Court Opinion

ID: 9850435
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 04:57:15.719186+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:20:37.159178
License: Public Domain

SINGLETON, Judge,
dissenting.
I agree with the court’s handling of most of the issues in this case. I cannot agree, however, with its conclusion that Richey’s defense counsel abandoned his right to cross-examine Rosenda Topps regarding a prior admittedly false accusation against Richey. I therefore dissent from the court’s decision to affirm.
Richey’s counsel was forced to make a number of split-second decisions in properly interpreting her obligations under Alaska Evidence Rule 103 when faced with the state’s application for an order in limine, or protective order, in reliance on Alaska Evidence Rule 403. At the outset, it should be recognized that the Alaska Evidence Rules and the Federal Rules of Evidence upon which they are based do not specifically provide for orders in limine or protective orders regarding evidence. See, e.g., C. Wright and K. Graham, Federal Practice and Procedure: Evidence §§ 5037 at 194 (1977). Thus, counsel’s precise obligations in order to avoid a waiver or forfeiture under Evidence Rule 103 are not clearly defined. This problem is complicated further by the fact that a request by the prosecution that the trial court exercise discretion to exclude evidence under Alaska Rule of Evidence 403, may not qualify as an objection under Evidence Rule 103. See C. Wright and K. Graham, Federal Practice and Procedure: Evidence § 5036 at 176 (1977).
As I construe the record, the prosecution sought a protective order precluding Rich-ey from cross-examining Topps regarding the fact that she previously accused him of a similar assault and later retracted her claim under oath, conceding that she had lied. The trial court granted the prosecution a protective order barring this evidence relying on Alaska Evidence Rules 403 and 404. The trial court reasoned that the prior accusation and retraction, if ex*412plained, would be of little probative value and would be outweighed by confusion of the issues, i.e., requiring the jury, in effect, to try the prior assault which would lead to undue extension of the trial. The majority seems satisfied that the trial court erred. See Covington v. State, 703 P.2d 436 (Alaska App.1985), modified on other grounds, 711 P.2d 1183 (Alaska App.1985). A party has a right to show that a witness appearing against him has made false claims under oath in the past. See, e.g., 3A J. Wig-more, Evidence §§ 956-63 (Chadbourn rev. ed. 1970). Since Richey was prepared to limit his offer to cross-examination of the witness, the issues would not be unduly confusing nor the case unreasonably prolonged. Id. § 981 at 838.
I do not understand that the majority disputes any of these principles of law. What the majority finds troubling is defense counsel’s response to the trial court’s tentative ruling barring cross-examination on the basis that it would unduly prolong the trial. Defense counsel, in responding to the state’s motion for protective order, did indicate that she planned to limit her inquiry to the fact of the false statement in the hopes of keeping the surrounding circumstances out of evidence. Judge Ripley correctly pointed out that if the issue came up, the state would have the right to inquire further of the witness to explain away the inference that, because the witness made a false statement in the past, her statements at trial were untruthful. See 3A J. Wigmore, Evidence § 952 at 798 (Chadbourn rev. ed. 1970). The state vigorously argues on appeal that the dialogue between Judge Ripley and counsel for the state and counsel for the defense, constituted an implied waiver of Richey’s right to cross-examine, or, at the very least, indicated that defense counsel’s intent to cross-examine the witness about her false statement was conditioned on the court’s precluding the state from inquiring further about the surrounding circumstances. Were I convinced that the defense, in fact, made a conditional offer, and withdrew her offer when the condition was rejected, I would join in the court’s decision to affirm. I do not believe, however, that a fair reading of the record supports such a conclusion. I agree that Judge Ripley was correct in his assumption that if the defendant went into the issue, the state was entitled to attempt to rehabilitate Topps on redirect examination.1
I do not believe that this record will support a finding of “waiver” or abandonment by defense counsel. It may be proper to speak of “waiver” of an objection or of an offer where, after it is made, the party explicitly withdraws it or fails to press for a ruling. C. Wright and K. Graham, Federal Practice and Procedure: Evidence § 5039 at 200 (1977). It might also be appropriate to speak of an abandonment where by stipulation the parties lead the trial court to believe that there is no issue in controversy. See, e.g., Stiegele v. State, *413714 P.2d 356, 360-361 (Alaska App., 1986). In the instant case, however, Judge Ripley unquestionably ruled on the issue and granted the state’s motion for an order in limine. It is equally beyond question that Judge Ripley did not view Richey’s offer as conditional in any way and did not treat the offer as withdrawn. Judge Ripley understood counsel and was not mislead in any way. Under the circumstances, the finding of abandonment simply is not supported by the record.
Since the trial court’s erroneous ruling limited cross-examination of the state’s chief witness, we are obligated to reverse unless we can find that the error was harmless beyond reasonable doubt. See Evans v. State, 550 P.2d 830, 840-41 (Alaska 1976); Jackson v. State, 695 P.2d 227, 230-31 (Alaska App.1985). While the majority seems to suggest that cross-examination if pursued would have been more harmful than helpful to Richey, I do not believe we can say with any confidence that restrictions on cross-examination were harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. I would therefore reverse the decision of the trial court and grant Richey a new trial.

. I would stress, however, that there are limitations on the right to explain. As Wigmore points out, only an explanation is proper. Anything beyond an explanation is irrelevant, and further:
When to a witness is imputed hostility to the opponent, the true process of explanation consists in showing that the facts offered do not really indicate the conclusion suggested, i.e., the hostility. Thus, when the counter-evidence does not attempt to do this, but admits the hostility and desires to show that it was justifiable by the opponent’s conduct, the offer is improper in two ways, first, because it does not at all explain away, but concedes that hostility exists, and, secondly, because it tends to prejudice unfairly the cause of the opponent by showing him to be an unjust man. [Emphasis in original.]
3A J. Wigmore, Evidence § 952 at 799-800 (Chadbourn rev. ed. 1970). In this case, the defendant’s theory appears to be as follows:
(1) the witness accused Richey in the past;
(2) the accusation was false;
(3) the witness knew the accusation was false and recanted; and, therefore,
(4) the jury should disbelieve her in this case.
On re-direct the state would be allowed to challenge this theory by showing, e.g., that the prior accusation was not false and that the retraction was not motivated by the witness's desire to set the record straight. It would not be permitted to show that, true or false, Topps was justifiably afraid of Richey or had good cause to malign him.