Opinion ID: 1058661
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Disqualification of Commonwealth's Attorney

Text: Teleguz assigns error to the ruling of the trial court in post-trial proceedings denying his motion to disqualify the Commonwealth's Attorney. The Commonwealth's Attorney was present at meetings between Investigator Whitfield, Ferguson, and Moore. Teleguz argues that the Commonwealth's Attorney's testimony on what transpired at these meetings was critical in light of the inconsistencies in the testimony of the other attendees and the questionable credibility of those witnesses. Based on his argument that the Commonwealth's Attorney was a material witness, Teleguz asserts that the trial court erred in denying his motion to disqualify the Commonwealth's Attorney and to issue a subpoena for her testimony. Teleguz's position is based on the principle that a lawyer should not act as an advocate in an adversarial proceeding in which the lawyer is likely to be a necessary witness. Rule 3.7 of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct. Critical to the application of this principle is the requirement that the lawyer be a necessary witness. Sutherland v. Jagdmann, No. 3:05CV042-JRS, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 25878, at  (E.D.Va. Oct. 31, 2005) ([A] party seeking to invoke the witness-advocate rule for disqualification purposes must prove that the proposed witness-advocate's testimony is strictly necessary.) (internal citations omitted). The facts of this case do not provide that predicate. As noted above, the testimony of Ferguson and Moore regarding the identification of Teleguz is not material to the elements of the crime charged. Furthermore, Teleguz does not rely on the substance of any testimony he suggested the Commonwealth's Attorney would provide, only that it would clear up inconsistencies in the testimony of the others at the meeting. Adding the testimony of a fourth person may reinforce one version of the facts or add another, but would not clear up inconsistent testimony. Finally, any testimony by the Commonwealth's Attorney regarding the exchanges between Investigator Whitfield and Moore or Investigator Whitfield and Ferguson, would be inadmissible hearsay. Therefore, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Teleguz's motion.