Opinion ID: 1982659
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Rejection of Mistrial Motions.

Text: Appellant maintains that the trial court committed error in failing to declare a mistrial on two separate occasions during the course of the trial. It is well settled that the question of whether or not to declare a mistrial rests within the sound discretion of the trial court and that ordinarily the prejudicial effect of improper evidence or statement by counsel can be cured by a cautionary instruction. Jacobs v. H.L. Rust Co., 353 A.2d 6, 7-8 (D.C.1976). In the trial here, appellant moved the court to declare a mistrial after opposing counsel asked a police witness whether the February 26th incident had resulted in any criminal charges of shoplifting against Curry, the appellant. The court denied this motion and sua sponte cautioned the jury against drawing any adverse inference from the question, [6] in words which plainly remedied any prejudice that might have resulted from the unanswered question. Where a court instructs a jury to disregard a question, it cannot be assumed that the jury took no heed of the court's direction. Washington & O.D. Ry. Co. v. Dulany, 53 App.D.C. 67, 73, 288 F. 421, 427 (1923). Appellant also requested, unsuccessfully, a mistrial following defense counsel's summation in which he referred to Curry's prior involvement with the system. The contention is that counsel's reference was another attempt to stigmatize Curry as a defendant in a criminal prosecutiona matter the trial court had already excluded as inadmissible. This contention was completely unfounded as the court recognized in denying the request. The context of the statement discloses that counsel was referring only to Curry's participation in civil litigation, not criminal trials. [7]