Opinion ID: 1664552
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Kastigar Doctrine

Text: For his second point on appeal, Mr. Hale contends that the State committed two violations of the doctrine of Kastigar v. United States, 406 U.S. 441, 92 S.Ct. 1653, 32 L.Ed.2d 212 (1972). In his previous interlocutory appeal to this court, Mr. Hale challenged the State's ability to prosecute him due to his plea agreement with the Independent Counsel for the Department of Justice, in which the Independent Counsel granted Mr. Hale immunity. Hale v. State, 336 Ark. 345, 985 S.W.2d 303 (1999). Although our opinion in Hale I upheld the trial court's ruling that the State had not violated Kastigar v. United States , we issued a warning: In reaching this conclusion, however, we admonish, as the trial court correctly did, that the Kastigar issue continues throughout the trial and prevents the State from impermissibly using any of Mr. Hale's immunized testimony, or the evidence derived therefrom, at any point in the state proceeding. Hale v. State, 336 Ark. at 358, 985 S.W.2d at 309. Mr. Hale now contends that the State impermissibly used his immunized federal testimony on two occasions. We have thoroughly summarized Kastigar v. United States and its progeny in Hale I . Once the defendant demonstrates that he has testified under a grant of immunity from one sovereign, another sovereign may nevertheless prosecute the defendant for related crimes so long as the prosecutor sustains the heavy burden of proving that its evidence was derived from a legitimate source wholly independent of the compelled testimony. Hale v. State, supra . One sovereign's right to prosecute those persons who violate its criminal laws is not thwarted or diminished by another sovereign's grant of immunity. However, the prosecuting sovereign may not use, directly or indirectly, the immunized testimony or any fruits from it. Hale v. State, supra (citing United States v. First Western State Bank, 491 F.2d 780 (8th Cir.1974)). The defendant need only show that he testified under a grant of immunity. After that, the burden shifts to the prosecution to prove that all of the evidence it proposes to use was derived from legitimate independent sources. Hale v. State, supra . In this appeal, Mr. Hale contends that a Kastigar violation occurred when excerpts from his immunized grand-jury testimony were discovered in the Little Rock Police Department case file. Upon discovering the excerpts in the police file, Mr. Hale moved for a Kastigar determination, and the trial court held a hearing on March 16, 1999. The following day, the trial court issued an order denying Mr. Hale's Kastigar motion and refusing to dismiss the case. In doing so, the trial court found that there was no showing by the prosecution that the immunized grand-jury testimony was used in any way and that the testimony contained in the police file did not bear any relationship to the charges in the present case. [3] Floyd Strayer of the Little Rock Police Department, who investigated David Hale's case, testified that they did not see or use the grand-jury testimony in any way. The trial court apparently believed this testimony. We will not second-guess such credibility determinations. Hale v. State, supra . Mr. Hale also contends that another Kastigar violation occurred when he took the stand in his own defense and was cross-examined by the State. During that cross-examination, Mr. Hale asserts the prosecutor impermissibly used his immunized testimony in the federal proceeding as impeachment material. [4] As Mr. Hale states in his brief, a review of the cross-examination reveals that the prosecutor possessed an intimate and detailed knowledge of the contents of Mr. Hale's federal testimony and that the prosecutor based a large portion of his cross-examination upon the federal testimony. While conceding that many of the questions asked by the prosecutor directly referenced [Mr. Hale's] testimony in federal court, the State contends that Mr. Hale's argument is procedurally barred from appellate review because he did not make a contemporaneous objection. We have frequently held that a contemporaneous objection must be made to the trial court before we will review an alleged error on appeal. Jones v. State, 340 Ark. 390, 10 S.W.3d 449 (2000) (holding that the appellant's argument was barred because he did not object to the introduction of certain character evidence until after two witnesses had already so testified). In order to properly preserve an issue for appeal, the defendant must timely object at the first opportunity and renew his objection each time the witness is questioned about the matter. Smallwood v. State, 326 Ark. 813, 935 S.W.2d 530 (1996) (holding that the issue was not preserved because the defense counsel waited until after the witness had answered the question once and the State had asked the question a second time before objecting); Hill v. State, 285 Ark. 77, 685 S.W.2d 495 (1985) (holding the issue was not preserved because the appellant allowed the State to ask the objectionable question eight times in various forms before finally objecting). In the instant case, the prosecutor's first question regarding Mr. Hale's federal testimony occurred on page 2224 of the record, without objection. The prosecutor continued to question Mr. Hale about his federal testimony time and time again, until finally, on page 2247 of the record, defense counsel made the Kastigar objection. [5] Based upon this record, the Kastigar issue is not preserved due to the lack of a contemporaneous objection. Mr. Hale argues that a contemporaneous objection is not required when the Kastigar doctrine is at issue because Kastigar motions may be raised before, during, or after trial. It is true that the issue in Kastigar v. United States arose before trial, and in United States v. McDaniel, 482 F.2d 305 (8th Cir.1973) the issue was raised post-trial. However, neither case establishes an exception to our contemporaneous-objection rule. This court has previously noted that the defendant's rights under Kastigar were preserved by defense counsel making the appropriate objections at trial. Young v. State, 316 Ark. 225, 871 S.W.2d 373 (1994). We view the present situation much like those cases in which a motion in limine was filed prior to the trial. When such a pretrial motion is denied, the issue is preserved for appeal and no further objection at trial is needed. Neal v. State, 320 Ark. 489, 898 S.W.2d 440 (1995); Massengale v. State, 319 Ark. 743, 894 S.W.2d 594 (1995); Dalrymple v. Fields, 276 Ark. 185, 633 S.W.2d 362 (1982); Ward v. State, 272 Ark. 99, 612 S.W.2d 118 (1981). Here, Mr. Hale made a pretrial Kastigar motion that was denied. That motion involved certain excerpts of his immunized grand-jury testimony that were found in the Little Rock Police Department file. Nothing in Mr. Hale's pretrial Kastigar motion related to the federal testimony used by the prosecutor during his cross-examination of Mr. Hale at trial. This court has held that failure to object at trial precludes the party from relying on anything disclosed at trial which was not brought out at the pretrial hearing. Sutton v. State, 311 Ark. 435, 844 S.W.2d 350 (1993). Because the use of Mr. Hale's federal testimony on cross-examination was not within the scope of his pretrial Kastigar motion, a timely and contemporaneous objection at trial was necessary. Even if we were to conclude that our admonition in Hale I could be interpreted as a favorable ruling that prohibited the State from impermissibly using any of Mr. Hale's immunized federal testimony at any point in the proceeding, it would still be necessary for Mr. Hale to make a contemporaneous objection to the prosecutor's repeated use of the immunized federal testimony in order to preserve the issue for appellate review. The reason is that the trial judge must be given an opportunity to timely correct the mistake. Johnson v. State, 308 Ark. 7, 823 S.W.2d 800 (1992). Otherwise, if a contemporaneous objection is not made at the time the evidence is offered during the jury trial, the proverbial bell will have been rung and the jury prejudiced. Stewart v. State, 332 Ark. 138, 964 S.W.2d 793 (1998). When a defendant successfully objects to a question on the basis of hearsay, and the same or similar question is later asked, the defendant must renew his objection or else the initial objection is waived. Marvel v. Parker, 317 Ark. 232, 878 S.W.2d 364 (1994). There is no affirmative duty on a trial court to subsequently make evidentiary rulings on its own motion. Mills v. State, 321 Ark. 621, 906 S.W.2d 674 (1995); Friar v. State, 313 Ark. 253, 854 S.W.2d 318 (1993). The dissent acknowledges that we do not follow the plain error rule, under which plain errors affecting substantial rights may be noticed although they are not brought to the attention of the trial court. Lovelady v. State, 326 Ark. 196, 931 S.W.2d 430 (1996). Moreover, we have stated on numerous occasions that even constitutional arguments are waived on appeal unless raised below. Friar v. State, supra . In its valiant effort to overcome this court's longstanding adherence to the contemporaneous-objection rule, the dissent submits that the trial court had a duty to intervene and prevent a Kastigar violation under one of the exceptions to our objection requirement listed in Wicks v. State, 270 Ark. 781, 606 S.W.2d 366 (1980). That exception, however, is based on obiter dicta and no judgment has ever been reversed on account of a trial court's failure to intervene on its own motion. Id. Furthermore, as we stated in Lovelady v. State , we have never held that a trial court has a duty to declare a mistrial on its own motion when a prosecutor calls a witness in violation of a privilege ... 326 Ark. at 199, 931 S.W.2d at 432. In any event, the exception is limited to the trial court's duty to intervene and correct a serious error either by an admonition to the jury or by ordering a mistrial. Wicks v. State, 270 Ark. at 786, 606 S.W.2d at 369. Here, the prosecutor cross-examined Mr. Hale extensively about his federal testimony before defense counsel interposed a Kastigar objection. At that point, instead of asking for an admonition to the jury or a mistrial, the defense counsel moved for dismissal of the charges. Under these circumstances, it is clear that this case does not come within the Wicks exception cited by the dissent. [6] Finally, based upon the colloquy that took place when defense counsel finally did object to the prosecutor's use of Mr. Hale's immunized testimony, the dissent and the concurrence both suggest that the trial court may not have known this was a Kastigar violation. That is exactly the reason for our contemporaneous-objection rule; when the trial judge does not know that an error has occurred, it is the aggrieved party's duty to promptly object so that the trial judge is afforded an opportunity to timely correct the mistake. Johnson v. State, supra . This was not done.