Opinion ID: 1934982
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Court's duty in assessing a witness' claim of the privilege against self-incrimination

Text: The Defendant's main argument is that the Justice erroneously applied a subjective standard devoid of any objective component in judging the witness' claim of constitutional privilege. Since the self-incrimination clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution has been applied to the states in Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1, 84 S.Ct. 1489, 12 L.Ed.2d 653 (1964), we may not dilute the standards which the United States Supreme Court has imposed for the assessment of a witness' claim of the privilege. [3] The proper standard, reiterated in Malloy, was promulgated in Hoffman v. United States, 341 U.S. 479, 71 S.Ct. 814, 95 L.Ed. 1118 (1951): To sustain the privilege, it need only be evident from the implications of the question, in the setting in which it is asked, that a responsive answer to the question or an explanation of why it cannot be answered might be dangerous because the injurious disclosure could result. The trial judge in appraising the claim, `must be governed as much by his personal perception of the peculiarities of the case as by the facts actually in evidence.' 341 U.S. at 486-487, 71 S.Ct. at 818, 95 L.Ed., at 1124. Accord, Hinds v. John Hancock Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 155 Me. 349, 155 A.2d 721 (1959). The claimant of the privilege must have reasonable cause to believe that there is a real and not fancied or imaginary danger of prosecution for a crime. Mason v. United States, 244 U.S. 362, 37 S.Ct. 621, 61 L.Ed. 1198 (1917); Collett v. Bither, Me., 262 A.2d 353 (1970). Also, it must be perfectly clear that the witness is incorrect in gauging the danger of incrimination when all the circumstances are considered. Hoffman v. United States, supra. We have stated that the privilege must be asserted in good faith. No presumption of good faith by the witness exists. Hinds v. John Hancock Mutual Fire Ins. Co., supra. The United States Supreme Court and this Court have long held that it is the Judge's responsibility to decide, under the standard recited above, whether the witness may invoke the privilege and decline to answer on the grounds of possible self-incrimination. E. g., Mason v. United States, supra; Hoffman v. United States, supra; Gendron v. Burnham, supra. The Judge should evaluate the witness' assertion of privilege on a question-by-question basis. Rogers v. United States, 340 U.S. 367, 71 S.Ct. 438, 95 L.Ed. 344 (1950); Hinds v. John Hancock Mutual Fire Ins. Co., supra. If there is a prior indication that a witness may seek to invoke the privilege, the witness should be interrogated outside the hearing of the jury by counsel, and by the Court if necessary. After a witness asserts the privilege, no further questioning should occur until the witness has an attorney present in court during the questioning procedure if he wishes. The Justice should rule on the claim of privilege and recall the jury if the witness is to be compelled to answer any questions. It is desirable that a witness' invocation of the privilege before the jury is to be avoided, though it is not per se prejudicial. Namet v. United States, 373 U.S. 179, 83 S.Ct. 1151, 10 L.Ed.2d 278 (1963); State v. Warren, Me., 312 A.2d 535 (1973); State v. Goldman, Me., 281 A.2d 8 (1971). Once the defense witness, Edith Champagne, refused to answer a question, the Justice ordered the jury to leave the courtroom and proceeded to question Mrs. Champagne concerning her good faith and actual belief that answering could incriminate her. The witness told the Justice that she had been subpoenaed, that she had an attorney present, and that she had discussed the problem with her attorney. She said that she knew that the privilege was not to be used to protect anyone besides herself, and that she must in good conscience believe that she could be incriminated by answering. These inquiries made by the Justice were necessary and appropriate in determining the witness' subjective belief that she might be incriminated. It then became the duty of the Justice to make his own determination of whether it is clear that the witness is mistaken or insincere in her claim and that the answers cannot possibly have a tendency to incriminate.