Opinion ID: 505933
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Untimely Production of Statements

Text: 43 The Government's next contention is that Judge Acker erred in suppressing statements made by Tucker and Kelso on the ground that the Government had failed to produce them in a timely manner. Both statements were produced prior to trial and the Government asserts that neither defendant was prejudiced. 44 Fed.R.Crim.P. 16(a)(1)(A) requires the Government to produce, upon a defendant's request, any recorded statements made by the defendant that are in the Government's possession. If a party fails to comply with Rule 16, the court may order such party to permit the discovery or inspection, grant a continuance, or prohibit the party from introducing evidence not disclosed, or it may enter such other order as it deems just under the circumstances. Fed.R.Crim.P. 16(d)(2). A district court's decision to impose a sanction for violation of a discovery order will not be disturbed by this Court absent an abuse of discretion. United States v. Euceda-Hernandez, 768 F.2d 1307, 1311-12 (11th Cir.1985); United States v. Burkhalter, 735 F.2d 1327, 1329 (11th Cir.1984) (per curiam). 45 In exercising its discretion to impose a discovery sanction, the district court must weigh several factors, including the reasons for the Government's delay, the extent of the prejudice that the defendant has suffered because of the delay, and the feasibility of curing such prejudice by granting a continuance. Euceda-Hernandez, 768 F.2d at 1312; Burkhalter, 735 F.2d at 1329. If the court decides after weighing these factors that a sanction is appropriate, it should impose the least severe sanction that will accomplish the desired result--prompt and full compliance with the court's discovery orders. Euceda-Hernandez, 768 F.2d at 1312 (quoting United States v. Sarcinelli, 667 F.2d 5, 7 (5th Cir. Unit B 1982)).
46 The district court relied on its authority to impose sanctions under Fed.R.Crim.P. 16 as an independent ground for suppressing Tucker's testimony in State v. Robinson. See Handley III, 644 F.Supp. at 1195. Not until August 6, 1986, did the Government arrange to transfer a copy of this testimony to Tucker's counsel. The Government actually produced this material on August 20, 1986, five days before Tucker's trial was scheduled to begin. Id. at 1192. The Government explains that it neglected to produce the testimony earlier because its attention was turned from Tucker's case during the extensive appellate process in these six cases. Appellant's Brief at 70. 47 Although the Government's late production violates Rule 16, any prejudice to Tucker could have been allayed by granting a continuance. As this Court has stated, The presence of a clear violation of a discovery order does not excuse a trial judge from weighing the factors cited above and imposing the least severe, but effective, sanction. Euceda-Hernandez, 768 F.2d at 1312. The district court failed to do this. Suppression of the evidence was not the least severe method of ensuring that the Government complies with discovery orders. A continuance would have allowed the defendant additional time to incorporate the testimony into his case so as to attempt to alleviate any prejudice. This Court has emphasized that the purpose of Rule 16 is to promote the fair administration of justice, but suppressing the evidence, rather than granting a continuance, works against that goal. Id. In addition, the transcript of Tucker's testimony was a public document which was equally available to the Government and the defendant. In cases involving Brady material, this Court has held that the Government does not violate Rule 16 if it fails to provide the defendant with discovery material that the defendant could have obtained as easily as the Government. See United States v. McMahon, 715 F.2d 498, 501 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1001, 104 S.Ct. 507, 78 L.Ed.2d 697 (1983). Consequently, the district court abused its discretion in suppressing Tucker's testimony. Had the district judge weighed the factors deemed important in Euceda-Hernandez, he would not have suppressed the statements. 21
48 The district court also suppressed Kelso's deposition taken in the Kelso v. Robinson tort action because the Government failed to produce it until October 2, 1986, one day before the suppression hearing. The court held that this was an egregious violation of Rule 16, even though the trial was still five weeks away and the Government believed that it had furnished the deposition earlier. Mason, 646 F.Supp. at 852. 22 Despite the Government's mistaken belief, the district court found that there was no satisfactory explanation for the Government's tardy disclosure, that Kelso was prejudiced, and that a continuance could not rectify the prejudice. Id. at 854. The district court stated that even though the trial was five weeks away, Kelso's attorney may have made many strategic decisions in the period between the indictment and the suppression hearing, and his strategy may have been different had he known of the deposition. 49 However, contrary to the lower court's assumption, Mason, 646 F.Supp. at 853, Kelso's attorney, George Lucas, knew or should have known about Kelso's deposition as early as 1984. Lucas was present at a 1984 deposition taken of Morris Dees in which Dees told Robert Bynon, Tucker's attorney, that the SPLC had deposed Kelso in conjunction with the tort suit. Therefore, Kelso and his attorney had reason to know about this deposition, and they should have consulted it in preparation for this case. Moreover, no actual prejudice was demonstrated as a result of the Government's failure to make an earlier disclosure. 50 The district court relied on Campagnuolo for the proposition that actual prejudice is not a necessary prerequisite to suppression where evidence is suppressed for prophylactic purposes. Mason, 646 F.Supp. at 854. However, as in Euceda-Hernandez, Campagnuolo is distinguishable. In this case, the Government did not intentionally withhold Kelso's deposition; it believed that the deposition had already been produced. As in Tucker's case, Euceda-Hernandez suggests that suppression is too severe a remedy here, especially since the court merely assumed that there was prejudice. With five weeks to go to trial, the defendant could not have been severely prejudiced by the late production of a deposition which he knew existed. Moreover, a continuance would have alleviated any potential actual prejudice. Therefore, the district court abused its discretion by suppressing the deposition.