Opinion ID: 781457
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: New Trial Based on Newly Discovered Evidence

Text: 20 At trial the government called Michael Rusin of the Rusin law firm as one of its main witnesses. Rusin testified on direct examination that in 1991 Hendershot and Battista offered his firm the legal work for all of Alexsis's clients in exchange for a substantial kickback. At the time Rusin's firm was already handling some Alexsis clients, but Rusin stated that, once he turned down the kickback offer, no new Alexsis business came the firm's way. On cross-examination, however, Rusin was more equivocal, stating that after the 1991 meeting with Hendershot and Battista his firm received new cases from Alexsis clients, but they were from existing clients the firm had been handling since before the meeting. As to whether the firm received business from new Alexsis clients, Rusin said, I can't honestly say.... I know I didn't receive any more files from Mr. Hendershot. Rusin also testified that he could not produce the billing records for the firm's Alexsis clients because those records were not available. 21 After trial the defendants learned that the billing records were in fact available and showed that the Rusin law firm did receive new Alexsis billings after Rusin turned down the kickback offer. The defendants moved for a new trial on the basis of this newly discovered evidence, but the district court denied their motion. We review that decision for abuse of discretion. McClurge, 311 F.3d at 874. A new trial based on newly discovered evidence that discloses false testimony should only be granted if (1) the court is reasonably satisfied that the witness testified falsely, (2) the jury might have reached a different conclusion without the false testimony, and (3) the moving party was taken by surprise by the false testimony and was unprepared to meet it. United States v. Reed, 986 F.2d 191, 192-93 (7th Cir.1993). 22 The defendants' challenge fails on a number of grounds. First, the district court properly found that Rusin's testimony on cross-examination that he could not recall whether he obtained new Alexsis business was sufficiently equivocal to support a finding of no perjury. Also, the defendants fail to show that the jury might have reached a different verdict if the newly discovered information had been available at trial. The defendants maintain that the evidence could have been used to impeach Rusin's credibility, asserting that the government presented Rusin as its golden witness—an honest lawyer, who rejected kickbacks and whose unre-butted, `loss of business' testimony was compelling evidence that the kickback offer occurred. But even assuming that Rusin's credibility could have been impeached in this manner, the government presented so much additional evidence—such as testimony from several other witnesses, Alexsis business records, and various bank records—that the jury could easily have found the defendants guilty even without Rusin's testimony. And finally, the defendants cannot claim surprise because they had subpoenaed the Rusin law firm's billing records before trial, knew well in advance of trial that Rusin did not intend to produce the information, yet failed to seek judicial enforcement of the subpoena prior to Rusin's testifying.