Court Opinion

ID: 9744655
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:11:37.642852+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:50.806170
License: Public Domain

Liacos, C.J.
(concurring, with whom Nolan, J., joins). I agree that the judge erred in dismissing the complaints with prejudice because there was neither egregious prosecutorial misconduct nor a serious risk of prejudice to the defendant. I write separately simply to point out that the judge’s seemingly drastic response to one episode of conduct by the Commonwealth which “inconvenienced the court, the defendant, his attorney, and his witness,” ante at 39, was likely the result of numerous similar episodes. A judge’s frustration, when faced with instance upon instance of calling cases to trial only to find that the Commonwealth cannot proceed because a necessary police officer witness has not shown up is, in my view, quite understandable. Of course, under the case *40law, it is not a justification for dismissing a case with prejudice. Commonwealth v. Cronk, 396 Mass. 194, 199 (1985). Yet, it does go some way toward explaining the judge’s reaction, and will, I hope, indicate to the Commonwealth (and to defense counsel) that greater diligence by counsel is required so that cases can be disposed of more efficiently. The lack of diligence by the prosecutor in-this instance may be explicable by the pressures placed on prosecutors, as well as courts, faced with large numbers of cases but without adequate resources to respond efficiently. Nevertheless, incidents of this kind bring disrepute to the administration of justice. Greater care must be taken by all to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.