Opinion ID: 2337648
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Impeachment of Defendant with Prior Convictions

Text: Prior to trial, Defendant filed a motion in limine requesting that the trial court bar the State from cross-examining him about the nature of his past conviction for failing to carry workers' compensation insurance for another company with which he was involved. The court denied his request, and he decided not to testify at trial. Defendant now argues that the trial court erred in refusing to prevent the State from cross-examining him about the nature of his prior conviction. He asserts that the prejudicial impact of this prior conviction of a similar offense outweighed any probative value there may have been. Since Defendant did not take the stand and no attempt was made to impeach him, the decision to overrule his motion in limine is not properly before this Court. State v. Foster, 684 S.W.2d 597, 598 (Mo.App.1985). As a result, he is only entitled to plain error review, which requires this Court to find that manifest injustice or miscarriage of justice has resulted from the trial court error. Rule 30.20; State v. Middleton, 995 S.W.2d 443, 452 (Mo. banc 1999). Defendant was not subject to impeachment because he did not testify. Though he contends that the trial court, in effect, denied his right to testify, this argument is unpersuasive. See State v. Toliver, 544 S.W.2d 565, 568-69 (Mo. banc 1976). Defendant's allegations do not demonstrate manifest injustice or miscarriage of justice that merit plain error relief.