Opinion ID: 1436813
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Showing Required to Justify Disclosure to Third Party

Text: The decision to release a PSI is committed to the sound discretion of the court. See State v. Ireland, 109 Me. 158, 160, 83 A. 453, 454 (1912) (stating that every court has power over its own records). See generally, 21 C.J.S. Courts § 181 (1990) (stating that court's power with respect to its documents are committed to its sound discretion). On motion of the party seeking discovery, the court should balance the desirability of publication against the need for confidentiality and should review the presentence report carefully in camera to determine whether the report contains crucial information the party seeking the PSI cannot obtain elsewhere. See United States v. Moore, 949 F.2d 68, 73 (2nd Cir.1991) (stating that compelling need is demonstrated when report contains information not available elsewhere); United States v. Charmer Indus., Inc., 711 F.2d at 1177 (A central element in the showing required of a third person seeking disclosure is the degree to which the information in the presentence report cannot be obtained from other sources.). Neither the fact that the report contains relevant information nor the fact that the report provides the most accessible means of obtaining the information is sufficient to warrant its disclosure. See United States v. Corbitt, 879 F.2d at 239 n. 17 (stating that disclosure is not justified simply because access would save civil litigant substantial amounts of time and money). As the Seventh Circuit stated in Corbitt, only when a compelling, particularized need for disclosure is shown should the . . . court disclose the report; even then, however, the court should limit disclosure to those portions of the report which are directly relevant to the demonstrated need. Further, throughout this inquiry the court must be sensitive not only to the interests in confidentiality of the particular report, but also to the possible future effects of the disclosure in any particular case. United States v. Corbitt, 879 F.2d at 239. The reviewing court, before ordering release of the PSI, must determine whether specific individual documents contained within the PSI are made confidential or privileged by operation of law or court rule. For example, dissemination of documents contained within the PSI may be limited or precluded pursuant to 34-A M.R.S.A. § 3003 (Supp.1995), which governs the confidentiality of certain materials prepared by the Department of Corrections or its subdivisions. Release of other materials contained in the PSI may be limited to the extent the materials contain information protected by the Criminal History Record Information Act. 16 M.R.S.A. §§ 611-623 (1983 & Supp.1995). Records relating to child abuse investigations that may have made their way into the PSI may not be released absent a court order pursuant to 22 M.R.S.A. § 4008 (1988 & Supp.1995). Even though a third party has demonstrated a compelling and particularized need for the subject PSI, the trial court must insure that disclosure is not otherwise precluded by statute or judicial rule. We address one point with particularity for instruction of the Superior Court since it may arise again on remand. In ordering the disclosure of Steen's PSI, the court concluded that, because Steen clearly acknowledged that his court-ordered psychological report would be released to a third party, he had waived any expectation of confidentiality afforded by M.R.Evid. 503. This conclusion was in error. The general privilege contained in M.R.Evid. 503(b) and the exception contained in M.R.Evid. 503(e)(2) apply in this instance. M.R.Evid. 503 provides in pertinent part: (b) General rule of privilege. A patient has a privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent any other person from disclosing confidential communications made for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment of his physical, mental, or emotional condition, including alcohol or drug addiction, among himself, his physician or psychotherapist, and persons who are participating in the diagnosis or treatment under the direction of the physician or psychotherapist, including members of the patients' family. (c) Privilege of accused. When an examination of the mental condition of an accused in a criminal proceeding is ordered by the court for the purpose of determining his criminal responsibility, the accused has a privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent any other person from disclosing any communication concerning the offense with which he is charged made in the course of the examination. . . . . . (e) Exceptions. . . . . . (2) Examination by Order of the Court. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c), if the court orders an examination of the physical, mental, or emotional condition of a patient, whether a party or a witness, communications made in the course thereof are not privileged under this rule with respect to the particular purpose for which the examination is ordered unless the court orders otherwise. Generally, the scope of the patient-psychologist privilege is limited to confidential communications. M.R.Evid. 503 defines as a confidential communication those communications not intended to be disclosed to third persons. M.R.Evid. 503(a)(4). Since Steen knew that his evaluation would be forwarded to the court, the rule could be interpreted, as it was by the court, to place Steen's consultation with the psychologist outside the definition of a confidential communication. See also M.R.Evid. 510 (stating proposition that voluntary disclosure waives evidentiary privileges recognized by the rules). Acceptance of this interpretation, however, would render subsection (e)(2) meaningless. If communications made during these examinations were not subject to the privilege because of the parties' lack of intent for the communication to remain confidential, there would be no reason for including in the rule an exception placing communications made during a court ordered evaluation outside the privilege. We interpret the exception contained in M.R.Evid. 503(e)(2) as broadening the scope of the privilege to limit disclosure of communications that otherwise would be unprivileged because of a lack of confidentiality. M.R.Evid. 503(e)(2) therefore renders communications within its scope unprivileged solely with respect to the particular purpose for which the examination was ordered. M.R.Evid. 503(e)(2) protects the patient from having court-ordered communications used for other purposes. Cf. 25 Wright & Graham, Federal Practice and Procedure: Evidence § 5546 (1989) ([F]or example, if the court orders an examination to determine if the patient is fit to have custody of the child, the communications cannot be used in a criminal prosecution of the patient.). In Steen's case, where the court requested the psychological evaluation for purposes of aiding in sentencing Steen, its availability is subject to M.R.Evid. 503(e)(2). See Field & Murray, Maine Evidence § 510.1 at 5-53 (3d ed. 1992) (stating that application of general waiver principle expressed by M.R.Evid. 510 is subject to limitations expressed in individual rules establishing privileges). Finally, when the court determines that disclosure of the PSI is warranted and that the materials sought are not otherwise protected, the court in its order authorizing disclosure should specify appropriate procedures and conditions. The terms of release should limit access to the PSI to insure that the disclosed material is no more widely broadcast than is absolutely necessary. See, e.g., M.R.Civ.P. 26(c) (enumerating examples of protective measures the court may impose on discovery on motion of party from whom discovery is sought).