Court Opinion

ID: 9846084
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:34:22.447248+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:16:33.083259
License: Public Domain

Evans, Judge,
concurring specially. I concur in the majority opinion and in the judgment of affirmance, but feel compelled to add additional reasons why the judgment should be affirmed. The trial judge did not err in refusing, if he refused, to allow defendant’s counsel to cross examine one of his own witnesses after his counsel pleaded entrapment. The witness in question was a Baptist minister.
When the witness, a minister of the gospel was called to the stand he requested that he be privileged not to testify and stated: "And in helping these people I find that they reveal to me, and *140it’s necessary that they reveal to me, matters that are personal and confidential, and strictly confidential, and under the ethics of my ministry I am not allowed to even reveal to my own wife. And so I am asking the indulgence of this court to allow me this privilege to refrain from answering questions that might betray the confidence and trust of this man that I have tried to help, Mr. Morgan Newsome, unless the court deems it necessary for the fair and impartial trial of this case.”
It would appear that this minister-witness thereby properly invoked the provisions of Ga. L. 1951, p. 468, (Code Ann. § 38-419.1) as follows: "Every communication made by any'person professing religious faith, or seeking spiritual comfort, to any Protestant minister of the Gospel, or to any priest of the Roman Catholic faith, or to any priest of the Greek Orthodox Catholic faith, or to any Jewish rabbi, or to any Christian or Jewish minister, by whatever name called, shall be deemed privileged. No such minister, priest or rabbi shall disclose any communications made to him by any such person professing religious faith, or seeking spiritual guidance, or be competent or compellable to testify with reference to any such communication in any court.” (Emphasis supplied.)
The above language therefore renders such testimony incompetent as well as not compellable. All of the cross examination sought of this witness fell within the range and scope of privileged communications.
Generally, certain confidential communications may be waived, but under some statutes they cannot. 97 CJS 849, 850, Witnesses, § 306. It appears that plaintiff’s counsel undertook to waive any right he had to insist upon the confidential nature of the testimony. While we find no authorities on this question, we apprehend it applies equally to the witness and to the party, and it is quite clear that the witness himself did not waive it, but, on the contrary, insisted upon whatever protection the law afforded him in this respect.
In this State, under the confidential communications statutes, it appears that public policy decrees that the relationship of attorney and client (Code §§ 38-419 and 38-1604) and ministers and persons professing religious faith or seeking spiritual comfort (Code *141§38-419.1; Ga. L. 1951, p. 468) is absolutely privileged, and the privilege cannot be waived. Neither the attorney nor the minister can be compelled to so testify as to confidential communications. As to ministers, the statute reads: "No such minister . . . shall disclose any communications ... or be competent or compellable to testify with reference to any such communication in any court.” In Peek v. Boone, 90 Ga. 767, 774 (17 SE 66), the Supreme Court held as to attorneys: "Public policy requires that persons should feel that they may securely say anything to members of the profession in seeking aid in their difficulties, although the person whose advice they seek may have been employed, or may be after-wards employed, against them.” Once the public policy of this State has been established, it cannot be waived. Code § 102-106; Bishop v. Act-O-Lane Gas Service Co., 91 Ga. App. 154, 165 (85 SE2d 169); Swint v. Smith, 219 Ga. 532 (3) (134 SE2d 595). The Supreme Court, on several occasions, has declared it to be against public policy for confidential communications between an attorney and his client to be released. See Peek v. Boone, 90 Ga. 767, supra; Lewis v. State, 91 Ga. 168 (4) (16 SE 986). Likewise, the Court of Appeals has also followed this statement of the law. Braxley v. State, 17 Ga. App. 196 (14) (86 SE 425). I think that from the language of the statute as to ministers and persons seeking spiritual comfort, as stated in Ga. L. 1951, p. 468, supra, such communications and anything regarding the same are absolutely privileged and excluded by public policy in order'that persons may feel free and secure in seeking aid in their difficulties, and without protection to the ministers as well, such persons would fear that their secrets would be disclosed to society in general. These conversations or communications cannot be waived, as public policy will not allow it. Accordingly, this minister’s testimony should not have been allowed in evidence over his specific request, and the court, under Code § 38-1704, should have protected him. All of the testimony obtained from him under these circumstances was void as against public policy, and this court should not reverse the lower court on matters arising out of this testimony, which should not have been considered under any circumstances.
Further, considerable doubt exists in my mind as to whether proper grounds of entrapment were laid by defendants’ counsel. *142He did not offer any testimony or evidence to show entrapment, nor did he "state in his place” as an attorney and officer of the court that he had been entrapped. It appears that in pleading entrapment he simply claimed the right to cross examine the minister, and thereafter did cross examine said witness thoroughly respecting the subject of disagreement between counsel' and the witness. The remedy afforded where there has been entrapment is to allow counsel to interrogate the witness as to such former contradictory statements, which right was fully accorded in this case. "Where a witness who had been introduced by one of the parties to the case gave testimony, on the direct examination, in a material matter which was in conflict with statements within the knowledge of the examining attorney who had introduced the witness, which the witness had made on former occasions, once in a statement to the examining attorney, and at another time in testimony on a former trial at which the attorney was present, and where it appeared from the statement of the examining attorney that the attorney had been entrapped by the former statements of the witness, it was proper for the court to permit the attorney, for the purpose of impeaching the witness, to interrogate the witness with reference to the former statements and to prove those statements.” Piedmont Operating Co. v. Cummings, 40 Ga. App. 397 (6) (149 SE 814).
For the reasons stated above, I would affirm the trial court.