State ex rel. Naes v. Hart

548 S.W.2d 870, 1977 Mo. App. LEXIS 2777
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 15, 1977
DocketNo. 38311
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 548 S.W.2d 870 (State ex rel. Naes v. Hart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Naes v. Hart, 548 S.W.2d 870, 1977 Mo. App. LEXIS 2777 (Mo. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

NORWIN D. HOUSER, Special Judge.

Original proceeding in prohibition at the relation of Betty Naes against Circuit Judge Michael J. Hart. Following issuance of our preliminary rule respondent judge filed a return and relator filed a reply. The question is whether our preliminary rule should be made permanent.

Betty Naes is defendant in an indictment charging her with six counts of Stealing Over Fifty Dollars. Her counsel served notice to take depositions under Rule 25.41. Under that rule the manner of taking depositions in a criminal case is governed by the [872]*872rules relating to the taking of depositions in civil cases. Drs. Richard Clark and Walter Ballinger and Messrs. Peter Ruger and Joe Evans were subpoenaed as witnesses before a notary public and registered professional reporter. Witnesses Clark, Ruger and Evans appeared and were partially deposed. Mr. Fischer, an assistant circuit attorney, was present, representing the state. Messrs. Frank Kaveney and Tyree Derrick were present, representing defendant. Dr. Clark was the first witness to be deposed. At the commencement of Dr. Clark’s deposition Mr. Fischer stated for the record that Dr. Clark (who is not a party to the criminal action) would be represented by Mr. Richard Heymann, an attorney, who intended to participate actively in the taking of the depositions. Mr. Derrick objected on the ground that Mr. Heymann was not an attorney of record in the case and that Dr. Clark was not on trial and had no right to have an attorney participate in the deposition. This objection was repeated and Mr. Heymann’s appearance and participation were protested several times throughout the proceedings, but Mr. Heymann refused to accede to the objections. He actively participated in the questioning of all three witnesses. On numerous occasions Mr. Heymann interrupted questions propounded by counsel of record, attempted to clarify or made statements or observations concerning such questions, or accused defendant’s counsel of various improprieties. Mr. Hey-mann objected to questions on various grounds, such as that the question was too broad, or accusatory, or irrelevant, or repetitious, or was asked for purposes of delay or harassment, or violated the attorney-client privilege. Three times Mr. Heymann instructed the witness not to answer the question and on two occasions suggested the deposition be concluded. Finally, during Mr. Ruger’s deposition, the confrontation between counsel became heated and intense. Mr. Heymann finally suggested that the deposition be concluded and over the protest of counsel for defendant it was concluded and terminated “for the time being.” Thereafter defendant’s counsel filed a motion to dismiss “or for other appropriate relief” under Rule 56.01(c), setting forth the actions and conduct of Mr. Heymann during the taking of the depositions; alleging that his actions and conduct were improper and that defendant’s discovery rights were thereby violated, and that defendant was caused additional expense in certifying questions to the court for a ruling, and certifying a list of questions not answered. Defendant prayed (1) for dismissal of the indictment for frustration of the right of discovery, or in the alternative (2) an order on the witnesses, under pain of contempt, to answer the certified questions; (3) an order on witness Peter Ruger not to raise the attorney-client privilege with respect to a certain field of inquiry; (4) an order instructing all counsel in the case “that no attorney other than the Circuit Attorney or Assistant Circuit Attorney and defense counsel is to participate or say anything on the record during said depositions of Dr. Clark, Dr. Ballinger, Mr. Evans and Mr. Ruger or any other witnesses,” and (5) an order on the circuit attorney’s office, Mr. Heymann, or the witnesses deposed, under Rules 56.01(c) and 61.01(g), “to pay defendant reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees, necessitated by this motion concerning discovery rights of the defendant.”

Following a hearing on the motion respondent judge denied paragraph (1) of the prayer for relief, took under submission paragraphs (2), (3) and (5), and either overruled paragraph (4) (which respondent alleges) or indicated that he would overrule it (as alleged by relator).

The petition for a writ of prohibition alleged that respondent will exceed his jurisdiction in carrying out his intention to deny paragraph 4 of the prayer for relief in relator’s motion. Relator’s prayer was for a writ commanding respondent to enter an order granting paragraph 4 and directing the attorneys of record and Mr. Heymann that no attorney other than the attorneys for the parties of record is to participate or say anything on the record during the depositions of the four named witnesses or any other witnesses in the cause.

[873]*873Relator’s first point is that the ruling by the trial court is in excess of its jurisdiction or an abuse of discretion because it permits non-party witnesses and their attorneys who are not attorneys of record “to determine the relevancy and materiality of evidence and to permit the non-party witnesses to refuse to answer questions put to them on the advice of their non-party attorneys and to further permit the non-party attorney to stop the deposition being taken pursuant to the rules of discovery.”

By overruling paragraph (4) the circuit court did not thereby acquiesce in or condone any improprieties of witnesses or their counsel during the taking of the depositions. Nor did the court thereby “permit” deponents or their attorney, upon resumption of the depositions, to do any of the things alleged in her first point. Respondent simply denied a prayer for an overly broad order.

Relator’s evident purpose in paragraph (4) of her prayer for a protective order was to insure that when the taking of depositions resumed in the future no attorneys other than counsel for the State and for defendant should be allowed to participate in the depositions or say anything of record. That same purpose was the gist of the petition for a writ of prohibition. The threshold question, therefore, is a narrow, limited one: whether the court exceeded its jurisdiction or abused its discretion in refusing to rule that no other lawyer could “participate” in depositions or “say anything of record.” Extraneous issues will be ignored.

Prohibition will not lie to control discretionary judicial action but is the proper remedy where a court makes an order in discovery proceedings which exceeds its jurisdiction or constitutes an abuse of discretion. State ex rel. Danforth v. Riley, 499 S.W.2d 40, 42 (Mo.App.1973).

Supreme Court Rules 56, 57 and 61, on the subjects of Discovery, Depositions and Sanctions in the Enforcement of Discovery grant courts wide powers and broad discretion in administering discovery pro-eeedings. That the rules contemplate the exercise by courts of a considerable discretion in determining who shall be present at the taking of depositions, and the conditions under which depositions are to be taken, is evident from Rule 56.01(c) on Protective Orders. This rule authorizes the court to make any order which justice requires, including orders (2) “that the discovery may be had only on specified terms and conditions * * and (5) “that discovery be conducted with no one present except persons designated by the court”. That the rules contemplate the possibility of an attorney being present at the taking of depositions is implicit in the wording of the second paragraph of Rule 61.01(g).

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Related

State ex rel. Charterbank Springfield, N.A. v. Donegan
658 S.W.2d 919 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1983)
State Ex Rel. Robinson v. Crouch
616 S.W.2d 587 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1981)

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Bluebook (online)
548 S.W.2d 870, 1977 Mo. App. LEXIS 2777, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-naes-v-hart-moctapp-1977.