People v. Ballard

218 Cal. App. 2d 295, 32 Cal. Rptr. 233, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 1777
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 15, 1963
DocketCrim. 8388
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 218 Cal. App. 2d 295 (People v. Ballard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Ballard, 218 Cal. App. 2d 295, 32 Cal. Rptr. 233, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 1777 (Cal. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

FOURT, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment of conviction on two counts of illegal abortion.

In an indictment returned by the grand jury of Los Angeles County on April 11, 1961, the appellant was charged with the crime of violation of section 274, Penal Code, in seven counts. '

Count I charged in effect that defendant did on February 11, 1961, “provide, supply, use and employ an instrument and other means upon the person of Marie Owen . . . with . . . the intent ... to procure the' miscarriage of said Marie Owen, said use and employment of said instrument and other means to procure said miscarriage of said victim, not then and there being necessary to preserve the life of . . . Marie Owen. ” .

Count II charged in the language above stated that the defendant did on February 4, 1961, perform an abortion upon Dorothy M. Franzen.

It is .unnecessary to set forth the charges contained in- the remaining counts for the defendant was found not guilty *297 thereof—there being no evidence that any crime had been committed as so charged in said counts.

The defendant pleaded not guilty and the trial was set for November 15, 1961, and later continued to December 11, 1961, and after subsequent continuances (due to congestion of the calendar) the trial commenced on January 12, 1962, before a jury. Marie Owen Fitch testified for the prosecution on January 12, 1962. On January 16, 1962, Dorothy Franzen testified for the prosecution and Marie Owen Fitch was recalled and testified further on direct examination.

A motion for a mistrial made by the defendant was granted. On February 20, 1962, the cause proceeded to trial again, this time without a jury. Marie Owen Fitch and Dorothy Franzen each testified over objection as is more particularly hereinafter set forth. The defendant was found guilty as to Counts I and II and not guilty as to Counts III, IV, V, VI and VII. A motion for a new trial was made and denied. Notice of appeal was duly filed.

At the start of the trial the judge took judicial notice of the case of People v. Ballard, 167 Cal.App.2d 803 [335 P.2d 204], and the prosecution read into the record excerpts from that opinion with reference to the background and qualifications of the defendant. 1

Marie Owen Fitch was called as the first witness. She testified that sometime before February 11, 1961 (she did not recollect exactly when it was, although she apparently believed it was in the early part of February), she believed herself to be pregnant. She stated that she was then in good health and desired to terminate the pregnancy. She lived in an abode with her two children, apparently by a previous marriage. Her testimony was that she did not go to any doctor or clinic immediately after she believed herself to be pregnant. She saw the defendant at his office, without a previous appointment having been made, sometime during the week preceding *298 February 11, 1961. Roger and Dorothy Franzen went with her to the doctor’s office. She explained to the doctor that she “had taken some pills, turpentine pills” and she was feeling “rather ill” and asked the doctor if he could help her and he said “yes.” Her symptoms were that of bleeding, being “very nauseous” and having “horrible headaches” all of the time. She also told the doctor that she had been taking nine to twelve turpentine pills a day although the box which contained the pills had written thereon “Three a day.” That after she had taken the turpentine pills she started to pass blood and tissue. She further told the doctor that she was passing tissue and he stated that the chances were that the foetus would never grow any further and that a miscarriage had already started, and further that if the condition was not taken care of right away an infection would set in and she needed treatment and without such treatment that she might very well die. The witness stated at the trial that she also felt at the time of her visit to the doctor that she might well die if she was not cared for at a very early date. The doctor indicated to her that the turpentine pills were very dangerous and that she should never have taken them. She also indicated to the doctor that she wanted Mm to do whatever “his practice would dictate” under the circumstances. She did not recollect that he used any such words as “scrape” or "curettement. ’ ’ No physical examination was made of the witness at the doctor’s office. After the discussion with the doctor at Ms office an arrangement was made to meet the doctor on the following Saturday at Mr. Fitch’s apartment in North Hollywood. The reason for choosing the apartment was that she had her two children with her at her house and that she could not go to a hospital because she did not “want any embarrassment”—the possible embarrassment apparently arising from the fact that she was an unmarried person, had engaged in sexual intercourse, had become pregnant and had suffered a miscarriage. Since the episode in question she married Mr. Fitch and has given birth to a child by him. The apartment of Fitch was difficult to locate and an arrangement was made for the doctor to be picked up by Fitch and taken to his abode on Saturday, February 11, 1961. Fitch picked up the witness at her house and took her to his apartment. Later the same day Roger and Dorothy Franzen arrived at the Fitch apartment. Fitch and Mr. Franzen left the Fitch apartment and picked up the doctor and the three of them returned to the apartment. The doctor *299 gave the witness “a shot.” Pitch and Mr. Pranzen left the apartment. Mrs. Pranzen stayed with the witness and the doctor. The apartment was fairly small, with a separate bathroom, living room and open bar kitchen. The doctor examined the witness upon a couch which had heen prepared for such examination. She stated that she felt something inside her but she could not describe what it was other than to say that there was considerable pain. She saw no instrument and could not state that she felt any instrument inside her. She was then asked “What did you feel when something went inside of you besides pain?” and she answered, “Well, that is all.” Upon her so testifying the prosecution, without any foundation or showing of surprise or other statement to the court, then directed the attention of the witness to a page and line of what purported to be the record of her testimony before the grand jury. The deputy district attorney then said:

" Did you say this before the Grand Jury ?
“ ‘Well, I just felt some—an instrument go in me and some scraping. ’ ”
“Did you say that before the Grand Jury?”

The witness related that if such were “down” she must have said it but that she did not “remember what I said at the Grand Jury.” She then said that she testified truthfully before the grand jury as she then remembered the facts. The witness was given no opportunity to refresh her recollection and to testify from her own recollection. There was an objection to the evidence upon the grounds that the prosecutor was attempting to impeach his own witness.

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Bluebook (online)
218 Cal. App. 2d 295, 32 Cal. Rptr. 233, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 1777, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ballard-calctapp-1963.