Opinion ID: 2629972
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Dr. Shoenfeld

Text: The defense called Dr. Eugene Shoenfeld, a psychiatrist with particular expertise in the field of drug addiction and the properties of heroin and methadone, who testified concerning the effect of those substances on the perception, ability to recall, and veracity of persons using them. Defense counsel questioned Dr. Shoenfeld about Elavil, lithium, and Stelazine, which are psychotropic medications that Roland Johnson testified he was taking at the time of the events underlying the present crime. Instead of pursuing the question of the effect of such medication on the ability of a person to perceive and recollect, however, defense counsel inquired as to the condition for which Stelazine was prescribed. Dr. Shoenfeld testified that Stelazine is a [m]ajor tranquilizer[] . . . generally used in the treatment of psychoses. Stelazine is one of the older drugs used for the treatment of psychosis. It's related closely to [T]horazine, for example. It's another antipsychotic drug. When defense counsel asked, [W]hat do you mean by psychoses? Is that some sort of mental condition?, the prosecutor objected. The prosecutor explained to the court that he feared defense counsel was trying to establish what's wrong with Roland Johnson mentally and physically based on these short questions of what drugs he was taking. And I don't believe [there is] a proper foundation for this doctor to now discuss that we use this drug for psychoses. We don't know what  anything about [why] Roland Johnson . . . was prescribed this drug, and I don't think [defense counsel] has laid a foundation for that. [¶] And I would note that he [Roland Johnson] said he used them as needed. And without knowing more about it, this doctor's never treated him, we don't know when, why he's on them. In questioning by the court, Dr. Shoenfeld commented that, in addition to its use as an antipsychotic, Stelazine may be prescribed for relief of nausea or as a tranquilizer. It was established that the witness had neither examined Roland Johnson nor reviewed Johnson's medical records. The court determined defendant had not established a foundation from Mr. Johnson's doctor as to whether he, in fact, has prescribed [S]telazine . . . . Roland Johnson's not even qualified to tell us for sure what he's getting. More importantly, we don't have a medical opinion why it was prescribed for him. The court also commented that, according to Dr. Shoenfeld, the drug is prescribed for reasons other than psychosis, and hence further questioning concerning the psychiatric condition for which Roland Johnson might have been prescribed the drug would be speculative. The court ultimately ruled that defense counsel could explore the likely effects upon a person taking Stelazine and lithium but that counsel could not elicit Dr. Shoenfeld's opinion concerning the probable condition for which the drugs had been prescribed. The court explained that this sort of reverse diagnosis on the basis of prescribed medication was too speculative, referring to Evidence Code section 352. The court characterized the line of inquiry as speculative, because Dr. Shoenfeld had not examined Roland Johnson or prescribed medication for him. In addition, the court pointed out that defendant could introduce direct evidence of Roland Johnson's condition and the reasons he took the medication by calling his prescribing physician as a witness. Contrary to defendant's claim, neither the trial court's application of the rule of evidence requiring the proponent of evidence to supply an adequate foundation (Evid.Code, § 403), nor the court's exercise of discretion pursuant to Evidence Code section 352, deprived defendant of his Sixth Amendment right to present a defense. [6] The decision whether foundational evidence is sufficiently substantial is a matter within the court's discretion. ( People v. Lucas, supra, 12 Cal.4th at p. 466, 48 Cal.Rptr.2d 525, 907 P.2d 373.) We see no abuse of discretion in the present case, particularly because Dr. Schoenfeld lacked personal knowledge concerning Johnson's condition. (See ibid. ) In addition, the physician informed the court that there were a number of reasons Stelazine might be prescribed. Defendant was able to elicit testimony from Dr. Shoenfeld demonstrating that Stelazine primarily is used to treat psychosis, and thus the jury could have surmised that Johnson suffered from some variety of psychosis. More specific information concerning Johnson's condition could have been made available by calling Johnson's prescribing physician as a witness. There was nothing fundamentally unfair about applying ordinary rules of evidence to exclude speculative opinion testimony, especially because of the availability of an obvious other source for the same information, as pointed out by the trial court. (See People v. Ramos, supra, 15 Cal.4th at pp. 1175-1176, 64 Cal.Rptr.2d 892, 938 P.2d 950.)