Miller v. Commonwealth

925 S.W.2d 447
CourtKentucky Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 21, 1995
DocketNo. 94-SC-217-MR
StatusPublished

This text of 925 S.W.2d 447 (Miller v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kentucky Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Commonwealth, 925 S.W.2d 447 (Ky. 1995).

Opinions

STUMBO, Justice.

This appeal arises from the judgment of conviction of Appellant, Blaine Miller, for two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and one count each of kidnapping, terroristic threatening, and indecent exposure. Appellant was sentenced to a total of twenty years’ imprisonment, with the lesser misdemeanor charges to run concurrently with the kidnapping and sexual abuse charges.

Appellant was charged with conduct alleged to have occurred on or about June 28, 1993 and July 16,1993 relating to a then six-year-old girl who lived in his apartment complex. Specifically, Appellant, 35-years-old at the time of the acts in question, was accused of forcing the child into his apartment, tying her to a chair, and sexually molesting her. Appellant raises six issues on appeal, one of which, to be discussed first, rises to that level of prejudice as to warrant reversal in this matter.

At trial, the jury heard the testimony of Dr. Jacqueline Sugarman, a doctor from Ko-sair Children’s Hospital to whom the child had been referred by her family physician. Dr. Sugarman first stated that the child had come to her for “evaluation of sexual abuse,” but, upon questioning by the Commonwealth, explained that her purpose in seeing the girl was to “treat” her. However, the doctor [451]*451testified that she had seen the child only once — about six months prior to the trial, on August 20,1993 — for a total of one hour, and had neither prescribed medication nor given the girl any counseling. Over objection by the defense, Dr. Sugarman testified that the child named Appellant as the person who had rubbed his penis against her arm, had threatened her with a gun, and had touched her genital area with his fingernail. Dr. Sugar-man further noted that there was a thinning of the hymenal area of the girl which suggested that the vagina “may” have been penetrated with a blunt object — which “could have been a finger or a penis, or pencil, whatever.” In addition to her testimony, records maintained by Dr. Sugarman, containing additional statements by the child, were admitted into evidence.

Appellant objects to the testimony of Dr. Sugarman primarily on the grounds that she was not the child’s treating physician. In particularly, Appellant points out that Dr. Sugarman initially testified that the child had come to her for evaluation and that it was not until the prosecution reminded her that her purpose in seeing the child was for treatment that Dr. Sugarman did so state. Appellant also emphasizes that Dr. Sugarman met with the girl only once, for about an hour, during which time no medication was prescribed nor counselling given. In addition, Appellant argues that this August 20, 1998 examination was too remote in time from the alleged events. The Commonwealth contends, on the other hand, that Dr. Sugarman was, in fact, the child’s treating physician and that, to wit, her testimony and records were properly admitted pursuant to the hearsay exceptions contained within KRE 803(4). In the alternative, the Commonwealth argues that the probativeness of Dr. Sugarman’s testimony clearly outweighed any prejudice to Appellant, thus, allowing for its admission. Drumm v. Commonwealth, Ky., 783 S.W.2d 380 (1990). We do not agree with either proposition.

To begin, we find very little difference between Dr. Sugarman’s intervention in this case and that of the physician in Sharp v. Commonwealth, Ky., 849 S.W.2d 542 (1993). In Sharp, a similar case involving child sexual abuse, the psychiatrist called on behalf of the Commonwealth “indicated generally that he saw the children to evaluate, diagnose, and treat them, but from the substance of his testimony, it is clear that he was not a treating physician as that term is normally understood.” Id. at 543. Such may, in turn, be said of Dr. Sugarman, for, by her own admission, she saw the child only once to perform an “evaluation of sexual abuse,” wherein neither medication nor counseling was given. Also, the physical examination conducted by Dr. Sugarman revealed basically normal results. The only difference between Dr. Sug-arman and the physician in Sharp is that while Social Services arranged for the examination in Sharp, here the child’s family physician made the referral.

As Dr. Sugarman was not a treating physician, the test to be applied is whether, from the totality of the circumstances, the probative value of the evidence outweighs its prejudicial effect. Sharp, supra, at 544; see also Drumm, supra. In weighing such probative value, Sharp advises that other indicia of reliability may be considered. For example, do the physical findings made by the physician during the examination correlate with the abuse alleged by the patient? In the case at bar, the only physical finding made by Dr. Sugarman which comes close to indicating reliability is some thinning of the hymen which “may” have been caused by penetration. However, at trial the child’s description of the alleged abuse in no way suggested any contact with her genitals, much less penetration.

This was an exceptionally weak case for the prosecution. The only evidence of Appellant’s guilt was the vague testimony of the child given in response to leading questions. With the evidence in such a state, the improperly admitted testimony of Dr. Sugar-man, which had the undeniable effect of bolstering the child’s testimony, was severely prejudicial. The medical records provided by Dr. Sugarman were likewise inadmissible. Therefore, the judgment of conviction is reversed and this case remanded for a new trial.

[452]*452While the other arguments advanced by Appellant do not so move this Court to find error, we will nonetheless dispose of each briefly. First, Appellant argues that the trial judge abused his discretion by not recusing himself. Defense counsel sought to disqualify presiding Circuit Court Judge Thomas L. Waller on the grounds of bias in that the judge’s wife had been a supervisor in the Cabinet for Human Resources, Child Protection Division, at the time of its initial investigation into this matter. The defense also took issue with comments made by the judge concerning the necessity for “cases of this nature” — presumably child sexual abuse cases — -to be tried in a speedy fashion. Judge Waller denied the defense’s motion in a written order, citing to KRS 421.510 and also stating that he did not believe his wife’s former position with CHR was grounds for recusal.

We have traditionally held that a party who seeks recusal or disqualification of a trial judge has a heavy burden of proof to demonstrate “facts which necessarily show prejudice or bias sufficient to prevent the judge from fairly or impartially trying the case.” Johnson v. Ducobu, Ky., 258 S.W.2d 509, 511 (1953). Appellant, in this matter, has failed to meet such a burden. For example, Appellant did not claim that the judge’s wife was personally involved in the investigation, or that there was any connection at all between the wife of the judge and this case. In order to successfully seek recusal of a judge, there must be a showing of facts “of a character calculated seriously to impair the judge’s impartiality and sway his judgment.” Foster v. Commonwealth,

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925 S.W.2d 447, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-commonwealth-ky-1995.