Opinion ID: 319775
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: admissibility of dr. feinerman's testimony.

Text: 57 Defendant attacks the admission of the testimony of Dr. Feinerman, a Government psychiatrist, on three grounds: (1) the questioning of defendant by Dr. Feinerman, without notice to and in absence of counsel, violated Greene's right to counsel at a critical stage of the proceedings; (2) Dr. Feinerman's examinations of defendant violated Greene's right to remain silent; (3) the Government's failure to include Mr. Feinerman's name in its list of witnesses violated 18 U.S.C. 3432. The Government had notified defense counsel that Greene would be examined on August 14, 1971, by Dr. Feinerman, a staff psychiatrist at the House of Corrections. Due to a busy schedule, the examination was postponed, without notice to defense counsel, until August 15. Subsequent to that date, approximately ten to twelve interviews were conducted by Dr. Feinerman. 58
59 This court specifically dealt, in United States v. Bohle, 445 F.2d 54, 66-67 (7th Cir. 1971), with the issue of the right to counsel at an examination conducted by a Government psychiatrist. In Bohle, we held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant's motion to have counsel present at such an examination. Quoting with approval from United States v. Albright, 388 F.2d 719, 726 (4th Cir. 1968), this court stated that from 'the intimate and personal nature of the examination, we are satisfied that, except in the unusual case, presence of a third party in a legal and non-medical capacity, would severely limit the efficacy of the examination.' 445 F.2d at 67. See also United States v. Baird, 414 F.2d 700, 711 (2d Cir. 1969), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 1005, 90 S.Ct. 559, 24 L.Ed.2d 497 (1970); United States ex rel. Wax v. Pate, 409 F.2d 498, 499 (7th Cir. 1969), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 830, 90 S.Ct. 83, 24 L.Ed.2d 81; Thornton v. Corcoran, 132 U.S.App.D.C. 232, 407 F.2d 695, 698-702 (1969). 60 Greene's position, moreover, has less merit than the situation in Bohle. Here, unlike the situation in Bohle, there is no indication that the defense made a motion to have counsel present at the examination. Defense counsel admit that although they had been notified of the scheduled examination on August 14, there was no attempt to visit Greene until August 21, one week later. 61 Defendant's reliance on Schantz v. Eyman, 418 F.2d 11 (9th Cir. 1969), cert. denied, 397 U.S. 1021, 90 S.Ct. 1259, 25 L.Ed.2d 530 (1970), does not help him. In Schantz, defense counsel refused the county attorney's request that defendant submit to an examination by a State psychiatrist. The county attorney then sent the State psychiatrist to defendant's home, without notice to defense counsel, to examine defendant there. The defendant refused to submit to the examination. At the trial, the State psychiatrist testified to this confrontation and the prosecution argued that this incident indicated that the defendant's defense of insanity was presented in bad faith. The court in Schantz held that it was error to admit the State psychiatrist's testimony since defendant had not had counsel at his confrontation with the psychiatrist. Defense counsel, the court noted, could have advised defendant on whether he should submit to the examination and how a refusal to submit might be used against him at trial. The court in Schantz specifically did not reach the issue of whether the accused has a right to have counsel present at the pretrial examination itself. 418 F.2d at 14 n. 8. The issue determined by the Ninth Circuit in Schantz was merely whether a defendant has the right to counsel in deciding whether to submit to such an examination. Schantz is, therefore, not inconsistent with the cases, previously cited, which hold there is no absolute right to counsel at a pretrial psychiatric examination. United States ex rel. Wax v. Twomey, 465 F.2d 352, 353 (7th Cir. 1972). 62 In the present case, the rule of Schantz is inapplicable since defense counsel consented to the examination by Dr. Feinerman scheduled for August 14 and advised Greene to talk to Dr. Feinerman. There was a previous examination by Dr. Feinerman on August 3, of which defense counsel admittedly did not have prior knowledge. However, this examination was conducted as a result of warnings by defense counsel that Greene needed psychiatric help because his condition was 'degenerating.' Defense counsel later stated to the trial judge, moreover, that the August 3 session was 'all right.' 63 Finally, in relation to this right-to-counsel argument, the defendant complains that the Government failed to notify defense counsel that Greene was moved to Cermak Hospital for the examination and that the interview was postponed until August 15 and extended to a number of sessions. 13 We agree that the better practice would have been to inform defense counsel of these various changes. There was, however, no showing of actual prejudice resulting from the absence of this notice. 14 We therefore conclude that this failure to give notice did not render the trial constitutionally defective. 64
65 As the second prong in its attack on Dr. Feinerman's testimony, defense argues that Dr. Feinerman should have informed Greene of his right to remain silent. Such a warning was particularly necessary, according to the defense, because Greene was misled into believing that Dr. Feinerman was a treating rather than an examining physician. 66 In Bohle, supra, this court held that an examination by a Government psychiatrist does not violate the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. We noted in Bohle that the examination's 'sole purpose is to enable an expert to form an opinion as to defendant's mental capacity to form a criminal intent. It is not intended to aid in the establishment of facts showing that defendant committed certain acts constituting a crime . . .. It is impermissible to introduce into evidence on the issue of guilt any statement made by the defendant during the course of such an examination.' 445 F.2d at 66-67. See also United States v. Williams, 456 F.2d 217, 218 (5th Cir. 1972); United States v. Handy, 454 F.2d 885, 888-889 (9th Cir. 1971), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 846, 93 S.Ct. 49, 34 L.Ed.2d 86 (1972); United States v. Baird, 414 F.2d 700, 707-708 (2d Cir. 1969), cert. denied, 396 U.S. 1005, 90 S.Ct. 559, 24 L.Ed.2d 497 (1970); United States v. Albright,388 F.2d 719, 723-724 (4th Cir. 1968). Here, since Dr. Feinerman's testimony, presented in rebuttal, concerned only the issue of defendant's sanity and not the issue of whether defendant did in fact skyjack the plane, there was no violation of Greene's Fifth Amendment privilege. 15 67
68 As the third and final prong of its attack on Dr. Feinerman's testimony, defense complains of the absence of Dr. Feinerman's name from the list of witnesses furnished by the Government. This presumably was furnished pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3432: 'A person charged with treason or other capital offense shall at least three entire days before commencement of trial be furnished witn . . . a list . . . of the witnesses to be produced on the trial for proving the indictment . . ..' Even though air piracy carried, by statutory provision, the potential of a death sentence, a question is presented as to the applicability of 3432 because of Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, 92 S.Ct. 2726, 33 L.Ed.2d 346 (1972). In the cases before the Court in Furman, which had been decided at the time of the present trial, the carrying out of the death penalty was held unconstitutional. 69 The Government, in any event, did purport to comply with the statute and we find it unnecessary to determine whether it was still required to do so. 70 Dr. Feinerman's name was not included in the witness list which was furnished since the Government had not yet received his report and, therefore, was unsure as to whether Dr. Feinerman would be called as a witness. The Government received the report on September 13, two days after the trial began, and conveyed it to defense after an intervening weekend on September 18. Dr. Feinerman testified as a rebuttal witness on September 20. 71 While the provisions of 3432, if applicable, are mandatory, Logan v. United States, 144 U.S. 263, 12 S.Ct. 617, 36 L.Ed. 429 (1892), the requirement has been held inapplicable to rebuttal witnesses. Goldsby v. United States, 160 U.S. 70, 76, 16 S.Ct. 216, 40 L.Ed. 343 (1895). As the Second Circuit noted, moreover, 'the statute was never intended to preclude the United States from making use of any material testimony discovered during the progress of the trial, and all that it exacts of the prosecuting officer is that he shall in good faith furnish to the prisoner, before the trial, the names of all witnesses then known to him and intended to be used at the trial.' United States v. Rosenberg, 195 F.2d 583, 599-600 (2d Cir. 1952), cert. denied, 344 U.S. 838, 73 S.Ct. 20, 97 L.Ed. 652. 72 In the present case, Dr. Feinerman testified only as a rebuttal witness. Furthermore, there is no indication that the prosecutor did not act in good faith. Since Dr. Feinerman's report was not prepared prior to trial, the Government was unable to determine whether he would be a witness. 73 A principal purpose of 3432 is to eliminate any element of surprise. Here, however, defense knew that Dr. Feinerman had examined defendant and that he therefore was a potential witness. Upon receipt of Dr. Feinerman's report, the defense had over two days to plan a cross-examination. Counsel's handling of the intricacies and complexities of this type of specialized testimony by the several expert witnesses they had called on behalf of Greene indicates that they could scarcely claim lack of knowledge or expertise in the area to which cross-examination of Dr. Feinerman would carry them. Under the circumstances, we cannot say that the failure to furnish Dr. Feinerman's name in the original list prejudiced defendant. 74