Opinion ID: 1121458
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to Accept Defendant's Proposed Settlement of the Record

Text: Defendant next argues that his proposed settled record establishes that the trial court erred by admitting Mayland's testimony for any purpose during the trial. Defendant asserts that the court and the prosecutor had assured defense counsel during an unreported conference that Mayland's testimony would not be used for any purpose during trial and that trial counsel relied upon these assurances in deciding to present Mayland's testimony. Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to settle the record, which would have substantiated this claim. Defendant also contends that he was deprived of his right to be present during all stages of the trial since he was absent from the unreported conference.
During the appellate record correction process, appellate counsel moved for a settled statement detailing the contents of an unreported conference that occurred during the suppression hearing. The trial court accepted declarations and oral testimony from trial counsel regarding the circumstances of this alleged conference. Briefly, the defendant's trial attorneys contended that an in-chambers, unreported discussion occurred, during a recess in the Evidence Code section 402 hearing and prior to the time that Mayland was called as a witness, in which the judge, the prosecutor and both defense counsel participated. Both defense attorneys testified that the issue of whether Mayland's testimony, if he were to be called to the stand, would later be admissible at trial was discussed during this conference. Allen recalled that he announced his intent to call Mayland to testify only if we could be assured that his testimony could not later be introduced at Mr. Clark's trial. As a result of this conversation, both defense attorneys left the chambers with the impression that the defense could call Mayland as a witness at the suppression hearing without his testimony later being used at trial. Allen subsequently admitted, however, that the trial court did not rule on this issue. The prosecutor's recollection of the conversation differed. He testified that all counsel had been in chambers when the court inquired about the probable length of the remainder of the hearing. Defense counsel mentioned that a psychiatrist might be called as a witness. The court directed that it be informed by the end of the day as to whether the witness would be called. At that point, the prosecutor recalled counsel leaving chambers. In the courtroom, outside of the presence of the judge, Allen and the prosecutor discussed the evidentiary implications of Mayland's testimony and the possible relevance of Simmons, supra, 390 U.S. 377. The prosecutor recalled telling Allen that he believed that Simmons immunized the testimony, but that subsequent cases permitted its use as impeachment. The trial judge stated that he did not recall any such discussion occurring in his chambers. Furthermore, he expressed skepticism that any experienced defense counsel would have relied upon an implied decision such as the one Allen's testimony described or would have failed to bring this understanding to the attention of the court when the question of admissibility of Mayland's testimony was raised during trial. The trial court denied the motion. In the course of doing so, the court found that the  Simmons issue had not been discussed in the presence of the court and that the scheduling discussion was not material to any issue on appeal.
(28) This court has repeatedly recognized that settlement of the record is primarily a question of fact to be resolved by the trial court. (E.g., People v. Hardy, supra, 2 Cal.4th at p. 183, fn. 30; People v. Beardslee (1991) 53 Cal.3d 68, 116 [279 Cal. Rptr. 276, 806 P.2d 1311].) Once settlement is ordered, the trial court has broad discretion to accept or reject counsel's representations in accordance with its assessment of their credibility. ( People v. Beardslee, supra, 53 Cal.3d at p. 116; People v. Gzikowski (1982) 32 Cal.3d 580, 584-585, fn. 2 [186 Cal. Rptr. 339, 651 P.2d 1145].) Defendant's contention that he was entitled to a hearing on this issue before a judge other than the trial judge in this case is meritless. (29) Moreover, the trial court did not abuse its broad discretion. The recollection of the participants conflicted regarding the content of the in-chambers discussion. Both the court and the prosecutor recalled that the  Simmons issue was not raised in the court's presence. The prosecutor recalled discussing it with defense counsel outside of the presence of the court. Substantial evidence supports the trial court's findings. Further, given these findings, the trial court correctly determined that the proceeding in question was not the type that may be settled under the California Rules of Court. ( People v. Gzikowski, supra, 32 Cal.3d at pp. 584-585, fn. 2.) (30) Appellant also contends that his absence from the in-chambers conference violated his statutory (งง 977, 1043) and constitutional (e.g., People v. Jones, supra, 53 Cal.3d at p. 1140) right to be present during all trial proceedings. This right is not implicated, however, unless the proceedings bear a reasonable, substantial relation to [defendant's] opportunity to defend the charges against him.... ( People v. Hovey (1988) 44 Cal.3d Cal.3d 543, 573-574 [244 Cal. Rptr. 121, 749 P.2d 776]; accord, People v. Jones, supra, 53 Cal.3d at p. 1140.) A discussion regarding the length of time for a hearing and the possible defense witnesses to be called does not implicate defendant's opportunity to defend himself. (See People v. Hardy, supra, 2 Cal.4th at p. 178; People v. Wharton (1991) 53 Cal.3d 522, 602-603 [280 Cal. Rptr. 631, 809 P.2d 290].)
(31a) Defendant further argues that, by deciding to call Mayland as a witness without obtaining an order from the court or a binding commitment from the prosecutor not to use Mayland's testimony at trial, his trial attorneys rendered ineffective assistance to him. Defendant's argument is premised upon the fact that his trial attorneys testified that they never would have called Mayland to the stand if they had believed that his testimony could be used at trial. (32) In order to prevail on his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, defendant must demonstrate that (1) his attorneys' representation was deficient in that it fell below an objective standard of reasonableness under prevailing professional norms, and (2) his attorneys' deficient representation subjected him to prejudice, i.e., there is a reasonable probability that, but for his attorneys' failings, the result would have been more favorable to him. ( Strickland v. Washington (1984) 466 U.S. 668, 687[80 L.Ed.2d 674, 693, 104 S.Ct. 2052]; In re Wilson (1992) 3 Cal.4th 945, 950 [13 Cal. Rptr.2d 269, 838 P.2d 1222].) In this context, [a] reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome. ( Strickland v. Washington, supra, 466 U.S. at p. 694 [80 L.Ed.2d at pp. 697-698].) (31b) We need not decide whether defendant's trial attorneys were incompetent, because defendant is unable to demonstrate that the alleged deficiency resulted in prejudice โ that is, that a more favorable result would have been reached at either the guilt or penalty phase had Mayland's testimony been excluded from the trial. First, appellant's statements to Mayland were not admitted at trial for their truth. Their sole use was for impeachment of the defense experts' opinions. Second, the use of Mayland's testimony to impeach the testimony of Drs. Smith, Roberts, and Raffle represented a small portion of the prosecutor's cross-examination of these witnesses. The testimony of these witnesses contained many contradictions. In rebuttal, the prosecutor presented additional evidence, including credible expert testimony, that cast further doubt upon the reliability of the evaluations of the defense experts. Additionally, the testimony of numerous percipient witnesses, who observed the defendant within hours following the crime, and the low levels of drugs revealed by the blood test taken after defendant's arrest cast doubt upon defendant's rage reaction theory. Based upon our review of the record, we conclude that a more favorable result in either the guilt or penalty phase would not have resulted even if Mayland's pretrial testimony had never been referred to during trial.