Court Opinion

ID: 9641926
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 17:43:24.078158+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:40.895789
License: Public Domain

Shea, J.
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I agree with part I of the opinion.
I disagree with part II which remands the case for further articulation (1) because there is a sufficient finding of actual bias in the memorandum of decision and (2) because deliberate falsehood upon the part of a juror on the voir dire related to matters material to his qualifications as a juror present a situation where bias should be implied.
I
The portion of the memorandum of decision1 which I believe constitutes a finding of actual bias is where the court, having referred to “facts or *315prejudices on the part of the juror which would have justified challenges for cause,” proceeds to find “that by such responses Carboni intentionally failed to disclose certain information which would have tended to show such facts or prejudices on his part . . . (Emphasis added.) It is clear, therefore, that the trial court has found that this juror intentionally failed to disclose information which would likely have shown that he had prejudices justifying a challenge for cause. The majority do not question the evidentiary basis for that finding and it cannot be successfully challenged in view of the discretion accorded to the trier in making factual determinations. I do not understand how this portion of the memorandum of decision can be construed other than as a finding of actual bias. Is it possible that a candid response by the juror would have disclosed “facts or prejudices on his part” warranting a challenge for cause without his being biased? I do not think so.
II
I also feel that where a juror has intentionally deceived counsel and the court in matters material to his qualifications, bias should be implied. I do not believe that Smith v. Phillips, 455 U.S. 209, 102 *316S. Ct. 940, 71 L. Ed. 2d 78 (1982), was intended wholly to foreclose implied bias under such extreme and infrequent circumstances as those presented by this case where deliberate concealment has been found. Smith v. Phillips, supra, 948 (O’Connor, J., concurring). We should not in this fashion condone a clear violation of the voir dire oath. General Statutes § 1-25. The honesty and integrity of each juror is a fundamental postulate of our judicial system. In the rare case where its falsity has been demonstrated, the verdict cannot stand. I would find no error.