Opinion ID: 469447
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: state's delay in disclosing negative fingerprint evidence

Text: 37 Reiger argues that the state's delay in disclosing fingerprint test results violated his right to disclosure of exculpatory materials secured by Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). The results revealed that Reiger's fingerprints were not found in Hoapili's apartment. The Hawaii Supreme Court rejected Reiger's argument. It found that the state had in fact disclosed the existence of negative test results at a pretrial conference. State v. Reiger, 64 Hawaii at 515, 644 P.2d at 963. 6 The court also found that Reiger's attorney failed to request discovery of the report under Hawaii Rules or to pursue the matter at all after the conference. 64 Hawaii at 515, 644 P.2d 963-64. The district court adopted the Hawaii Supreme Court's reasoning and further found that the test results were not material as required by Brady. 38 Brady proscribes prosecutorial suppression of exculpatory evidence that is material either to guilt or punishment. 373 U.S. at 87, 83 S.Ct. at 1196. [E]vidence is material only if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different. United States v. Bagley, --- U.S. ----, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 3384, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985). In the instant case, Reiger does not allege complete nondisclosure by the prosecution, but merely untimely disclosure. Brady involves the discovery, after trial, of information which had been known to the prosecution but unknown to the defense. United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 103, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 2397, 49 L.Ed.2d 342 (1976) (emphasis added). 39 We have found no Brady violation stemming from the government's delay in disclosure in situations where defense counsel was made aware of the exculpatory evidence well before trial. See, e.g., United States v. Multi-Management, Inc., 743 F.2d 1359, 1363 (9th Cir.1984); United States v. Bell, 742 F.2d 509, 510-11 (9th Cir.1984). The prosecution's failure in Reiger's case to disclose the fingerprint tests until the pretrial conference does not dictate a different result. See United States v. Kubiak, 704 F.2d 1545, 1549-51 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 852, 104 S.Ct. 163, 78 L.Ed.2d 149 (1983); cf. Hilliard v. Spalding, 719 F.2d 1443, 1447 (9th Cir.1983) (where exculpatory evidence of sperm sample taken from rape victim in rape case was never furnished to defense, defendant was deprived of due process rights). As the Hawaii Supreme Court found, state law provided Reiger's counsel with a variety of avenues to pursue discovery of the fingerprint report. In particular, counsel could have asked the trial court for a continuance for the purpose of obtaining and analyzing the test results. See State v. Reiger, 64 Hawaii at 515, 644 P.2d at 964; see also Bell, 742 F.2d at 511. Even after finding out about the tests, however, Reiger's attorney failed to seek a continuance or to make any effort to pursue the test further. 40 The district court correctly dismissed Reiger's claim that the prosecution's delay in disclosing to the defense negative fingerprint results violated his due process rights. 41