Opinion ID: 491580
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Continuance Motion

Text: 22 Defendant's motion for continuance was addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court. The denial of that motion by the trial judge is not due to be disturbed by us unless defendant can show that there was an abuse of that discretion. United States v. Smith, 591 F.2d 1105, 1110 (5th Cir.1979). 6 In this case, both appellant and the government agree that there is no precedent holding that the government must provide the defendant with a list of witnesses. United States v. Hancock, 441 F.2d 1285 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 404 U.S. 833, 92 S.Ct. 81, 30 L.Ed.2d 63 (1971). However, appellant argues that when the government does provide a witness list, it should contain all of the government's witnesses. Appellant claims that, otherwise, the government can mislead the defendant. Therefore, appellant concludes that the court should have granted a continuance for him to interview Ms. Miller. 23 The lower court did not abuse its discretion in denying this motion. The government did not tell the appellant that Ms. Miller would testify until the trial because there was concern for her safety. Evidently, the government convinced the lower court of this danger during the in camera proceeding, as the court ordered a special condition of probation that Massell is to avoid all future contact with his ex-wife. (R. 2-97). We also find that since the government did tell the defense that Ms. Miller would testify and also what she would say, along with the fact that appellant could have moved the court to order Ms. Miller to allow Massell's counsel to interview her, there was no abuse of discretion in the lower court's decision to deny Massell's motion for continuance. United States v. Sukumolachan, 610 F.2d 685 (9th Cir.1980) (There was no basis for argument that the omission of a government witness from the proffered witness list misled the defendant when defendant was well aware of said witness' existence and possible testimony).