Opinion ID: 2276759
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Disclosure and Admission of Psychiatric Records (Strong's point 5)

Text: Strong claims the trial court abused its discretion by sealing Eva's subpoenaed psychiatric records because these records may have disclosed an evidentiary basis for presenting a defense that Eva attacked Strong or Zandrea thereby causing Strong to attack her. He argues that sealing the records denied his rights to due process, to confrontation, and to present a defense. Strong filed on January 8, 2002, a motion to compel disclosure of Eva's medical and psychiatric records containing a request for a pretrial hearing on the motion. The trial court filed an order on July 26, 2002, granting Strong's motion to compel disclosure of Eva's medical and psychiatric records. During the pretrial hearing on February 14, 2003, Strong requested an in camera review of the documents and indicated that he would decide after that review whether to depose an employee of one of the facilities from which the records were sought. At the pretrial hearing, the trial court ruled it would perform the in camera review as soon as the documents became available. The court filed two orders on February 19, 2003. The first order noted the trial court had received the records, conducted the in camera inspection, and found that the documents were irrelevant and immaterial to the case. The second order was to seal the records. Strong never objected to the sealing of these records, but he later argued in his motion for new trial that the trial court committed prejudicial error in overruling his motion to disclose Eva's medical and psychiatric records and in providing an in camera review of those records. Strong has failed to preserve this claim of error as to the sealing of the records for appellate review, and the plain error standard of review applies. Rule 30.20. Following the in camera inspection, Strong did not request to depose the witness, failed to object to the sealing of the record, and never raised the issue again until his motion for a new trial. Strong received all the relief that he requested, namely the grant of his motion to disclose, the pretrial hearing, and the in camera inspection. If he desired a different or additional remedy, he should have requested relief from the trial court. State v. Walker, 484 S.W.2d 284, 287 (Mo.1972). As he did not, he cannot claim error on appeal. Id. Furthermore, this Court's review of the sealed records confirms that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in sealing them. Strong has failed to demonstrate manifest injustice necessary to establish plain error. See Rule 30.20.