Court Opinion

ID: 9781885
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 17:35:04.18333+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:34:41.024452
License: Public Domain

EDMONDS, P. J.,
concurring in part, dissenting in part.
I agree with the majoritys ruling regarding defendant’s motion to suppress; however, I disagree, for the reasons that follow, with the majority’s ruling that the trial court erred when it denied defendant’s motion for a mistrial.
During trial, a police officer testified in response to a question from the prosecutor regarding how defendant responded when asked whether he wanted to take an Intoxi-lyzer test. The officer testified that defendant said that “[h]e wanted to call his lawyer before making that decision.” The majority concludes that the prejudice to the defense arising from the officer’s testimony could not be remedied by the court’s curative instruction and, therefore, defendant was denied a fair trial. In my view, the majoritys reasoning and conclusion depart from the applicable standard of review and from controlling precedents.
The threshold issue is whether defendant’s motion for a mistrial was timely. After defendant objected during the officer’s direct examination, defendant cross-examined the witness, and the state conducted redirect examination. The objection occurred at transcript page 126. Defendant’s cross-examination begins at transcript page 137. The state’s redirect examination commences at transcript page 146, and the *463state rested its case-in-chief at transcript page 148. At transcript page 149 — 23 pages after defendant’s initial objection — defendant moved for a mistrial “based on the comment about the lawyer.” The trial court responded, “Okay. That’s denied still.”
A ruling on a motion for mistrial is not preserved unless it is made timely. In State v. Barone, 328 Or 68, 90, 969 P2d 1013 (1998), cert den, 528 US 1135 (2000), the Supreme Court held that ££[t]o preserve error, a motion for a mistrial must be made timely, i.e., it must be made as soon as the objectionable statement or event occurs.” As the court explained in State v. Shafer, 222 Or 230, 235, 351 P2d 941 (1960), “[t]he time to move for a mistrial is when the allegedly prejudicial act occurs, not after the incident has been allowed to pass by, for then it is too late for the trial judge to caution the jury and mend the harm.”
The motion for a mistrial in this case occurred after the state finished direct examination, after defendant and the state completed cross-examination and redirect examination respectively, and after the state rested its case-in-chief. Under the applicable case law, the motion for a mistrial came too late to preserve the claim of error. Nevertheless, the majority carves out an unprecedented exception to the applicable case law. It initially concludes that the state concedes “that the trial court understood that defendant intended to seek a mistrial after Berry testified that defendant wanted to call his lawyer before deciding whether to take the breath test.” 223 Or App at 452. It follows, in the majority’s view, that it was not necessary for defendant to move for a mistrial after the trial court gave its curative instruction and that the motion that was made at the end of the state’s case was timely. The majority errs in both respects.
First, the majority reads the state’s purported concession out of its context. The entire statement in the state’s brief asserts,
“When defendant objected, the trial court sustained his objection and immediately gave a curative instruction to the jury — necessarily showing that, in its discretion, mistrial was not required and that any harm would be cured by its instruction. If defendant believed that this instruction *464was insufficient, or that the prosecutor’s admonition to the witness not to mention ‘lawyer’ was prejudicial, he was obligated to make that objection known immediately to the court. Instead, he waited to move for a mistrial until the conclusion of this witness’s testimony and until after the state rested its case in chief. At that point it was too late.”
(Emphasis added.)
The state’s argument, when understood in its proper context, is correct. The law imposed an obligation on defendant to make a motion for a mistrial immediately after the trial court gave its curative instruction if he was dissatisfied with the effect of the instruction. Had he done so, the court could have assessed the need to give additional instructions to cure any remaining prejudice or to grant a mistrial. Defendant never afforded the trial court the timely opportunity to exercise its discretion that the policy of the law affords, as discussed more fully below. Instead, the trial court could reasonably believe that defendant abandoned any intention to move for a mistrial at that time by remaining silent and proceeding to cross-examine the officer.
Under State v. Wyatt, 331 Or 335, 343, 15 P3d 22 (2000), defendant, in order to preserve the issue he raises on appeal, was obligated to explain to the trial court why its curative instruction was not sufficient to remedy the prejudice that had occurred at the time that the instruction was given. In Wyatt, the Supreme Court held that the defendant’s failure to object to a particular sanction imposed by the trial court for the violation of the reciprocal discovery statutes or, in the alternative, to argue for some other sanction, failed to preserve a claim on appeal that the trial court erred in failing to consider the availability of a less onerous sanction. 331 Or at 343. The Wyatt court’s holding is based on its discussion of the applicable case law and the basic policy underlying the doctrine of preservation that flows from those cases. As the court explained, “a party must provide the trial court with an explanation of his or her objection that is specific enough to ensure that the court can identify its alleged error with enough clarity to permit it to consider and correct the error immediately, if correction is warranted.” Id.
*465The rule of Wyatt is applicable to the circumstances in this case where defendant did not move for a mistrial immediately after the court gave its curative instruction, thereby depriving the trial court of the opportunity to exercise its discretion and correct any error. The governing case law unquestionably requires a party to make an immediate motion for a mistrial in order to preserve that issue for appeal. See, e.g., State v. Walton, 311 Or 223, 247-48, 809 P2d 81 (1991) (holding that a motion for a mistrial regarding testimony to which the trial court had sustained an objection made after two other witnesses had testified was untimely); State v. Montez, 309 Or 564, 601, 789 P2d 1352 (1990) (holding that no timely objection was made to a portion of the prosecutor’s closing arguments when the defendant did not move for a mistrial at the time that the statements were made but instead responded to the statements in his closing argument); Shafer, 222 Or at 235 (holding that a motion for a mistrial made at the commencement of a later session of the trial was untimely because “[t]he time to move for a mistrial is when the allegedly prejudicial act occurs, not after the incident has been allowed to pass by, for then it is too late for the trial judge to caution the jury and mend the harm”).
Nonetheless, the majority reasons,
“In this case, when defense counsel asserted that he had ‘a matter for the court,’ the court understood what the ‘matter’ was. * * * Rather than giving defendant an immediate opportunity to make his mistrial motion outside the presence of the jury, the court here took the actions that it believed to be appropriate in response to the offending testimony: It warned the prosecutor of the possibility of a mistrial and gave the jury a curative instruction. Had defense counsel expressly moved for a mistrial at the outset, rather than signaling his intent by merely saying, ‘I have a matter for the court,’ there is no reason to believe that the court’s response would have been any different. Under the circumstances, defendant should not be penalized on preservation grounds because the court chose to respond to the situation as it did.”
223 Or App at 453.
The majority’s speculation that the court would have summarily denied a motion for a mistrial had it been made *466immediately is unsupported by the record. There is no indication from the record about what the trial court would have done had defendant made an immediate motion for a mistrial. For all that this court knows, the court’s ruling on defendant’s belated motion for a mistrial was based on the lack of timeliness when the court responded, “Okay. That’s denied still.” More importantly, at no time — neither at the time that he objected nor at the time that he moved for a mistrial — did defendant explain to the trial court why its curative instruction was inadequate to cure any prejudice. The ruling by the trial court was followed by the instruction to the prosecutor, “if I hear that word again * * * you’re going to start all over again.” Not once after the court gave its cautionary instruction and the prosecutor resumed her examination of defendant did defendant object or ask to be heard out of the presence of the jury concerning this issue until after the state rested. Additionally, the sum total that defendant told the trial court when he did move for a mistrial at the end of the state’s case was, “I’ll respectfully move for a mistrial based on the comment about the lawyer.” As is evident, defendant never informed the trial court at any time why its curative instruction was legally insufficient to cure any prejudice. In effect, the majority’s reasoning requires the trial court to be prescient concerning any purported inadequacy in the curative instruction.
Also, in support of its reasoning, the majority posits that “[w]hen the court gives a curative instruction without waiting for an anticipated mistrial motion to be made expressly, the underlying purpose of that preservation requirement is fulfilled.” 223 Or App at 454. There is no legal support for the majority’s ruling. The majority relies on State v. Wilson, 121 Or App 460, 855 P2d 657, rev den, 318 Or 61 (1993), and State v. Lundbom, 96 Or App 458, 773 P2d 11, rev den, 308 Or 382 (1989), which do not stand for the proposition that the majority advances. In Wilson, defense counsel objected during the state’s rebuttal closing argument, and the trial court sustained the defendant’s objection to the prosecutor’s remark. Defense counsel did not move for a mistrial until after the jury returned its verdict. We held that
“defendant’s motion for a mistrial at a later time on that ground was untimely. It is incumbent on defendant to move *467for a mistrial at the time that the allegedly improper remarks were made. Accordingly, we decline to consider defendant’s argument.”
121 Or App at 470.
Also, during closing arguments, the prosecutor in Wilson argued that the victim was in therapy. The defendant objected on the ground that there was no evidence that the child was in therapy. The trial court overruled that objection. We held under Lundbom that “[b]ecause defendant’s objection was overruled, his motion for a mistrial on the above ground was timely.” 121 Or App at 470-71. In Lundbom, the defendant did not request the court to give curative instructions or to declare a mistrial on the ground that the prosecutor had referred to the defendant’s expert witness and counsel as “pimps.” However, he did move for a new trial on grounds of misconduct of the prevailing party. The trial court denied the motion, and, on appeal, we framed the issue as whether the trial court committed reversible error when it denied that motion after failing to sustain the objections to the prosecutor’s remarks. We reversed the defendant’s conviction and remanded for a new trial, explaining,
“The trial court, therefore, should have sustained the objections. Instead, it overruled defendant’s first objection and merely noted his second. For all practical purposes, that action foreclosed the possibility that defendant would obtain a curative instruction. Given the trial court’s earlier failure to sustain defendant’s objections, it committed reversible error when it failed to grant him a new trial.
“Finally, it will not do to argue that, because defendant failed to request curative instructions or a mistrial, we should not consider the error. The trial court’s responses to his objection made it obvious that it was not disposed to grant either request. Given the circumstances, we believe that defense counsel did all that was required of him. Moreover, counting defendant’s motion for a new trial, the trial court had three opportunities to correct the prejudice to defendant. The error was adequately preserved.”
96 Or App at 462.
Our holdings in Wilson illustrate why the majority’s reasoning is flawed. In this case, as in Wilson, the trial court *468sustained defendant’s objection. In Wilson, because the trial court sustained the defendant’s objection, the defendant’s motion for a mistrial at a later time on that ground was held to be untimely. In contrast to what occurred in this case, the trial court in Wilson also overruled the defendant’s objection to the prosecutor’s argument that the victim was in therapy. Under the reasoning in Lundbom, the Wilson court concluded that, for all practical purposes, the trial court’s overruling of the defendant’s objection foreclosed the possibility of the trial court giving a curative instruction. That reasoning is inapplicable here where the trial court did in fact give a curative instruction. Thus, the majority is simply wrong when it concludes that Wilson and Lundbom hold that when a court gives a curative instruction without waiting for an anticipated mistrial motion to be made expressly, the underlying purpose of preservation is satisfied.1
The majority’s ruling — that, when a trial court gives a curative instruction without waiting for an anticipated mistrial motion, no mistrial motion is required to be made in order to preserve the issue for appeal — is wrong for an additional reason. In Wyatt, 331 Or at 343 n 6, the court discussed the various policy reasons for requiring preservation in a trial court as a predicate to review on appeal, such as ensuring that parties are not taken by surprise, ensuring that parties are not misled or denied opportunities to meet an argument made by an opponent, and promoting the efficient administration of justice and the saving of judicial time by avoiding the necessity of an appeal. Among the policy reasons mentioned in Wyatt is that the preservation rule is intended to prevent litigants from speculating on the outcome of a trial *469and then appealing if that outcome is adverse to their interests. Id. (citing Denham et ux v. Cuddeback, 210 Or 485, 493, 311 P2d 1014 (1957)).
In this case, defendant’s belated motion for a mistrial gave rise to an inference that he was using the motion as a fallback position in the event that he was unlikely to be acquitted. The failure to grant a mistrial in this case is reversible error only if the officer’s testimony was so prejudicial as to have denied defendant a fair trial. State v. Sparks, 336 Or 298, 327, 83 P3d 304 (2004). If, in fact, a fair trial was no longer available to defendant after the officer’s testimony and after the trial court gave its curative instruction, then the law required him to move for a mistrial immediately. However, rather than moving for a mistrial immediately, defendant elected to cross-examine the officer. Thus, defendant’s election not to move for a mistrial at the time of the instruction runs afoul of the principle that litigants will not be permitted to speculate on the outcome of their trial strategy in lieu of making a timely motion and then appeal when that outcome is adverse to their interests. See, e.g., Transamerica Title Ins. v. Millar, 258 Or 258, 482 P2d 163 (1971) (holding that a party is deemed to have waived an error or irregularity that occurs during trial where the party has knowledge of the error or irregularity, fails to call it to the attention of the court, and remains silent, speculating on the outcome of the trial).2 In sum, because defendant did not afford a timely opportunity to the trial court to rule on his motion for a mistrial, his claim of error on appeal must be rejected under the governing precedent of this cotuft and the Supreme Court. Had the majority ruled correctly on the issue of timeliness, there would be no need for any further discussion of defendant’s claim of error.
*470Assuming that defendant’s motion is timely, the majority proceeds to attempt to explain why the trial court exceeded the boundaries of its discretion in denying it. In order to frame the issue properly, it is important to be mindful that the overarching rule of law to be applied in this case is that “[i]t is well established that a trial court generally possess broad discretion to control the proceedings before it.” State v. Rogers, 330 Or 282, 300, 4 P3d 1261 (2000). A trial court’s authority to exercise reasonable discretion does not evaporate merely because a party asserts his constitutional right to a fair trial during a trial; rather, such an exercise of authority will be reviewed to determine if the trial court exceeded the boundaries of discretion that have been granted to it. State v. Langley, 314 Or 247, 257-60, 839 P2d 692 (1992). If there is only one correct outcome in this case regarding defendant’s motion for a mistrial — that no curative instruction could have cured the prejudice to defendant’s right to a fair trial — then the trial court had no discretion to deny a motion for a mistrial. Rogers, 330 Or at 312. That is the proposition that the majority must demonstrate for its result to be correct. On the other hand, if the curative instruction given by the trial court was a legally permissible alternative, then the trial court acted within the bounds of the discretion granted to it by the law. Id. Finally, appellate courts owe some deference to trial court’s determinations of whether prejudice can be rectified when a motion for a mistrial is made because trial courts are in the best position to assess the extent of prejudice and what measures are necessary to rectify it whereas an appellate court’s assessment of prejudice is confined to a cold record. State v. Pratt, 316 Or 561, 574, 853 P2d 827, cert den, 510 US 969 (1993).
In general, it is improper to admit evidence of a defendant’s invocation of constitutional rights. State v. Larson, 325 Or 15, 23-25, 933 P2d 958 (1997). Thus, the admission of evidence of the exercise by a defendant of the rights which the constitution gives him could constitute reversible error if it is done in a context that permits a trier of fact to draw a likely inference of guilt from the admission of the evidence. Here, of course, there was no improperly admitted evidence; the trial court sustained defendant’s objection and instructed the jury to disregard it. But, even assuming *471that the court’s instruction could not undo the effect of the officer’s instruction on the jury, the officer’s testimony would not warrant the grant of mistrial unless there was a likelihood that the jury would draw an inference of guilt from it. In sum, there are two hurdles that the majority must overcome for its reasoning to be sustainable: first, it must demonstrate that it is likely that a reasonable juror would infer defendant’s guilt from the officer’s testimony; and, second, it must demonstrate that the impact of the officer’s testimony on the jury was so severe that a reasonable jury would have been unable to disregard it, as the court’s curative instruction directed. Larson, 325 Or at 22-25.
In analyzing those questions in the context of the record before us, it is helpful to compare the circumstances of this case and a case where the state offers evidence of, or comments on, the constitutional right of a defendant to remain silent. When that comparison is made, it is apparent that the testimony of the officer that defendant “wanted to call his lawyer” before making a decision about whether to take an Intoxilyzer test does not carry with it the same prejudicial effect that the calling of attention to a defendant’s exercise of the right to remain silent could have. Initially, the officer testified without objection that he read to defendant his “rights and consequences” before administering the Intoxilyzer test. The officer was then asked by the prosecutor if inquiry was made of defendant about whether he would take the Intoxilyzer test. When the officer replied in the affirmative, he was asked by the prosecutor, “How did [defendant] respond?” Had a motion for a mistrial been made, the trial court could have found, in the exercise of its lawful discretion, that no reasonable juror would have inferred guilt based on defendant’s answer, particularly in light of everyday common knowledge about the implied consent provisions in ORS 813.095 to 813.136 and the constitutional right to consult with a lawyer.
The Supreme Court utilized similar reasoning in State v. Smallwood, 277 Or 503, 561 P2d 600 (1976), cert den, 434 US 849 (1977). In Smallwood, the state had the defendant examined by a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist testified at trial that the defendant had asserted his right to have counsel present during the examination. The defendant moved for *472a mistrial, which the trial court denied. After the defendant was convicted, he appealed. On appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed the trial court’s denial of the motion for a mistrial, observing that
“it seems entirely natural that [defendant] would be distrustful of the opposition under such circumstances and want to have some protection against unfair advantage being taken of him. The only adverse inference that could possibly be drawn would be that defendant would want the protection of his lawyer only if he was actually sane and was fearful that it would be found out by the psychiatrist that defendant was dissembling. We believe that a contemporary jury is sufficiently aware of the value of legal counsel not to draw this tenuous inference.”
Smallwood, 277 Or at 508-09.
The inference of guilty knowledge that the majority draws from defendant’s invocation of his right to counsel is as tenuous as the inference that the Supreme Court rejected in Smallwood. However, according to the majority, because
“defendant was arrested for DUII at 3:30 in the morning, was asked to take a breath test, and was informed that there would be adverse consequences if he refused[, i]t is much more difficult to see why a sober person in those circumstances would want to call a lawyer before deciding whether to take the test.”
223 Or App at 460 n 4. That reasoning demonstrates that the majority misses the court’s legal conclusion in Smallwood and its application to the circumstances in this case. The holding in Smallwood turns on the court’s conclusion that— even if an adverse inference could be drawn from the defendant’s invocation of his right to counsel that he was feigning insanity and was fearful that he would be found out by the psychiatrist who was prepared to examine him — a contemporary jury would not draw that inference because of its awareness of the value of legal counsel. Similarly, under the circumstances of this case, a trial court in the proper exercise of its discretion could find that a contemporary jury, aware of the value of legal counsel in the circumstances facing defendant, would not draw the inference that defendant wanted a *473lawyer because he knew that he had consumed more intoxicants than the law permitted. Rather, the desire to consult with counsel under the above circumstances is the kind of action that a reasonable person might well undertake merely in an effort to understand his or her options before deciding whether to take the Intoxilyzer test.
But, even if the jury could draw the inference from defendant’s request to consult with his attorney as an admission of guilt, the trial court told the jury not to draw such an inference. As the court told the jury, every person has the right to call their lawyer in such circumstances, “you’re not supposed to make any inference from that, since they have a right to do it” and “[t]he seven of us are going to totally ignore it.” Moreover, there is nothing in the record that warrants the majority’s conclusion that the jury would have been unable to follow the trial court’s instruction in that regard.
A survey of the relevant Supreme Court case law involving similar considerations supports that conclusion. In State v. Bowen, 340 Or 487, 135 P3d 272 (2006), cert den, 549 US 1214, 127 S Ct 1258 (2007), the trial court gave a curative instruction to the jury to disregard any convictions that were not admissible for impeachment purposes because of staleness. The Bowen court, citing State v. Smith, 310 Or 1, 26, 791 P2d 836 (1990), affirmed the denial of the defendant’s motion for a mistrial, reasoning that “jurors are assumed to have followed their instructions, absent an overwhelming probability that they would be unable to do so.” 340 Or at 511; see also State v. Terry, 333 Or 163, 177, 37 P3d 157 (2001), cert den, 536 US 910 (2002) (a curative instruction was sufficient to “neutralize the possibility of prejudice” of evidentiary inference that the defendant failed a polygraph examination).
In State v. Farrar, 309 Or 132, 165-66, 786 P2d 161, cert den, 492 US 914 (1990), the prosecutor commented on the right of the defendant to remain silent despite opportunities to explain to the police what had occurred. The defendant moved for a mistrial, which the trial court denied. On appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed. In holding that the prosecutor’s reference did not constitute prejudicial error, the court observed that the comment appeared to have been *474made inadvertently and that, in context, it was not likely to have prejudiced the defendant. See also Larson, 325 Or at 24 (“After a full consideration of the record, we conclude that the context of the prosecutor’s improper comment was not one in which inferences prejudicial to defendant were likely to have been drawn by the jury. The prosecutor made only a single reference to defendant’s ability to testify.”).
In contrast to the circumstances in the above cases, the prosecutor in State v. White, 303 Or 333, 736 P2d 552 (1987), told the jury at the beginning of the trial that the defendant had been called to testify in an earlier trial but had refused to do so. Observing that the prosecutor’s conduct was deliberate and directed specifically at the jury’s attention, the court concluded that a mistrial was required. See also State v. Jones, 279 Or 55, 63, 566 P2d 867 (1977) (holding that a mistrial was required where the “prosecuting attorney, well knowing that he had no proof that defendant has been previously convicted of rape (as indicated by the record of various other offenses offered by him in evidence), persisted in making comments and insinuations to that effect, including the clearly improper attempt to get before the jury the alleged statement by [the prosecution witness] that he had ‘done it so many times before’ ”). Unlike in White and in Jones, there is no suggestion in this record that the prosecution intended to inject improper evidence in the record. Indeed, the question “[h]ow did he respond [to the request to take the Intoxilyzer test]” was proper.
Defendant also makes another assignment of error involving a different issue in which he contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a mistrial. I would hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion under the existing circumstances when it denied defendant’s motion, and a further discussion of that issue would not benefit the bench or bar.
In summary, there is no finding by the trial court that the prosecution intentionally introduced inadmissible evidence into the record, nor did defendant make that contention to the trial court. Rather, there is only evidence of a truthful response by the officer about defendant desiring to consult with counsel combined with the curative instruction *475given by the trial court (to which defendant had no objection). Those circumstances make this case more like the cases in which the denial of a motion for mistrial has been upheld than the cases in which the Supreme Court has reversed. The majority errs by first considering an untimely motion and then by incorrectly construing the governing Supreme Court precedents regarding whether the trial court abused its discretion.
For those reasons, I dissent.

 The giving of a curative instruction without waiting for an anticipated mistrial motion does not preclude a defendant from asserting a motion for a mistrial despite the instruction. Under the facts of this case, defense counsel verbally manifested his agreement with the trial court’s sustaining of his objection and made no further objection after the court cautioned the jury. Nothing in this record suggests that defendant could not have voiced a further objection to the trial court’s cautionary instruction or moved for a mistrial as he apparently intended when he told the trial court at an earlier point in time, “I have a matter for the court.” Indeed, defendant had moved for a mistrial on a different ground earlier in the trial, so it is apparent that he was familiar with that procedure.

 The majority also asserts that “[i]t seems unlikely that counsel was waiting to see how devastating his cross-examination of Berry would be to the state’s case before deciding whether to make the motion.” 223 Or App at 454. But the majority’s speculation about defense counsel’s state of mind is based on an improper focus. The rule of law that a motion for a mistrial must be made in a timely fashion in order to be legally cognizable on appeal flows from policy reasons that are unrelated to a particular litigant’s motivation. One of the policy reasons for the rule of preservation is to prevent parties from using the procedure of an untimely motion for a mistrial as a fallback position at a time when the trial court can no longer assess the harm or prejudice that existed at the time when the motion should have been made.