Opinion ID: 1357481
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: material and necessary witnesses

Text: Section 1334.3 provides that the requesting court's certificate shall be prima facie evidence of all the facts stated therein (see fn. 1), and other jurisdictions have concluded that similar statutory provision permits the certificate to be framed in the statutory language without further showing the basis of the requesting judge's decision. ( Epstein v. People of State of New York, supra, 157 So.2d 705, 707; see Appel v. State (1966) 243 Md. 218 [220 A.2d 301, 302-303].) It is unnecessary to determine whether the judge's certificate should be accepted as conclusive when, as here, no evidence is offered to show that the witnesses are not material or necessary. The certificate in the instant case incorporates an affidavit setting forth facts warranting the conclusion that the witnesses are likely to have information material and necessary to the grand jury inquiry. (5) Florida seeks the witnesses for a grand jury investigation, not as criminal defendants or as witnesses in a criminal trial, and the scope of inquiry is obviously broad including both the determinations whether crimes have been committed and whether any persons should be charged. Although the affidavit does not indicate the testimony expected to be obtained from petitioners, to require such a showing would greatly impair the applicability of the uniform act precluding its use in most cases of uncooperative witnesses. Unaware of the testimony to be obtained, it is apparent that the Florida officials are not in a position to show that they cannot secure similar testimony from other sources. While the requirement that the witness be necessary makes the existence of cumulative evidence a relevant consideration ( People v. Cavanaugh, supra, 69 Cal.2d 262, 269, 271), there is nothing to indicate that petitioners' testimony will be cumulative, and the lower court's determination that petitioners are material and necessary witnesses to the grand jury inquiry must be upheld. Cases such as People v. Cavanaugh, supra, 69 Cal.2d 262, relied upon by petitioner, do not establish that a showing that the evidence will not be cumulative is essential to determination that the witnesses are necessary. In that case it was held that a judge did not err in refusing to request Massachusetts to require two claimed alibi witnesses to be ordered to California. On the basis of questions prepared by defense counsel and propounded by a local attorney in Massachusetts to four claimed alibi witnesses, the court requested that two be ordered to California, and they testified. The judge concluded that the testimony of the other two would be cumulative, but he permitted the questions propounded to them and their responses to be read to the jury. It was held that the judge's ruling was within his discretion. Cavanaugh and similar cases relied upon differ from the instant case in that here both the requesting and ordering courts have determined that the witnesses are material and necessary and that there is no showing in the instant case that the witnesses' testimony will be cumulative.