Court Opinion

ID: 9638241
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 15:38:39.337339+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:05.143852
License: Public Domain

TEAGUE, Judge, dissenting.
I respectfully dissent for the following reasons, which were stated by Justice Whitham, joined by Justices Guillot, Rowe and Vance, in the dissenting opinion he filed in this cause when it was decided by the Court of Appeals. See Greene v. State, 651 S.W.2d 948 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1983):
In the present case the district attorney of Dallas County had the responsibility for the prosecution of both appellant and the witness Randall. Appellant sought to cross-examine witness Randall about the criminal charge pending against her for the purpose of showing bias and motive on her part to testify for the prosecution in appellant’s case. It was important for appellant to show the jury that Randall’s damaging testimony could be tainted by the possibility that in exchange for her favorable testimony for the State she might expect, or have some hope of, leniency from the prosecution in the charge pending against her. I would hold that in the present case the trial court erred in refusing to allow appellant to cross-examine a State’s witness about the criminal charge pending against her. Moreover, I cannot agree that the error in refusing to allow appellant to cross-examine witness Randall on this point was harmless to appellant. Great significance was attached to her testimony by the prosecutor. She was the prosecution’s only rebuttal witness and her testimony served to contradict appellant’s emphatic denials of any violent behavior *364towards the deceased after a peace bond was issued. Further, the prosecutor’s comments in closing argument about Randall’s testimony emphasized its damaging nature.
The majority fails to tell us that witness Randall was called as the sole rebuttal witness. The State saved witness Randall for rebuttal for the purpose of identifying appellant as a liar. I simply cannot agree that an accused has not been harmed when denied the right to show bias and motive on the part of a sole rebuttal witness used for this purpose by the State. I would hold that appellant had the right to pursue the line of cross-examination in question and that it was reversible error for the trial court to preclude appellant from this line of cross-examination.
MILLER, J., joins.