Opinion ID: 2604128
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Prosecutorial Responsibility for Mistrial

Text: Our holding that a mistrial was not manifestly necessary in this case makes it unnecessary to make the second inquiry as to whether the prosecutor was in some way responsible for the circumstances which gave rise to any possible necessity to declare a mistrial. We do address this question, nevertheless, and conclude that the prosecutor was responsible and that even had it been manifestly necessary to declare a mistrial, we should have to grant the writ on grounds of the prosecutor's role in bringing about any need for mistrial. Prior to trial, the prosecutor had been given adequate warning that Chambers might invoke his right to the attorney-client privilege upon cross-examination by the defense counsel, thereby threatening the integrity of the trial. Even though the state claims that the defense counsel never elaborated upon the extent of his relationship with Chambers, the defense counsel did inform the state that he discussed the facts of the pertinent criminal event with Chambers in a contact with Chambers designed to determine whether he would represent Chambers. Such information, even in the abstract, should have put the prosecution on notice that a risk existed that Chambers would invoke his attorney-client privilege upon cross-examination. Significantly, in light of the defense counsel's conflict of interest, the district court requested the district attorney's office to forewarn the court of their intent to call Chambers as a witness. At the calendar call, the defense counsel asked for a continuance based upon his conflict of interest and upon Hylton's desire to retain new counsel at his own expense; the prosecution opposed that motion to continue, although he knew that the state was actively attempting to compel Chambers as a witness at that time. The prosecutor is in many ways responsible, for the declaration of a mistrial at Hylton's second trial. The prosecutor was put on notice of the potential for a mistrial and yet failed to support the defendant's motion for a continuance which would have led to the appointment of new counsel and would have avoided the potential for a mistrial. Prosecutorial responsibility for the declaration of a mistrial does not always preclude a new trial. See Somerville, supra (defective indictment); Wright v. State, 101 Nev. 269, 701 P.2d 743 (1985) (failure to include the count of aiding and abetting in an information); Enright, 464 N.Y.S.2d at 423, 451 N.E.2d at 181 (evidence referred to in opening remarks later discovered to be inadmissible; prosecutor's motion for mistrial granted and affirmed on appeal if prosecutor did not act in bad faith). A factually analogous case is Melchor-Gloria v. State, 99 Nev. 174, 660 P.2d 109 (1983). In Melchor-Gloria, a tape-recorded interrogation of the defendant was inadmissible because a second translation revealed incomplete Miranda rights had been given. In preparing for his opening statement, the prosecutor did not review the portion of the transcript which contained the Miranda warnings. Prior to trial, both counsel met in chambers to discuss the deficiencies in the Miranda warnings. The defense counsel came away from that meeting with the understanding that an agreement had been reached to the effect that the issue of the admissibility of the defendant's statements would be dealt with in an appropriate hearing. In his opening statement, the prosecutor referred to the potentially inadmissible statements. The defense counsel objected, but the prosecution successfully argued to overrule the objection. The defendant's statements were subsequently suppressed, and on defense motion, a mistrial without prejudice to the prosecution was declared. In Melchor-Gloria, we did not find prosecutorial overreaching or harassment intended to goad a defendant into moving for a mistrial which would preclude a new trial. The Melchor-Gloria prosecutor did not act intentionally or with bad faith, and the prosecutor was not grossly negligent. We concluded that the prosecutor had been negligent but that the relatively unusual factual setting of the instant case partially mitigates the prosecutor's derelictions. The issue before this court is whether the prosecutor's decision to proceed to trial was excusable negligence or inexcusable negligence. The prosecutor was warned as early as seven months prior to trial on three different occasions [3] that Chambers could invoke an attorney-client privilege if the defense counsel represented Hylton at trial. As of the calendar call, the prosecutor had made efforts to compel Chamber's attendance at trial and yet he opposed the defense counsel's motion to continue in order that Hylton could obtain new counsel. We conclude that the prosecutor committed inexcusable negligence. The prosecutor did not prevent the circumstances for a mistrial from occurring, when the prosecutor had adequate notice that a mistrial was likely to occur and when the prosecutor's office was expressly asked by the court to be forthcoming on that issue. Although the prosecutor was subjectively unaware of the substantive ramifications of calling a witness who could invoke an attorney-client privilege on cross-examination, we cannot accept such an error of judgment as excusable when weighed against the defendant's constitutional right to be free from repeated attempts to convict him of the alleged offenses.