Opinion ID: 2088953
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Funds to Employ Expert Witness

Text: Kennedy next assigns error to the trial court's ruling denying him funds to employ an expert witness in the field of memory and perception. Kennedy made two motions to the trial court. In the first, he requested funds to employ Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., who Kennedy claimed was a recognized expert in the field of memory and perception as it relates to eyewitness identifications. Later, Kennedy made a similar motion requesting funds to retain Robert Buckout, Ph.D., who would testify on the same issue. Both motions were denied. Kennedy claims the denial of his motions constitutes error because he was unable to prepare an adequate defense and, as a result, was deprived of a fair trial. In Ake v. Oklahoma (1985), 470 U.S. 68, 105 S.Ct. 1087, 84 L.Ed.2d 53, the Supreme Court concluded that a defendant is entitled to retain a psychiatrist as an expert witness at public expense when the defendant pleads insanity and is without the funds to employ an expert on the issue of sanity. The Court concluded that because the issue of sanity was likely to be a significant factor at the trial, and, that without his own expert on the subject, Ake would be denied meaningful access to justice, he was entitled to the funds needed to retain the expert. Kennedy asks us to conclude that the reasoning in Ake applies to his situation. In Indiana, a criminal defendant is not constitutionally entitled, at public expense, to any type or number of expert he desires to support his case. Pittman v. State (1988), Ind., 528 N.E.2d 67, 71-2. A judge may authorize or appoint experts where necessary. Owen v. State (1979), 272 Ind. 122, 396 N.E.2d 376. The appointment of experts is left to the sound discretion of the trial court, Lowery v. State (1985), Ind., 478 N.E.2d 1214, 1220, cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1098, 106 S.Ct. 1500, 89 L.Ed.2d 900 (1985), and only an abuse of that discretion will result in a reversal. Hough v. State (1990), Ind. 524 N.E.2d 1287, 1288. The defendant who requests that the court appoint an expert witness has the burden of demonstrating the need for the appointment. Burgans v. State, (1986), Ind., 500 N.E.2d 183, 186. A court must provide a defendant access to experts where it is clear that prejudice will otherwise result. Palmer v. State (1985), Ind., 486 N.E.2d 477, 481. Although Indiana courts have examined Ake, we find no case which has addressed the question of whether the denial of funds for an expert witness in the field of memory and perception is reversible error. Kennedy claims that Dr. Loftus was needed to assist his attorneys in two areas critical to his defense. First, the assistance was needed to aid his attorney's cross examination of the eyewitnesses expected to testify for the State. Kennedy claims that effective cross examination of the eyewitness was critical to his case because the State based its attempt to link Kennedy to the crime through the seven eyewitnesses. Secondly, the defense intended to call Dr. Loftus to explain to the jury the conclusions she has reached in her studies relating to the reliability, memory and perception (or lack thereof) of eyewitnesses in general. Kennedy made no showing that his counsel was unable to prepare adequate cross examination of the eyewitnesses by studying the expert's published writings, or that counsel did not already possess the skills to adequately cross examine a witness about the witness's ability to observe and recall events. In addition, the fact that a witness may not recall experiences with perfect clarity or may have had a less than perfect opportunity to observe a person or event is not usually something beyond the ability of a juror to understand or beyond the ability of an attorney to demonstrate in cross-examination and oral argument. We agree with Kennedy that the appointment of experts from diverse specialities may, depending on the nature of a given case, be required to give a defendant a fair trial. We do not, however, agree that he was denied the meaningful access to justice to which he was entitled under Ake or that his right to present a defense was effectively foreclosed. The trial court was within its discretion to deny Kennedy's motions for funds to retain experts.