Opinion ID: 805909
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Drug Use Testimony

Text: Garvey also challenges the district court’s denial of his motion for mistrial after Thomas testified that he smoked marijuana with Garvey. Given the highly prejudicial nature of testimony regarding drug activity, the jury’s mixed verdict, and the fact that the case was entirely unrelated to drug charges, Garvey believes the motion should have been granted. We review the denial of a mistrial for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Powell, 652 F.3d 702, 709 (7th Cir. 2011). A mistrial is appropriate when “an event during trial has a real likelihood of preventing a jury from evaluating the evidence fairly and accurately, so that the defendant has been deprived of a fair trial.” Id. (quoting United States v. Tanner, 628 F.3d 890, 898 (7th Cir. 2010)). Garvey’s request for a mistrial was based on a singular statement made by Thomas, in which he stated “Oh, we got together and smoking [sic] weed.” (Trial Tr. at 2-P-91.) Following this statement, defense counsel immediately objected. The district court sustained the objection, admonished the jurors not to consider Thomas’s statement, and offered to provide an additional limiting instruction, which defense counsel declined. “[J]urors are presumed to follow limiting and curative instructions unless the matter improperly before them is so powerfully incriminating that they cannot reasonably be expected to put it out of their minds.” United States v. No. 11-3088 9 Smith, 308 F.3d 726, 739 (7th Cir. 2002). Thomas’s isolated statement that he smoked marijuana with Garvey was brief, “unadorned with additional details,” and not so “powerfully incriminating” as to prevent the jurors from following the district court’s instruction, which was prompt and appropriate. See id. Accordingly, Garvey cannot overcome the presumption that jurors obey the instructions given to them. The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Garvey’s motion for mistrial.