Martin v. Darnell

960 S.W.2d 838, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 5804, 1997 WL 706733
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 6, 1997
Docket07-97-0210-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 960 S.W.2d 838 (Martin v. Darnell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. Darnell, 960 S.W.2d 838, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 5804, 1997 WL 706733 (Tex. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

ORIGINAL PROCEEDING

BOYD, Chief Justice.

In this original proceeding, a prosecution witness seeks a writ of mandamus directing *840 the trial court to quash a defendant’s subpoenas duces tecum. It presents the question of the ability of a defendant in a criminal proceeding to obtain pretrial discovery from prosecution -witnesses. For reasons stated below, we conditionally grant relator’s petition.

Relator Deane Bostick Martin (Martin) was a civilian employee in the records division of the Lubbock Police Department. Beginning in September 1996, Martin was also used by the Department in an undercover investigation into the illegal dissemination of police accident reports. In the criminal prosecution giving rise to this mandamus proceeding, the State seeks to prove that Thomas Stangel engaged in a criminal enterprise with the object of bribing Martin to illegally obtain police reports. In defense of that charge, Stangel and his co-defendants 1 have alleged that Martin accepted payment for copies of reports before the Department’s investigation began and/or did not report all of the payments made during the investigation. As support for that argument, Stangel seeks to obtain the financial records of Martin for the five years preceding February 1997. Stangel served a subpoena duces te-cum on Martin directing her to appear at a pretrial hearing on February 28, 1997, and produce the folio-wing records:

[A]ll her income tax returns, 1099 forms and any and all other documents concerning payment of any monies to her for the past (5) years; and all bank records and credit card records for the past (5) years; and all personal notes, diaries and journals for the past (5) years; and any and all records pertaining to all bankruptcy proceedings filed by Deane Martin and/or her husband, Wayne Martin.

Stangel also served subpoenas duces tecum on three financial institutions seeking the previous 12 months records for specific accounts held by Martin. Over the ensuing months, Martin filed four separate motions, each seeking to quash all of the subpoenas and for a protective order. The motions asserted several theories, discussed in greater detail below. We will measure the trial court’s action against the final motion filed July 18, 1997. After two hearings at which the subpoena and motion were discussed, but Martin did not testify, the respondent trial court overruled Martin’s motion, thus prompting this proceeding.

Pursuant to § 22.221 of the Government Code, this court’s jurisdiction includes mandamus proceedings in criminal eases. Dickens v. Second Court of Appeals, 727 S.W.2d 542, 548 (Tex.Crim.App.1987) (orig. proceeding). The Court of Criminal Appeals has followed the traditional two part test for determining a relator’s entitlement to mandamus relief. That test requires the relator to establish 1) she has no adequate remedy at law and 2) she seeks to compel a ministerial act, or the trial court has clearly abused its discretion. Dickens, 727 S.W.2d at 550. This is the same test used in civil cases. See Walker v. Packer, 827 S.W.2d 833, 839-40 (Tex.1992) (orig. proceeding). It is against this standard we must evaluate Martin’s petition.

The subpoenas were requested and issued pursuant to Chapter 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. That chapter authorizes a defendant or the State to obtain a subpoena to secure the presence of witnesses whose testimony is material to their case. Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. 24.01-29 (Vernon 1989 & Supp.1997). Issuance of the subpoena is a matter of right on written, sworn application identifying the witness and that the testimony is material to the State or defense. Coleman v. State, No. 491-96, — S.W.2d -, 1997 WL 209530 (Tex.Crim. App. April 30, 1997); Tex.Code Crim.Proc. Ann. art. 24.03. Article 24.02 specifically authorizes the issuance of a subpoena duces tecum directing the witness to produce in court writings or other things in their possession. Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. 24.02. Although the Code of Criminal Procedure does not specifically authorize the quashing of subpoenas in criminal cases, trial courts’ *841 exercise of that power has been recognized as proper. Coleman, supra.

In addition to the statutory authority provided by Chapter 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and by citing Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974), Stangel argues that the subpoenaed records are necessary to vindicate his Sixth Amendment right of confrontation. He also argues that the records should be produced as exculpatory material under the control of the State. See Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). Martin responds that the trial court clearly abused its discretion in denying her motion to quash because 1) the records are declared privileged by statute, 2) the documents sought are immaterial, and 3) the subpoenas violate her constitutional rights of privacy.

The Sixth Amendment contains two clauses relevant here, the confrontation clause and the compulsory process clause. The confrontation clause provides two rights to criminal defendants: the right physically to face those who testify against him, and the right to conduct cross-examination. Delaware v. Fensterer, 474 U.S. 15, 18-19, 106 S.Ct. 292, 293-94, 88 L.Ed.2d 15 (1985). The United States Supreme Court has held that the confrontation clause protects a defendant’s trial rights and are inapplicable to proceedings occurring prior to trial. Pennsylvania v. Ritchie, 480 U.S. 39, 52, 107 S.Ct. 989-99, 998, 94 L.Ed.2d 40 (1987). When state-imposed restrictions on defense cross-examination of witnesses prevent inquiry into areas which are otherwise proper, such as the witnesses bias or motive, the court has intervened. Id. at 53-54, 107 S.Ct. at 998-1000; see also Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. at 308, 94 S.Ct. at 1105. However, the Court has expressly held that Davis did not create a right of pretrial discovery, Ritchie, 480 U.S. at 52, 107 S.Ct. at 998 noting that “[t]he ability to question adverse witnesses, however, does not include the power to require the pretrial disclosure of any and all information that might be useful in contradicting unfavorable testimony.” Id. at 53, 107 S.Ct. at 999. Under these authorities, we conclude the subpoenas at issue here are not required to protect Stangel’s confrontation clause rights.

Stangel’s statutory right to subpoena witnesses in his favor, including subpoenas duces tecum to secure documents material to his defense, arises out of the Sixth Amendment right of 'compulsory process. We must, therefore, not only determine his entitlement to the documents at issue under the statute, but also from the perspective of the underlying constitutional right.

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Bluebook (online)
960 S.W.2d 838, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 5804, 1997 WL 706733, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-darnell-texapp-1997.