior court prejudged his case and erred in failing to consider all of the evidence. He bases his claim on the court's remarks at the close of Powell's evidence. Laybourn takes these remarks out of context. As mentioned earlier, the trial court noted the compelling nature of Saunders's expert testimony and warned Laybourn of the potential dangers of presenting a defense based on demonstrably false testimony. When read in light of the record as a whole, the court's remarks fail to support Laybourn's claim of bias. To the contrary, they evince a genuine concern about Laybourn's understanding of the potential implications of further testimony regarding what appeared to be a well-documented pattern of tax evasion and fraud: the court simply wanted to be certain Laybourn understood the evidently very real risk that he might incriminate himself or his proposed witnesses. After sounding this note of caution, the court heard two more days of testimony and, in the end, expressly declined to find Laybourn's defense entirely lacking in credibility. The court then entered detailed findings addressing all the evidence presented at the hearing. In the context of the record as a whole, then, Laybourn's claim of bias is unpersuasive.