Caldwell v. Brown

57 S.E.2d 618, 80 Ga. App. 858, 1950 Ga. App. LEXIS 799
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJanuary 26, 1950
Docket32842
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 57 S.E.2d 618 (Caldwell v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Caldwell v. Brown, 57 S.E.2d 618, 80 Ga. App. 858, 1950 Ga. App. LEXIS 799 (Ga. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

Townsend, J.

(After stating the foregoing facts.) The special grounds of the amended motion for a new trial reveal numerous instances in which counsel for the defendant interposed remarks, comments, and opinions on matters not in evidence, both as between themselves and to the court in the hearing of the jury, and also in the concluding argument, which constituted violations of proper courtroom decorum. (1) At one time counsel interrupted the cross-examination of the defendant’s medical witness by saying, “He found out what was wrong with her.” (2) Again, referring to a former trial of the case, evidence of which had not been introduced, he interpolated, “He *860 [counsel for plaintiff] knows what the evidence was before, and what the interne swore to; it’s no deep dark secret to him what I’m asking.” (3) At another time after counsel for plaintiff on cross-examination had asked the defendant’s witness the following question: “At that time you did not testify anything whatsoever about this lady having had an odor of alcohol about her, did you?” and before the witness could answer, counsel for defendant interrupted by remarking, “He wasn’t asked.” (4) Again, on cross-examination, counsel for the plaintiff four times attempted to obtain from the defendant’s witness an answer to the question as to whether one Dr. Pinson had not been in a better position than the witness to determine whether or not the plaintiff had the odor of alcohol on her breath. Counsel for defendant interrupted by saying, “I think he can tell what position he was in and what position Dr. Pinson was in, then it’s a question for the jury. Maybe Dr. Pinson couldn’t smell.” (5) Again, when certain medical depositions were offered, counsel for defendant commented, “It would seem to me to be certainly in order for counsel to have his brother here to testify about this lady now rather than read this deposition. Of course he’s got a right to read it.” (6) Further, in a colloquy across the table and also in the concluding argument to the jury, mention was made that counsel for the defendant “had to subpoena their hospital record to get it out there for the first trial.” All these remarks were made within hearing of the jury. The plaintiff complains that she was thereby deprived, in many instances, of her right to a fair cross-examination, that her counsel were embarrassed and handicapped, the jury’s mind poisoned, and the solemnity of the trial itself burlesqued and destroyed by the conduct of opposing counsel and the failure of the trial court to properly reprimand or restrain them.

Much has been written in our law concerning the conduct required on the trial of a case, and a review of former rulings emphasizes the scrupulousness with which the courts enforce their precepts in this regard. In Berry v. State, 10 Ga. 511, at page 522, the court held, “That the practice complained of is highly reprehensible, no one can doubt. It ought in every instance to be promptly repressed. For counsel to undertake, by a side wind, to get that in as proof which is merely conjecture, *861 and thus to work a prejudice in the mind of the jury, cannot be tolerated. . . Let nothing tempt them to pervert the testimony, or surreptitiously, array before the jury facts which, whether true or not, have not been proven.” In Mitchum v. State, 11 Ga. 615, Judge Nisbet said further, “That rule is, that it is contrary to law for counsel to comment upon facts not proven. He represents his client—he is the substitute of his client; whatever the client may do in the conduct of his cause, therefore, his counsel may do. In relation to his liberty of speech, the largest and most liberal freedom is allowed, and the law protects him in it. The right of discussing the merits of his cause, both as to the law and the facts, is indispensable to every party; the same right appertains to his counsel. The range of discussion is wide— very wide . . [but] statements of facts not proven, and comments thereon, are outside of a cause; they stand legally irrelevant to the matter in question, and are therefore not pertinent. If not pertinent, they are not within the privilege of counsel.” In Fair v. State, 168 Ga. 409 (148 S. E. 144) the court quotes Mr. Justice Lumpkin’s opinion in Washington v. State, 87 Ga. 12 (13 S. E. 131), as follows: “It is the well-settled policy of this court that counsel in the argument of cases should confine their remarks to the law and the evidence, and that in no instance should they be permitted to comment upon extraneous facts prejudicial to the interests or rights of a party, over his objection, unless such facts be of a kind of which judicial cognizance may be taken without proof.” “ ‘An advocate . . ought not to be allowed to make himself a witness and state facts within his own knowledge touching the case under discussion.’ Weeks on Attorneys at Law (2d ed.) 243. ‘What the law forbids is the introduction into a case by way of argument of facts not in the record and calculated to prejudice the accused.’ Taylor v. State, 121 Ga. 348, 354 (49 S. E. 303). Flights of oratory and false logic do not call for objections, rebukes, or mistrials. It is the introduction of facts not in evidence that requires the application of such remedies. Patterson v. State, 124 Ga. 408 (52 S. E. 534); Berry v. State, 10 Ga. 511, 523.” Brooks v. State, 55 Ga. App. 232 (189 S. E. 852).

It is apparent that most, if not all, of the remarks of counsel above quoted were improper and objectionable. Several of the *862 remarks were interruptions of the court or opposing counsel, and were not in order for that additional reason. However, as to the first remark (special ground 4) quoted above, it did refer to a fact in evidence, the doctor’s previous testimony. In response to the request of plaintiff’s counsel, Mr. Aiken, it appears from the record that the court commenced to admonish counsel, whereupon Mr. Burgess, the defense counsel, said, “He’s reading what the doctor found. I thought it was what he was going to use; that was only in the interest of time, if Your Honor please.” Mr. Aiken then, without waiting for the court to finish, or at least without recalling his attention to the objection, began again to question the witness and, it would appear, abandoned his objection a.t that time. In the second instance (special ground 5) the court instructed the jury that what counsel said among themselves was not evidence and that the jury was not bound thereby. The court repeated this instruction during a later colloquy of counsel (special ground 6). In the third instance (special ground 9) Mr. Aiken said only, “I respectfully submit to Your Honor, the side remarks of able counsel are improper.” In Palmer Mfg. Co. v. Drewry & Lavender, 113 Ga. 366 (38 S. E. 837) it was held that the improper remarks of counsel were not cause for a new trial when there was no motion for a mistrial nor any ruling of the court in relation thereto invoked by opposing counsel. In Southern Ry. Co. v. Brown, 126 Ga.

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Bluebook (online)
57 S.E.2d 618, 80 Ga. App. 858, 1950 Ga. App. LEXIS 799, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/caldwell-v-brown-gactapp-1950.