Court Opinion

ID: 9649670
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 15:05:27.958737+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:13.423435
License: Public Domain

Bogdanski, J.
(concurring). I agree with the result but find myself unable to join in the court’s opinion. I cannot accept the reasoning employed by the majority in concluding that the defendant voluntarily waived his constitutional right to be “informed of the nature and cause of his accusation” ; Conn. Const. art. I § 8; nor do I agree that the reference in the short form information to the specific statute which defined the offense was sufficient to allege the element of intent to defraud.
The defendant’s motion to dismiss the information was based on his constitutional right to be informed of the charges against him. The defendant was accused by an information which read as follows: “Francis M. McDonald, State’s Attorney for the County of New Haven at Waterbury, acting herein by Walter Scanlon, Asst. State’s Attorney, accuses Eugene Coleman of the crime of attempting to obtain money by false pretenses at Waterbury, on or about 8/15/70, in violation of Section 53-360 of the General Statutes.”
The defendant moved for a bill of particulars, requesting a statement of, among other things, “[t]he specific nature of the offense or offenses *271which the defendant is charged with . . . [and] [t]he specific acts performed by the defendant which constitute all necessary elements of the crime charged.” The bill of particulars filed by the state answered as follows: “On or about August 15,1970 the defendant did attempt to obtain the sum of $87.79 from the Stop and Shop Market, Waterbury, by assisting one James H. Lee in presenting a stolen and forged cheek upon the account of Guilford Arts at the Union and New Haven Trust Company, New Haven, Connecticut.”
Before trial, the defendant’s counsel assured the court that he was satisfied with the answers contained in the bill of particulars. At the conclusion of the state’s case, however, the defendant moved to dismiss the information. One of his grounds for dismissal was the state’s failure to allege in either the information or the bill of particulars an intent to defraud, which is an essential element of the crime. The court denied the motion. At the conclusion of the trial, the information, the defendant’s motion for a bill of particulars and the bill of particulars itself were given to the jury.
General Statutes § 53-360 (repealed by Public Acts 1969, No. 828, effective October 1, 1971) provided in pertinent part that “[a]ny person who, by any false token, pretense or device, obtains from another any valuable thing . . . , with intent to defraud him or any other person, . . . shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than three years or both.” (Emphasis added.) The defendant claims that the information and the bill of particulars taken together failed to charge him with the commission of any crime.
*272“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall have a right ... to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation . . . .” Conn. Const. art. I § 8. That right, one of the fundamentals of American criminal jurisprudence, is also a federal constitutional right which the fourteenth amendment guarantees defendants in all state prosecutions. See U.S. Const. amend. VI; Argersinger v. Hamlin, 407 U.S. 25, 27-28, 92 S. Ct. 2006, 32 L. Ed. 2d 530; In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 33, 87 S. Ct. 1428, 18 L. Ed. 2d 527; In re Oliver, 333 U.S. 257, 273, 68 S. Ct. 499, 92 L. Ed. 682.
The right of an accused to be informed of the charges against him does not preserve the outmoded common-law rules of criminal pleading. Formal defects or linguistic imprecision in the state’s pleadings, if nonprejudicial, are no longer fatal. Practice Book §§523-531; State v. Beaulieu, 164 Conn. 620, 625, 325 A.2d 263; State v. Rafanello, 151 Conn. 453, 456-57, 199 A.2d 13; State v. Mola, 128 Conn. 407, 410-11, 23 A.2d 126; State v. McGee, 81 Conn. 696, 699, 72 A. 141. The constitution simply assures the accused the right to be apprised by the state’s pleadings of all the essential elements of the offense intended to be charged. Russell v. United States, 369 U.S. 749, 763, 82 S. Ct. 1038, 8 L. Ed. 2d 240; United States v. Debrow, 346 U.S. 374, 376, 74 S. Ct. 113, 98 L. Ed. 92; Hagner v. United States, 285 U.S. 427, 431, 52 S. Ct. 417, 76 L. Ed. 861; United States v. Denmon, 483 F.2d 1093, 1095 (8th Cir.); State v. Couture, 151 Conn. 213, 215-16, 196 A.2d 113; State v. McGee, supra; State v. Keena, 63 Conn. 329, 330, 28 A. 522; State v. Costello, 62 Conn. 128, 130, 25 A. 477 ; 4 Wharton, Criminal Law and Procedure (Anderson Rev.) §§1758, 1762, 1794; Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure § 125. In State v. *273Costello, supra, it was said to be “a general rule of criminal pleading, from which no substantial departure is ever permitted, that every information or indictment must contain a statement of all the facts and circumstances essential to constitute the crime with such particularity and certainty that the defendant may know the nature of the crime of which he is accused and what he is to answer, that the jury may be warranted in their conclusion of guilty or not guilty upon the premises delivered to them, that the court may see a definite offense on the record to which they may apply the judgment and punishment prescribed by law, and that the conviction or acquittal of the defendant may be pleaded in bar to a subsequent prosecution for the same offense.” The requirement that all the essential elements of the crime be alleged with specificity also establishes the salutary preliminary safeguard that no prosecution will be brought unless whoever drew up the indictment or information has considered the necessity of proving each and every element of the offense. United States v. Denmon, supra. Thus the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation is a substantial protection and no mere technicality of pleading.
“An indictment [or information] that does not allege all the elements of the crime is not cured by an allegation that what was done was ‘in violation of’ the statute” which defines the offense and identifies its elements. United States v. Guterma, 189 F. Sup. 265, 270 (S.D. N.Y.). Such an allegation “is not an allegation of fact but a legal conclusion of the pleader; it constitutes no part of the description of the offense.” Sutton v. United States, 157 F.2d 661, 664 (5th Cir.). As Chief Justice Marshall stated long ago in Schooner Hoppet v. United States, 11 *274U.S. (7 Cranch) 389, 393, 3 L. Ed. 380: “It is not controverted that in all proceedings in Courts of common law, either against the person or the thing for penalties or forfeitures, the allegation that the act charged was committed in violation of law, or of the provisions of a particular statute will not justify condemnation, unless, independent of this allegation, a case be stated which shows that the law has been violated. The reference to the statute may direct the attention of the Court, and of the accused, to the particular statute by which the prosecution is to be sustained, but forms no part of the description of the offence. The importance of this principle to a fair administration of justice, to that certainty introduced and demanded by the free genius of our institutions in all prosecutions for offences against the laws, is too apparent to require elucidation, and the principle itself is too familiar not to suggest itself to every gentleman of the profession.” (Emphasis added.) Accord, United States v. Nixon, 235 U.S. 231, 235, 35 S. Ct. 49, 59 L. Ed. 207; State v. Tyrrell, 100 Conn. 101, 102, 122 A. 924; 4 Wharton, op. cit. § 1761; Wright, op. cit.
The defendant’s constitutional right to know the nature of the charges against him does not pose a difficult challenge to the prosecution. Ordinarily it is sufficient to charge a statutory offense in the words of the statute, unless the statute is overly general or indefinite so as to require greater particularity. State v. Moran, 99 Conn. 115, 117-18, 121 A. 277; State v. Costello, supra, 131; 4 Wharton, op. cit. §§1796, 1797; Wright, op. cit. The accused is not entitled to a preview of the prosecution’s case or to specifications that are merely evidential; 4 Wharton, op. cit. § 1764; nor is the state penalized for an unsldllfully drafted pleading, although it may *275properly be required to clarify ambiguities by filing an amended pleading. State v. Mola, 128 Conn. 407, 23 A.2d 126. If the state’s pleadings inform the accused of the charge against him with sufficient precision to enable him to prepare his defense and avoid prejudicial surprise, and to enable him to plead his acquittal or conviction in bar of any future prosecution for the same offense, they have performed their constitutional duty. Russell v. United States, 369 U.S. 749, 82 S. Ct. 1038, 8 L. Ed. 2d 240; United States v. Debrow, 346 U.S. 374, 74 S. Ct. 113, 98 L. Ed. 92; State v. Costello, supra; Wright, op. cit. § 125.
The state accused the defendant in this case with a so-called short form information. As permitted by Practice Book §493, it did not describe the offense charged with particularity but only stated the name of the offense and the specific section of the General Statutes which was allegedly violated. The rule permitting short form informations was adopted to “avoid unnecessary prolixity” such as was required at common law. State v. Davis, 141 Conn. 319, 320, 106 A.2d 159. The short form information has been held to be constitutional despite its brevity and incompleteness because the defendant has the opportunity to obtain the information to which he is constitutionally entitled by requesting a bill of particulars under Practice Book § 495. State v. Beaulieu, 164 Conn. 620, 325 A.2d 263; State v. Davis, supra, 321; State v. Pallotti, 119 Conn. 70, 72-73, 174 A. 74. Practice Book § 495 provides: “When an indictment or information charges an offense in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 493, but fails to inform the accused of the particulars of the offense sufficiently to enable him to prepare his defense, or to give him such information *276as he is entitled to under the constitution of this state, the court may, at any time, of its own motion, and shall, at the request of the accused made at or before the time at which his plea is entered, order the state’s attorney to furnish a bill of particulars containing such information as may be necessary for these purposes . . . As the Court of Appeals in New York said in the principal case upholding the constitutionality of short form indictments and informations, “a voluntary failure to assert a right provided by statute constitutes a weak foundation for a claim that the statute deprives the accused of a constitutional right.”1 People v. Bogdanoff, 254 N.Y. 16, 31, 171 N.E. 890. Practice Book §§ 493-499A do not purport to change the constitutional standards by which the state’s criminal pleadings are measured. They only shift the burden of requesting the complete statement of facts onto the .accused. Therefore, when the accused requests a full bill of particulars, the burden is again on the state to supply an adequately informative pleading.
The bill of particulars which the state supplies becomes a part of the record. Practice Book § 498. Thus, when a short form information is employed, the sufficiency of the state’s pleadings can be tested by reading the information in conjunction with the bill of particulars. The problem may arise that the bill of particulars furnished by the state still does not adequately inform the defendant. That problem should never become critical, because supplemental bills of particulars may be ordered by the court or furnished voluntarily by the prosecution. Practice *277Book § 497. To enforce the constitutional mandate, Practice Book § 499 provides: “If it appears from the bills of particulars . . . that the particulars stated do not constitute the offense charged in the indictment or information . . . , the court shall quash the indictment or information unless the state’s attorney shall furnish another bill of particulars which so states the particulars as to show that the particulars constitute the offense charged in the indictment or information . . . .”2
An intent to defraud was one of the essential elements of the offense defined by General Statutes § 53-360. When intent is an essential element of the alleged offense, the accused must be so informed by the state’s pleadings. State v. McGee, 81 Conn. 696, 698-99, 72 A. 141; State v. Wilson, 30 Conn. 500, 503-504; see United States v. Behrman, 258 U.S. 280, 288, 42 S. Ct. 303, 66 L. Ed. 619; United States v. Britton, 107 U.S. 655, 669, 2 S. Ct. 512, 27 L. Ed. 520; Walker v. United States, 342 F.2d 22 (5th Cir.); State v. Fontenot, 256 La. 12, 235 So. 2d 75; People v. McGuire, 5 N.Y.2d 523, 158 N.E.2d 830; 4 Wharton, op. cit. § 1773; Wright, op. cit. § 125. The averment in the short form information of an attempt to obtain money by false pretenses was not sufficient to allege the necessary specific intent; State v. Wilson, supra; 4 Wharton, op. cit. §1773; nor was the omission of the essential factual allegation of intent cured by reference in the information to § 53-360. Schooner Hoppet v. United States, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 389, 3 L. Ed. 380; Sutton v. United States, 157 F.2d 661, 664-65 (5th Cir.). The information and bill of particulars given the defendant in the present case, read together, were defective, *278not because they were unskillfully or imprecisely drafted but because they completely omitted to aver an essential element of the offense charged, namely, the intent to defraud.
The state argues that the defendant waived any defects in the information and bill of particulars by assuring the court, through counsel, that the answers contained in the bill of particulars were sufficient and by failing to object until after the state had put on its case. See State v. Kemp, 126 Conn. 60, 84, 9 A.2d 63; State v. McGee, supra. Since the state could still amend its pleadings by filing a supplemental bill of particulars, either voluntarily or on order of the court, the defendant’s motion was not untimely. Furthermore, the majority rule in this country, to which Connecticut adheres, is that the omission in the state’s pleadings of an essential ingredient of the offense charged cannot be waived. State v. Couture, 151 Conn. 213, 216, 196 A.2d 113; State v. Keena, 63 Conn. 329, 331-32, 28 A. 522; 4 Wharton, Criminal Law and Procedure §§ 1881, 1885. Indeed, in Keena, supra, and Couture, supra, this court discovered fatal defects in the informations even though counsel for the defendants had themselves not argued them. The failure to allege the commission of an offense is a deficiency “of such importance in the Orderly processes of criminal justice that we direct attention to them.” State v. Couture, supra, 216. I must conclude that the trial court erred in failing either to dismiss the information or to order the state’s attorney to amend it. Practice Book § 499.
The error does not, however, require reversal unless it was harmful. The usual rule is that the appellant bears the burden of establishing that *279an error was “materially injurious” to him.3 General Statutes § 52-265; State v. L’Heureux, 166 Conn. 312, 323, 348 A.2d 578. When, however, a federal constitutional error has occurred, the burden shifts to the state, and before the error can be held harmless, this court “must be able to declare a belief that it was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.” Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705; see also State v. L’Heureux, supra.
After a thorough examination of the record in this case, and of pertinent parts of the transcript, I conclude that the standard of Chapman v. California, supra, has been satisfied and that the error was harmless. The state’s pleadings were sufficient to enable the defendant to plead his conviction in bar of any future prosecution for the same offense. The record does not remotely suggest that the defendant was surprised at trial or was prejudiced *280in the preparation of his defense. Counsel for the defendant was well aware of the intent requirement in General Statutes § 53-360. He did not feel the need to request a continuance. My conclusion is corroborated by the fact that on appeal the defendant has not pointed to any possibility of prejudice.
It might be argued that the defendant could have been prejudiced when the incomplete bill of particulars was transmitted to the jury along with the defendant’s request for the bill of particulars, which asked for a statement of the “specific nature of the offense” and of the “specific acts performed by the defendant which constitute all necessary elements of the crime.” The jury, it might be suggested, could have been misled into ignoring the requirement of intent. I am satisfied, however, that this possibility was negatived by the trial judge, who scrupulously instructed the jury on the requirement of intent. The defendant, I note, has not assigned any error in the charge.
The defendant argues that our rule has always been that, even in the absence of prejudice, an indictment or information that fails to allege all the essential elements of the offense charged cannot result in a valid conviction. That is the majority rule in the United States, and it has been the rule in Connecticut. See, e.g., State v. Keena, 63 Conn. 329, 28 A. 522; State v. Costello, 62 Conn. 128, 25 A. 477; 4 Wharton, op. cit. § 1881; but see State v. Couture, 151 Conn. 213, 196 A.2d 113. Where the short form accusation is not itself fatally defective, however, omissions in supplemental bills of particulars do not deprive the trial court of jurisdiction. I believe the more sensible view to be that nonprejudicial nonjurisdietional defects in the bill of partie*281nlars do not require dismissal. See United States v. Denmon, 483 F.2d 1093, 1096 (8th Cir.); Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure § 125.4
In conclusion, the constitutions of this state and the United States impose on the prosecution the duty of fully informing the defendant of the nature and cause of the accusation against him. In my view, the prosecution did not fulfill that important duty in this case.

 In the rare case in which an accused is not represented by counsel, that justification may appear strained, and the use of a short form accusation would raise a constitutional problem not hitherto presented to this court.

 See also Practice Book § 499A, not in effect at the time of the defendant’s trial.

 The “harmless error” test has been variously stated, and the versions appearing in our reports are not always consistent with eaeh other. Compare State v. Vennard, 159 Conn. 385, 393, 270 A.2d 837 (“the defendant has the burden of showing that the rulings were probably harmful to him” [emphasis added]) with State v. Tropiano, 158 Conn. 412, 427, 262 A.2d 147, cert. denied, 398 U.S. 949, 90 S. Ct. 1866, 26 L. Ed. 2d 288 (“[i]f the record discloses that the rulings could not reasonably have affected the verdict, they were not harmful and hence not reversible error”. [emphasis added]). This is not the case in which to attempt to'reconcile the various expressions, though it is pertinent to recall Justice Frankfurter’s admonition that “justice must satisfy the appearance of justice.” Offutt v. United States, 348 U.S. 11, 14, 75 S. Ct. 11, 99 L. Ed. 11. “[H]armless-error rules can work very unfair and mischievous results when, for example, highly important and persuasive evidence, or argument, though legally forbidden, finds its way into a trial in which the question of guilt or innocence is a close one.” Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 22, 87 S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705, rehearing denied, 386 U.S. 987, 87 S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705. See also Fahy v. Connecticut, 375 U.S. 85, 86-87, 84 S. Ct. 229, 11 L. Ed. 2d 771.

 As Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure, pp. 233-34 says: “The fundamental purpose of the pleadings is to inform the defendant of the charge so that he may prepare for his defense, and the test of sufficiency ought to be whether it is fair to the defendant to require him to defend on the basis of the charge as stated in the particular indictment or information. The stated requirement that every ingredient or essential element of the offense should be alleged must be read in the light of the fairness test just suggested.”