Opinion ID: 345177
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: severance from trial of cassidy

Text: 43 Appellants Kaplan, Gorwitz, Vogt, Stradley, and Dolwig insist that each should have had his trial severed from that of Cassidy. Each insists that his joinder with Cassidy prejudiced him sufficiently to require severance pursuant to Fed.R.Crim.P. 14. 44 To evaluate these contentions it is helpful to set forth certain principles. Motions to sever must be timely made and properly maintained, or the right to severance will be deemed waived. United States v. Figueroa-Paz,468 F.2d 1055 (9th Cir. 1972). To preserve the point, the motion to sever must be renewed at the close of all evidence. 468 F.2d at 1057. This requirement is not an inflexible one; waiver may be absent when the motion accompanies the introduction of evidence deemed prejudicial and a renewal at the close of all evidence would constitute an unnecessary formality. Diligent pursuit of a severance motion is the guiding principle. United States v. Burnley, 452 F.2d 1133 (9th Cir. 1971); Williamson v. United States, 310 F.2d 192 (9th Cir. 1962). Premature motions to sever not diligently pursued as the prejudicial evidence unfolds cannot serve as insurance against an adverse verdict. On another occasion we have observed: 45 The power vested in the district court pursuant to Rule 14 is discretionary, and the only question on appeal is whether such discretion has been abused. Parker v. United States, 404 F.2d 1193 (9th Cir. 1968), cert. denied, 394 U.S. 1004, 89 S.Ct. 1602, 22 L.Ed.2d 782 (1969). The test is whether a joint trial is so prejudicial to one defendant as to require the exercise of that discretion in only one way, that is, by ordering a separate trial. United States v. Thomas, 453 F.2d 141, 144 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 405 U.S. 1069, 92 S.Ct. 1516, 31 L.Ed.2d 801 (1971). 46 See United States v. Echeles, 352 F.2d 892, 896 (7th Cir. 1965). 47 In determining whether the trial court abused its discretion, ordinarily we must view its denial of a motion to sever as of the time of denial. Only in rare cases will a trial court's failure to reopen, sua sponte, the question of severance constitute an abuse of discretion. Byrd v. Wainwright, 428 F.2d 1017, 1019 n.1 (5th Cir. 1970). 48 The trial court, in considering a motion to sever based upon a defendant's insistence that a codefendant will provide exculpatory testimony after severance, must weigh, inter alia, the good faith of the defendant's intent to have a codefendant testify, the possible weight and credibility of the predicted testimony, the probability that such testimony will materialize, the economy of a joint trial, and the possibility that the trial strategy of a codefendant (a decision to plead guilty, for example) will prejudice the defendant seeking severance. Byrd v. Wainwright, 428 F.2d at 1019-20. Our review of the trial court's exercise of its discretion must recognize the complexity and difficulty of this process of weighing. 49 Applying these principles to the denial by the trial court of the motions to sever by appellants Kaplan and Gorwitz presents little difficulty. In neither instance was the motion diligently pursued; hence any right to severance was waived. Both moved for a severance before trial, but such motions were not renewed when Cassidy indicated he would not testify and the existence of the FBI form 302 containing the allegedly exculpatory statements became known. 50 The circumstances are different with respect to Vogt, Stradley, and Dolwig. Each pursued diligently the motion to sever, renewing it during trial at the time Cassidy refused to testify, and when the existence of the FBI form became known. Although none of the three renewed the motion at the close of all evidence, the trial court had previously indicated that a renewal would be useless. Under these circumstances neither Vogt, Stradley, nor Dolwig waived his right to seek a severance. 51 Turning to appellants Vogt and Stradley initially, it is clear that each intended in good faith to attempt to induce Cassidy to testify. Also, by means of summaries by their counsel of the tenor of Cassidy's testimony which they expected, they sufficiently demonstrated the exculpatory character of Cassidy's expected testimony. Although an affidavit by Cassidy would have strengthened the credibility of this proposed testimony, we are not prepared to require such an affidavit under the circumstances of this case. Cf. United States v. Shuford, 454 F.2d 772 (4th Cir. 1971). 52 However, these summaries did not indicate a reasonable probability that Cassidy would give his exculpatory testimony. Cf. United States v. Shuford, supra. By contrast, the affidavits accompanying the motion to sever by defendant Enis did indicate a willingness on the part of Cassidy to testify on behalf of Enis. No such indication appears in the statements supporting the severance motions of Vogt and Stradley. At best these summaries only demonstrated a remote likelihood that Cassidy's exculpatory testimony would become available. That is not enough. See United States v. Thomas, supra. 53 It is also true that Vogt obtained the benefit of Cassidy's opinion that Vogt was a victim of wrongdoing rather than a wrongdoer, through the cross-examination of Agents McKee and Bumpers. While the agents' testimony is not an adequate substitute for Cassidy's, it does strengthen our resolve not to characterize the trial court's refusal to sever as an abuse of discretion. 54 What has been said concerning appellants Vogt and Stradley is equally applicable to appellant Dolwig. The summary of the anticipated Cassidy testimony prepared by Dolwig's counsel reflected no reasonable probability that Cassidy would testify had Dolwig's trial been severed. Indeed, it would be unusual to expect such testimony. Moreover, the contents of this summary were read into evidence, thereby somewhat lessening any prejudicial effect of Cassidy's refusal to testify in the trial. 55 Dolwig also argues, relying on United States v. Donaway, 447 F.2d 940, 943 (9th Cir. 1971), that failure to sever him was an abuse of discretion because certain evidence put before the jury, while admissible with respect to other defendants, was not admissible against Dolwig. We believe the facts in Donaway far more clearly indicate an abuse of discretion than those present in this case. The fundamental issue is whether the jury can be expected to keep separate the evidence as it pertains to each jointly tried defendant. Fernandez v. United States, 329 F.2d 899, 906 (9th Cir. 1964). As Fernandez observes, the best indication of the jury's ability to compartmentalize is its failure to convict all defendants. 329 F.2d at 906. The failure to convict Enis provides such an indication here. Moreover, our view of the record convinces us that the jury was able to keep separate the evidence as it pertained to Dolwig. 56 Finally, Dolwig contends that he was unduly prejudiced by references during the trial to the Mafia and by Cassidy's entrapment defense. Both invoke the Fernandez inquiry, and both must be disposed of in the same manner as was Dolwig's complaint regarding evidence inadmissible as to him. We believe the jury could, and did, compartmentalize the evidence properly. 57 Obviously our refusal to hold that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to sever Vogt, Stradley, and Dolwig from the trial of Cassidy is influenced by the truism that joint trials are usually less burdensome to the prosecution than separate trials. This economy does not entitle us to treat lightly, however, appeals based on refusals to order separate trials. Joint trials do alter the emotional and factual setting within which an individual's guilt or innocence is to be determined. Our task on review is to review carefully the record to determine whether the trial court abused its discretion in ordering a joint trial. We have made that review and hold that no such abuse exists in this case. United States v. Wood, 550 F.2d 435 (9th Cir. 1976).