Court Opinion

ID: 9724627
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 11:05:10.281124+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:03.270900
License: Public Domain

SIMS, J.
I concur in the decision denying the People’s application for a writ in proceeding 1 Civil 37380.1 dissent from so much of the decision as grants the petitioner relief in proceeding 1 Civil 37300 from the condition imposed by the trial court. In my opinion the majority opinion has failed to distinguish between discovery of information which the defense has secured from persons known to and interviewed by the prosecution, and information known only to the defense obtained from witnesses unknown to the prosecution. The court is not directing the defense to disclose any privileged matter. The witnesses concerned are those who have already given oral or written • statements to either investigators or attorneys of the district attorney’s office. The prosecution is free to reinterview the witnesses and ascertain from them whether they were interviewed by the defense and if so what they said. If such matters were incorrectly reported by the witness, the prosecution may be in the dark about some impeaching material or some statement favorable to the defense which was elicited in the defense interview. The release of that information is not self-incriminatory, but is necessary for the ascertainment of the truth, and in many cases could assist in settlement of the case.
In Prudhomme v. Superior Court (1970) 2 Cal.3d 320 [85 Cal.Rptr. 129, 466 P.2d 673], the court applied the rule applicable to a witness’ claim of the privilege against self-incrimination, i.e., “in ruling upon a claim of privilege, the trial court must find that it clearly appears from a consideration of all the circumstances in the case that an answer to the challenged question cannot possibly have a tendency to incriminate the witness. [Citations.]” (2 Cal.3d at p. 326.) It then stated, “Applying the foregoing test to the discovery order in the instant case, neither the order nor the record below enables us to say that it clearly appears that disclosure to the prosecution of the names, addresses and expected testimony of petitioner’s witnesses cannot possibly tend to incriminate her. Unlike the situation in Jones, [Jones v. Superior Court (1962) 58 Cal.2d 56 (22 Cal.Rptr. 879, 372 P.2d 919, 96 A.L.R.2d 1213)] the order *432herein is not limited to any particular defense or category of witnesses from which a court could attempt to determine its incriminatory effect. It requires no great effort or imagination to conceive of a variety of situations wherein the disclosure of the expected testimony of defense witnesses,- or even their names and addresses, could easily provide an essential link in a chain of evidence underlying the prosecution’s case in chief.” (Id., italics added, fn. omitted.) In this case the cards are on the table—the witnesses are known, their credibility may be a factor, but the disclosure of factors bearing on that credibility or the scope and powers of their ability to observe, retain, recall and relate certainly does not infringe on the defendant’s privilege against self-incrimination.
As pointed out in United States v. Nobles (1975) 422 U.S. 225 [45 L.Ed.2d 141, 95 S.Ct. 2160], “In this instance disclosure of the relevant portions of the defense investigator’s report would not impinge on the fundamental values protected by the Fifth Amendment. The court’s order was limited to statements allegedly made by third parties who were available as witnesses to both the prosecution and the defense. Respondent did not prepare the report, and there is .no suggestion that the portions subject to the disclosure order reflected any information that he conveyed to the investigator. The fact that these statements of third parties were elicited by a defense investigator on respondent’s behalf does not convert them into respondent’s personal communications. Requiring their production from the investigator therefore would not in any sense compel respondent to be a witness against himself or extort communications from him.” (422 U.S. at pp. 233-234 [45 L.Ed.2d at p. 151].
Nor is there any denial of due process of law in imposing the conditions on the defendant’s right to discovery. In United States v. Nobles, supra, the defendant objected to the sanction proposed by the court which precluded use of the witness’ testimony if the investigator’s report was not produced. The court observed, “Respondent’s argument that this ruling deprived him of the Sixth Amendment rights to compulsory process and cross-examination misconceives the issue. The District Court did not bar the investigator’s testimony. [Citation.] It merely prevented respondent from presenting to the jury a partial view of the credibility issue by adducing the investigator’s testimony and thereafter refusing to disclose the contemporaneous report that might offer further critical insights. The Sixth Amendment does not confer the right to present testimony free from the legitimate demands of the adversarial system; one cannot invoke the Sixth Amendment as a *433justification for presenting what might have been a half-truth.” (Id., at p. 241 [45 L.Ed.2d at p. 155].) From the foregoing it is clear that the defense reports would be available if the defense investigator or attorney attempted to impeach the witness in question. The pursuit of the truth indicates that such information should be available to both sides before trial.
I am mindful that in Prudhomme the court unfortunately stated “[I]t is apparent that the principal element in determining whether a particular demand for discovery should be allowed is . . . whether disclosure thereof conceivably might lighten the prosecution’s burden of proving its case in chief.” (2 Cal.3d at p. 326.) Moreover, in Reynolds v. Superior Court (1974) 12 Cal.3d 834 [117 Cal.Rptr. 437, 528 P.2d 45], the court recognized, “ ... it cannot be gainsaid that Prudhomme put this court on record as being considerably more solicitous of the privilege against self-incrimination than federal law currently requires.” (12 Cal.3d at p. 843.)
In my opinion the defendant should not be able to assert that the disclosure of his reports on witnesses who have been interviewed by the prosecution “might lighten the prosecution’s burden of proving its case in chief’ when to do so may lead to the suppression of the truth or the production of half-truths. There is no constitutional or statutory prohibition against such a conditional order as was made in this case, and in my opinion the proper administration of criminal justice, and the ascertainment of the truth not only countenances such an order but also encourages it.
I share the views of Elkington, J. in his concurring opinion, but since Prudhomme dealt with the defendant’s own witnesses, and we are here concerned with the prosecution’s witnesses, I do not believe that Prudhomme is controlling.
I would deny both petitions in full.
A petition for a rehearing was denied February 10, 1976, and the petition of the real party in interest in No. 37300 for a hearing by the Supreme Court was denied March 10, 1976. Clark, J., and Richardson, J., were of the opinion that the petition should be granted.