Opinion ID: 2499553
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: issue 4: pretrial taint hearing regarding c.e.'s statements

Text: Next, Gilliland argues the trial court erred in denying his motion to hold a pretrial taint hearing to determine the reliability of C.E.'s trial testimony and statements to law enforcement officers due to allegedly suggestive interviewing techniques. This issue requires some explanation of what occurred before trial. Gilliland filed a motion to exclude the testimony of C.E. from the trial and to suppress her statements to officers. Gilliland questioned C.E.'s competency and argued that many of the interviewing techniques used by investigators were prone to produce misleading and unreliable information from C.E. In support of his motion, Gilliland stated that the officers' decisions to provide C.E. with a description of her mother's observations of the incident, together with the leading and suggestive interrogation techniques, C.E.'s mental limitations, and the officers' questioning of negative or exculpatory responses and reinforcement of inculpatory responses, rendered C.E.'s statements involuntary, tainted, and unreliable. At the pretrial motions hearing, the trial court heard extensive testimony pertaining to C.E.'s previous sexual conduct and her competency. In regard to C.E.'s statements, the court heard the testimony of the two interviewing officers and C.E. In addition, the court listened to the audio recording of C.E.'s interview. Despite this evidentiary hearing, Gilliland insisted the trial court should conduct a separate, designated pretrial taint hearing on whether C.E.'s statements to officers were unreliable and, therefore, inadmissible due to the officers' interviewing techniques. Gilliland indicated he would present the testimony of Dr. Kathie Nichols, a licensed clinical psychologist, on the issue of taint due to police interviewing techniques, including her criticism of the Finding Words protocol used by the officers in this case. The judge refused, stating: [I]f you're asking me to rule on the interview techniques, I didn't hear anything inappropriate from the officers yesterday or listening to the tape. The Finding Words is a tool, it's not carved in stone, it's not a formula, it's just somethingit's just... training for the interviewers but I mean there's no statutory requirement or due process requirement that they have to follow Finding Words to the letter. I mean you yourself introduced or referred to a notebook about six inches thick and I'm quite sure that every word in that notebook is not followed in every interview by every interviewer. Every interview is different, every person is different and I didn't find anything unduly suggestive or unduly leading. In fact the victim witness was quite ready to disagree with the ... interviewers. . . . . [I]f there's some question as to the victim's ability to communicate and that sort of thing, that can be raised by appropriate cross-examining of the defense at the trial, but the victim is competent to testify, she clearly and consistently testified and is able to communicate to the jury. ... . ... ... If the witness' testimony is subject to cross-examination, subject to questioning, that's the purpose of a trial, not of some pretrial hearing. Gilliland argues the trial court's limitationsrefusing to hear the testimony of Dr. Nichols and refusing to otherwise hold a pretrial taint hearing on the alleged suggestive nature of the officers' interviewing techniquesviolated his due process rights. Although we generally review motions to suppress under a bifurcated standard of review, reviewing the factual underpinnings of the trial court's decision under a substantial competent evidence standard and reviewing the ultimate legal conclusion drawn from those facts under a de novo review, the underlying due process question here is solely one of law that we review de novo. See State v. Stone, 291 Kan. 13, 21, 237 P.3d 1229 (2010); State v. Hall, 287 Kan. 139, 143, 195 P.3d 220 (2008). This issue appears to be one of first impression in that Kansas does not formally recognize pretrial taint hearings. One stateNew Jerseydoes, and Gilliland relies on the New Jersey case adopting the procedure, State v. Michaels, 136 N.J. 299, 642 A.2d 1372 (1994), to support his contention. Gilliland also cited this case to the trial court, which refused to adopt it because it was not binding precedent in Kansas. In Michaels, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the trial court should have held a pretrial taint hearing concerning the admission of the child victims' statements and testimony after the defendant showed `some evidence' that the victims' statements were the result of suggestive or coercive interviewing techniques. Michaels, 136 N.J. at 320, 642 A.2d 1372. In such circumstances, the burden then shifts to the State to prove the reliability of the proffered statements and testimony by clear and convincing evidence. Michaels, 136 N.J. at 321, 642 A.2d 1372. If the trial court determines that a child's statements or testimony do retain sufficient reliability for admission at trial under factors the court defined, then the jury must determine the probative worth and assign the weight to be given to such statements or testimony as part of their credibility assessment. Michaels, 136 N.J. at 323, 642 A.2d 1372. The Michaels court acknowledged that assessing reliability as a predicate to the admission of in-court testimony is a somewhat extraordinary step. Michaels, 136 N.J. at 316, 642 A.2d 1372. But it likened this situation to those involving the pretrial determination of the admissibility of eyewitness identification testimony, see Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98, 114, 97 S.Ct. 2243, 53 L.Ed.2d 140 (1977), or those involving the pretrial determination of the voluntariness and admissibility of a defendant's statements to officers, see Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 377-78, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908 (1964). The Michaels court stressed that the effects of suggestive pretrial identification procedures, as with suggestive or coercive interview practices, are exceedingly difficult to overcome at trial. Michaels, 136 N.J. at 319, 642 A.2d 1372. Competent and reliable evidence remains at the foundation of a fair trial, which seeks ultimately to determine the truth about criminal culpability. If crucial inculpatory evidence is alleged to have been derived from unreliable sources due process interests are at risk. [Citation omitted.] Michaels, 136 N.J. at 316, 642 A.2d 1372. The judge in the present case, while rejecting the request for a separate hearing, made the ultimate finding mandated by the holding in Michaels, stating, I didn't find anything unduly suggestive or unduly leading. In fact the victim witness was quite ready to disagree with the ... interviewers. Because the court made this finding, we decline to issue an advisory opinion on the question of whether a trial court must take on a gate-keeping role and determine reliability before allowing a child's statement to be presented to a jury, and our discussion of the issue should not be read to imply that outcome. (We note this question is controversial; a majority of jurisdictions have rejected the holding in Michaels. See, e.g., State v. Karelas, 28 So.3d 913, 915 [Fla. Dist.App.2010] [Like the majority of jurisdictions that have considered Michaels, we reject its conclusion.]). Rather, the limited question that we will resolve is whether the trial court erred by not conducting a separate hearing and by not allowing Gilliland to present an expert's testimony before ruling C.E.'s interview was not unduly suggestive. Regarding the need for a separate hearing, we conclude the trial court did not err in determining the issue in the context of the competency hearing, especially after the court had heard evidence regarding C.E.'s statements and had an opportunity to view a video recording of the statements. Few, if any, jurisdictions other than New Jersey have strictly imposed a procedural requirement for a separate taint hearing. In fact, some courts have rejected the idea of a separate pretrial taint hearing even though they have followed the Michaels lead and found the idea of taint relevant in a pretrial assessment of the admissibility of the proffered testimony of a child witness. These courts have permitted an inquiry into suggestiveness through the use of competency hearings, as was done here. See Com. v. Delbridge, 578 Pa. 641, 664, 855 A.2d 27 (2003) ([A] competency hearing is the appropriate venue to explore allegations of taint.); Dependency of A.E.P., 135 Wash.2d 208, 230, 956 P.2d 297 (1998) (We decline to adopt a pretrial taint hearing as a requirement for the reason that the existing state of the law adequately addresses Petitioner's concerns. As to the reliability of a child's testimony, a defendant can argue memory taint at the time of the child's competency hearing.); English v. State, 982 P.2d 139, 146 (Wyo. 1999) (While we agree with the reasoning of the New Jersey Supreme Court, we conclude that there is no void in Wyoming law which a `taint hearing' procedure would fill.). The main reason Gilliland argues for a taint proceeding is to separate the competency finding from a reliability finding. Granted, in this case, the trial court moved between the two concepts and ultimately based the ruling on competency. But the court explicitly found the interview was not unduly suggestive or unduly leading. The court also noted that C.E. pushed back when she disagreed with the interviewer. Further, Kansas law grants the necessary discretion to consider whether a witness is incapable of telling the truth because of outside influences, such as a suggestive interrogation. See K.S.A. 60-408 (granting trial court discretion in conducting proceedings to determine if witness is qualified); see also K.S.A. 60-417 (witness is disqualified if the judge finds that [a] the proposed witness is incapable of expressing himself or herself concerning the matter so as to be understood by the judge and jury either directly or through interpretation by one who can understand him or her, or [b] the proposed witness is incapable of understanding the duty of a witness to tell the truth). The other reason Gilliland seeks a separate hearing is intertwined with his attempt to present his expert's testimony. He does not present any authority suggesting that a trial court would not have discretion during a Michaels hearing to determine whether specific witnesses would be allowed to testify. Moreover, Gilliland does not establish any harm. The court's comments indicate a familiarity with the Finding Words protocol, and a notebook of information was admitted. The court invited the defense to present evidence at trial. Gilliland decided not to and did not to make a proffer so that an appellate court could determine the evidence that might have been submitted. Without this proffer, we cannot assess whether the expert's testimony probably would have changed the trial court's ruling. In light of the record before us, we conclude the trial court did not err in denying the motion for a separate taint hearing or in denying the defense's request to present Dr. Nichols' testimony during the competency hearing. Gilliland's due process argument fails.