Opinion ID: 1325116
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Motion to Disqualify Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney.

Text: Less than one week before trial, the court entered an ex parte order appointing Michael McHale Collins assistant Commonwealth's attorney in the case. Collins took the required oath of office two days prior to trial. On the opening day of trial, Frye challenged the appointment of Collins and moved that he be disqualified. He objected to the ex parte nature of the order, stating that he had received notice of Collins's appointment less than two days before. He further argued that the appointment was improper, alleging that Collins's participation would create a conflict of interest for the prosecution and a hardship for the defense. During oral argument on Frye's motion, the court stated for the record that, at the time of trial, Collins was a law partner of the Commonwealth's attorney in his civil practice. Collins had formerly been the Commonwealth's attorney for Alleghany County and had also served as assistant Commonwealth's attorney. The Commonwealth's attorney represented to the court that Collins was assistant Commonwealth's attorney at the time of this offense and for the three months following; in that capacity, he had participated in the proceedings at the time of Frye's arraignment, preliminary hearing, and waiver of indictment. The trial court remarked that it had been clear to the court and to defense counsel that Collins had been participating in the case from its inception. Apologizing for the ex parte nature of its order, the court explained that the order was entered as an administrative matter to reflect for the record Collins's participation in the case. On the issue of Collins's conflict of interest, defense counsel stated for the record that Collins was a director of the State Bank of the Alleghenies, where the widow of Sergeant Biggs was employed as administrative assistant. Collins represented that his involvement had nothing to do with his association with the bank or its employment of Mrs. Biggs; rather, it was the result and continuation of his prior employment as an assistant Commonwealth's attorney. He denied any employment in the case by anyone other than Alleghany County. The trial court ruled there was no conflict of interest and denied Frye's motion to disqualify Collins. There was no reversible error in the court's order appointing Collins. The Commonwealth's attorney is authorized to employ his own assistants, and no court approval is required. Code § 15.1-9. As the court's order was unnecessary, no prejudice resulted to Frye from its ex parte entry. Cantrell v. Commonwealth, 229 Va. 387, 329 S.E.2d 22 (1985), is inapposite. In Cantrell, we reversed the conviction of a defendant prosecuted by an attorney who was privately employed by the victim's family. The attorney had a conflict of interest in the case because the defendant's conviction would benefit the attorney's clients in a child-custody proceeding for which the attorney had been employed and in other civil litigation which might arise. Id. at 391-94, 329 S.E.2d at 24-27. No such conflict has been demonstrated in this case. Frye proffered no evidence of Collins's employment as a private attorney for Mrs. Biggs in this prosecution or in any related civil litigation. Although no evidence was taken, the court's decision was based upon uncontradicted statements of fact made by counsel. Accordingly, the trial court correctly ruled there was no conflict of interest requiring disqualification of Collins.