Opinion ID: 2546714
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Failure to Object to Dr. Kane's Testimony

Text: Baumruk alleges that the motion court clearly erred by overruling his claim that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to Dr. Alex Kane's testimony of a statement Baumruk made to him. He argues that his counsel had no strategic reason for failing to object to this statement as being privileged under § 491.060.5. The State called Dr. Kane during the guilt phase of Baumruk's trial to testify about the statement made by Baumruk in the emergency room after he was admitted for treatment of the nine gunshot wounds he received during his apprehension. Dr. Kane testified that, as part of his assessment of Baumruk, he attempted to determine if Baumruk could talk by asking him an open-ended question. While Dr. Kane could not remember the exact question, he testified that it was something to the nature of what happened? Baumruk responded with the statement that he wanted to shoot that bitch due to divorce. Dr. Kane testified that he remembered these quoted remarks because it was very memorable and remarkable to me that despite being under the obvious stresses of multiple wounds this man was expressing great vehemence and coldness about having reached a conclusion to something. Baumruk's counsel did not object to this testimony. Dr. Kane also testified as to his treatment of Baumruk. After an evidentiary hearing on the matter, the motion court overruled this claim because it found that Baumruk's statement was not confidential information necessary for treatment. It also found that Baumruk had waived his right to assert the privilege by putting his mental health at issue by claiming he was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The court concluded that counsel had a strategic reason for allowing the admission of the statement and that counsel was not ineffective for failing to object to Dr. Kane's testimony on the ground of privilege. Section 491.060.5, RSMo 2000, prohibits a physician from testifying to any information obtained from a patient that was necessary to enable the physician to prescribe and provide treatment for the patient. It states that a physician is incompetent to testify concerning any information which he or she may have acquired from any patient while attending the patient in a professional character, and which information was necessary to enable him or her to prescribe and provide treatment for such patient as a physician. . . . In order for Baumruk to demonstrate that the motion court clearly erred by not finding his counsel ineffective for failing to object, he must be able to show that if the objection was made, it would have been meritorious. Zink, 278 S.W.3d at 188. Baumruk cannot show that an objection based on physician-patient privilege would have been successful because he waived any such claim of privilege by placing his mental condition at issue by arguing at trial that he was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. State v. Carter, 641 S.W.2d 54, 57 (Mo. banc 1982). Therefore, the motion court did not clearly err in overruling this claim.