Court Opinion

ID: 9636763
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 14:42:06.61288+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:49.019254
License: Public Domain

O’CONNELL, Circuit Judge
(dissenting in part).
In my opinion, only the judgment entered against defendant Klass should be reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial, and the judgments against defendants Happel and Stalford should be affirmed. For purposes of convenience, I shall discuss the issues in the same order as they are presented in the majority opinion of this court.

A. The scope of the cross-examination and the admission of the rebuttal testimony.

I am persuaded that the questions asked defendants by the prosecution and the receipt of the rebuttal testimony were at least matters in which the trial judge could properly exercise discretion. Voluntarily taking the stand in his own behalf, Klass in direct examination had testified as follows:
Mr. Abramson (Klass’ counsel) : “Had you built any other houses before this?’’
Mr. Klass: “No, sir, I didn’t.”
*382Mr. Abramson: “This is the first house you ever built ?”
Mr. Klass: “Yes, sir.”
Mr. Abramson: “Have you ever bought or sold any other houses besides this one ?”
Mr. Klass: “No, sir, I didn’t.”
It seems to me questionable that this testimony was elicited merely to explain Klass’ experience as a man dealing in real estate, and not as part of a defense seeking to establish that his position was not one readily adaptable to a scheme to violate the priority regulations. In any event, of his own accord Klass opened the door to inquiry into the nature of his real estate activities. It was virtually inevitable, after the defense in cross-examining the government witnesses had obviously directed its efforts toward impeaching the credibility of those witnesses, and after the defense affirmatively had sought to prove a diametrically contrary set of facts, that the credibility of the defense witnesses would likewise be subjected to piercing cross-examination and such rebuttal testimony as was available. In this connection, it might be pointed out that the sales to Krucovsky and Reddington did not come to the attention of the United States Attorney until the day when Happel and Klass were recalled to the stand. Consequently, I believe that the questions asked defendants and the introduction of the rebuttal testimony directly affecting their credibility was completely proper.1
In support of the principle outlined above, Dowling Bros. Distilling Co. v. United States, 6 Cir., 1946, 153 F.2d 353, certiorari denied Gould v. United States, 1946, 328 U.S. 848, 66 S.Ct. 1120, 90 L.Ed. 1622, rehearing denied 1946, 329 U.S. 820, 67 S.Ct. 29, with a set of facts not unlike those of the case sub judice, is apropos. In the court’s own words, “Another grie-vanee relates to the admission, by way of rebuttal, of testimony received from witnesses, Rothman, Gustin and Friedman, as to overpayments made by each of them to Gould under circumstances similar to those charged in the indictment. This' evidence is sharply attacked as incompetent because it tended to show crimes other than those charged in the indictment, and also attacked as not proper evidence in rebuttal. It appears, however, that Gould, while a witness in his own defense, had testified on cross-examination that he never sold any whiskey over the ceiling. It was proper rebuttal going to the credibility of Gould, whatever infirmity, if any, might have attached to it in other circumstances. It is well established that evidence otherwise admissible does not become inadmissible merely because it tends to show other offenses not charged, and its reception is within the sound discretion of the Court. [Citing cases.]” 153 F.2d at page 361.
The Dowling Bros, case seems to me to have resolved any inconsistency which might previously have existed in the court decisions cited in the majority opinion, and supports the admission of testimony such as that adduced in the case sub judice.
If the evidence was admissible as affecting credibility, defendants would be compelled to resort to an argument that the court below nonetheless admitted the evidence solely for another purpose allegedly improper, and that this constituted prejudicial error. For the moment I shall assume arguendo that the court below erred in admitting the testimony for the purpose of proving intent or wilfulness. Even so, the cases appear to me to refute the contention that reversible error was thereby committed, particularly when it is noted that the United States Attorney offered the testimony partially as affecting credibility.2 In Haywood v. United States, 7 Cir., 1920, *383268 F. 795, certiorari denied 1921, 256 U.S. 689, 41 S.Ct. 449, 65 L.Ed. 1172, which involved a conspiracy by officers of the I.W.W. to violate or obstruct the execution of various federal laws, the defendants objected to the receipt in evidence of matters antedating the passage of two of the statutes. On review, the appellate court said, at page 806 of 268 F., “If the court erred in admitting them on the ground that they had probative force in establishing the criminal intent charged in these counts, the ruling was harmless if the matters were in fact admissible on any ground.” (Emphasis supplied.) In Silverman v. United States, 1 Cir., 1932, 59 F.2d 636, certiorari denied 1932, 287 U.S. 640, 53 S.Ct. 89, 77 L.Ed. 554, the trial court was assumed to have admitted certain bank balances in evidence to contradict the statements of the defendant that her husband had a little antique shop. The bank statements were not admissible for that purpose, but could have been admitted to show financial dealings inconsistent with the defendant’s occupation as a housewife. The court said, at page 639 of 59 F.2d, “Being admissible for this [latter] purpose, the evidence was not prejudicial because it was admitted on erroneous grounds, and on the record the verdict of the jury seems to have been fully warranted. [Citing cases.]” See also Rule 52(a), Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, 18 U.S.C.A. following section 687, and I Wigmore on Evidence, § 13, page 300.
Moreover, I am by no means convinced that intent or wilfulness was not a necessary element of the offense charged. In United States v. Angelo, 3 Cir., 1946, 153 F.2d 247, at page 249, this court took the position that “The penal provisions of the basic statute [the Second War Powers Act of 1942] are applicable only to violations of a statute which are willful.” I see no reason why this statement should be limited to cases involving counterfeit ration stamps, nor why the situation here under consideration warrants a different result. Also, in Stein v. United States, 9 Cir., 1946, 153 F.2d 737, at page 741, certiorari denied 1946, 328 U.S. 834, 66 S.Ct. 980, 90 L.Ed. 1610, it was stated that an offense against the Second War Powers Act consists of “the performance of a prohibited act and the performance of it wilfully.” See also Wilton v. United States, 9 Cir., 1946, 156 F.2d 433, 435. Furthermore, that at least one defendant here appealing deemed wilfulness important is attested by the fact that Klass’ counsel requested the court to charge that “wilfulness is a necessary ingredient of the offense * * * ” Under the circumstances, I think it was hardly superfluous for the United States Attorney to set out to prove, and for the trial judge to put the government to the task of establishing, that the behavior of defendants was wilful; for the failure to do so might well have been criticized later as reversible error; nor can defendants complain of the adoption of a greater burden of proof by the government than the circumstances may have required. Proving wilfulness by introducing evidence of other acts of a similar nature has been deemed permissible by this court in two recent cases. See United States v. Fawcett, 3 Cir., 1940, 115 F.2d 764, 768, 132 A.L.R. 404, and United States v. Bradley, 3 Cir., 1945, 152 F.2d 425, 426; and see United States v. Platt, 7 Cir., 1946, 156 F.2d 326, 327, and 1 Zoline’s Federal Criminal Law and Procedure, §§ 359 and 360, pages 299-302.
For the reasons stated, I am impelled to the conclusion that the trial court did not commit reversible error in choosing to permit the cross-examination and rebuttal testimony here challenged.

B. The charge on character testimony.

In United States v. Quick, 3 Cir., 1942, 128 F.2d 832, 835, this court had occasion to analyze in detail the requirements of a court charge as to character evidence. It is apparently undisputed that all standards of the Quick case have been met; but the charge nonetheless has been here held fatally defective because of the inclusion of the “overwhelming evidence” clause. While I agree that this portion of the charge might have been more fully and more artistically drawn, I am not prepared to say that the jury was not given an adequate and proper basis for weighing and considering the evidence. Reading the charge as a whole, I believe that the in*384structions to the jury concerning the character testimony were not so confusing and misleading as to constitute prejudicial error. Like my brother Goodrich, I think stereotyped charges on character testimony will become prevalent unless trial judges are permitted some leeway in expressing what weight should be accorded such testimony. It should be noted that, in any event, Happel cannot assert reversible error on the basis of this charge, since no character testimony was introduced on his behalf.

C. The charge on possible anomalous findings of guilt.

I agree with the majority decision that the rights of Klass were affected substantially and prejudicially by the intimation that his acquittal would be improper if Happel and Stalford were found guilty. In my opinion, however, this error could not be asserted as the ground for the reversal of the convictions of Happel and Stalford, both because only Klass has questioned the propriety of the charge, and because the effect of the error was to provide an additional and unwarranted basis for the acquittal of Happel and Stalford; i. e., had the jury found Klass not guilty, it might have felt compelled to return similar verdicts in favor of Happel and Stalford as well. Moreover, the trial judge likewise instructed the jury that “If, however, you find that any one or both of these other two [Happel and Stalford] were simply sales agents and didn’t enter into the proposition as aiding and abetting, then they could not be held as principals, because Klass •atas the builder and the theory of the government, as I have told you is that they aided and abetted, counselled and advised him and assisted him.” (Emphasis supplied.) Accordingly, I do not see how Happel and Stalford could have been adversely affected by the charge, which, in fact, was substantially that requested by Happel’s attorney.
In view of the foregoing comments, I believe that the judgments entered against Happel and Stalford should be affirmed, and that the judgment against Klass should be reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial.

The majority opinion, takes the position that questions as to sale price went beyond the legitimate scope of cross-examination, particularly as to Happel and Stafford. I am not prepared to say that as a matter of law such questions were not germane, especially when it is recalled that defendants were being tried upon the theory of having jointly violated the priorities regulation.

The explanation of the United States Attorney for offering the testimony was, “The plain purpose, if your Honor please, is based upon a long-established line of cases which permits similar transactions at about the same time as bearing on the question of wiffulness, the question of intent, the question of truth." (Emphasis supplied.)