Opinion ID: 2534025
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Prior uncharged misconduct

Text: Prior to trial, counsel for Foster moved to have witness statements about Foster's alleged ties to prostitution excluded. The district court denied the motion, citing to NRS 48.035 and finding the evidence to be admissible because it was significantly intertwined with the facts that formed the basis of the alleged crime. [41] In his post-conviction petition, Foster claimed that his trial counsel was ineffective for not requesting a limiting instruction respecting the evidence of pimping and prostitution as prior uncharged misconduct. Foster further claimed that his appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to challenge on appeal the district court's ruling admitting this evidence. Foster's trial pre-dated our recent decision in Tavares v. State, which held that a limiting instruction is required unless the defense declines such an instruction for strategic purposes. [42] Prior to Tavares, unless requested by the defense, no limiting instruction was required absent exceptional circumstances. [43] This court found such exceptional circumstances in Meek v. State, [44] where the prosecution in a sexual assault trial presented the testimony of the victim of a prior uncharged sexual assault by the defendant. [45] This court held that the district court erred by failing to conduct a Petrocelli hearing, erred in admitting the evidence absent clear and convincing evidence of its veracity, and erred in failing to give a jury instruction as to the proper, limited use of the testimony. [46] Foster cites Freeman v. Class [47] for the proposition that counsel's failure to request an appropriate instruction is deficient conduct and is prejudicial where the evidence of guilt is not overwhelming. But in Freeman, as in Meek, the evidence admitted without a cautionary instruction was the central evidence in convicting the defendant. [48] Here, the decision of Foster's counsel not to seek a limiting instruction was a tactical one. The record shows that during a chambers conference at trial, Foster's counsel renewed his objection to the prior uncharged misconduct evidence and stated that he did not want to draw the jurors' attention to that evidence by objecting in open court. That objection was made to preserve Foster's right to appeal the court's decision on the motion in limine. Certainly defense counsel had a right to request a limiting instruction, but there was no requirement that such an instruction be given absent a request by counsel. [49] We conclude that declining to request a limiting instruction here was a reasonable tactical decision by counsel and did not fall below an objective standard of reasonableness. Further, Foster has not shown any prejudice from the lack of a limiting instruction. There was abundant evidence of guilt, apart from the evidence of Foster's prior uncharged misconduct, and the evidence of prior misconduct was not central to the jury's finding of guilt. Given all the evidence, there is not a reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different even if a limiting instruction had been given. Similarly, we conclude that Foster did not demonstrate prejudice resulting from appellate counsel's decision to omit any issues on appeal relating to the admission of this evidence. Given the other abundant evidence of Foster's guilt, such issues would not have had a reasonable probability of establishing reversible error. The district court did not err in rejecting these claims.