State v. Moore

493 N.W.2d 606, 1992 Minn. App. LEXIS 1209, 1992 WL 365622
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedDecember 15, 1992
DocketCX-92-285
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 493 N.W.2d 606 (State v. Moore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Moore, 493 N.W.2d 606, 1992 Minn. App. LEXIS 1209, 1992 WL 365622 (Mich. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinions

OPINION

DAVIES, Judge.

Appellant challenges his conviction of first degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, and theft of a motor vehicle, alleging the prosecutor committed discovery violations and attempted to show that appellant did not testify at the omnibus hearing. He also asserts an error in sentencing. We reverse and remand.

[607]*607FACTS

Appellant asserted consent as a defense to the acts that are the basis for the charged crimes.

Complainant testified, however, that in the early morning hours of June 21, 1991, appellant, whom she had never before met, jumped into her car while she was stopped at a traffic light. Appellant, implying that he had connections with a Los Angeles street gang, offered to sell her gold chains and crack cocaine. Frightened by appellant, complainant complied when asked to drive him to his “girlfriend’s house.” When they arrived, appellant took the car keys and disappeared inside the dwelling. He emerged a few minutes later carrying a bottle of whiskey. Appellant then pushed complainant into the passenger’s seat and drove the car to an alley, where he forced her to perform oral sex upon him and then forced her to have intercourse.

Afterward, according to complainant’s testimony, appellant permitted her to use a gas station rest room. Complainant claims that she mouthed “call 911” to one of the station attendants. An officer who arrived on the scene moments later testified that complainant “was crying and seemed very upset.”

Appellant’s version of events differs greatly. He claims he approached complainant, asking whether she wanted to buy some crack, only after seeing her pull over. According to appellant, complainant replied that she did not have any money and was looking for a friend who dealt drugs in the area. In order to induce complainant to party with him that night, appellant admits he falsely asserted that he had some crack with him and that he knew her friend. He suggested that she drive him to a bootlegger’s house to buy some beer. After buying whiskey there, appellant took control of the car because he thought complainant was too intoxicated to drive. He drove them to a secluded spot. He contends that complainant agreed to have sex in exchange for some crack. She instead offered to perform oral sex, but after he convinced her that intercourse would be faster, they had intercourse.

Appellant claims complainant later jumped out of the moving car and ran to the gas station, screaming for someone to call the police. His theory is that she was angry about not having been given any crack and had decided to fabricate the sexual assault for revenge. This testimony at trial differed from appellant’s pretrial statements to police in which he denied having had sexual intercourse with complainant.

The state charged appellant with one count of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, one count of kidnapping, and one count of motor vehicle theft. Appellant pleaded not guilty on July 25, 1991. The omnibus hearing took place on September 30, 1991, with the jury trial beginning the next day.

Complainant’s testimony at trial also differed from her pretrial statements in many details, one of which is significant to this appeal. She testified that she discovered a scab or sore on appellant’s penis during oral sex, although earlier she had not mentioned anything unusual about appellant’s penis.

On October 11, 1991, the jury found appellant guilty on all three counts. On November 13, 1991, the trial court denied appellant’s motion for a new trial and sentenced him to 134 months for kidnapping, 103 months for criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, and 25 months for motor vehicle theft. The November 13 judgment entry, however, lists concurrent sentences of 139, 134, and 25 months.

Appellant filed this appeal on February 11, 1992, contending that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a new trial. He claims the prosecution violated discovery rules and prejudiced his rights by attempting to cross-examine him about not having testified at the omnibus hearing.

ISSUES

I. Did the state violate discovery rules prejudicially by failing to inform defense counsel of complainant’s pretrial statement that appellant had a scab on his penis?

[608]*608II. Did the state violate discovery rules prejudicially by failing to inform defense counsel of complainant's changed statement about the amount of alcohol she had consumed?

III. Did the state violate appellant’s right to due process by attempting to cross-examine him about his failure to testify at the omnibus hearing?

IV. Was there a sentencing error?

ANALYSIS

I.

Appellant contends that a new trial is warranted because of the prosecution’s discovery violations. First, we must determine whether any discovery violation occurred. Minn.R.Crim.P. 9.01, subd. 1(2), requires

the prosecuting attorney on request of defense counsel shall, before the date set for Omnibus Hearing provided for by Rule 11, allow access * * * to all matters within the prosecuting attorney’s possession or control which relate to the case and make the following disclosures:
* * * * * *
(2) Statements. The prosecuting attorney shall disclose and permit defense counsel to inspect and reproduce any relevant written or recorded statements which relate to the case within the possession or control of the prosecution, the existence of which is known by the prosecuting attorney, and shall provide defense counsel with the substance of any oral statements which relate to the case.1

The Minnesota Supreme Court has interpreted this discovery rule as conferring on prosecutors a continuing duty to disclose information learned in interviews with potential witnesses; that is, a prosecutor has a duty

to make continuing disclosure when new things are added to the file after defense counsel has looked at it. A prosecutor cannot circumvent the requirement of open-file discovery by not taking notes or by not putting things in the file that belong in the file.

State v. Kaiser, 486 N.W.2d 384, 387 (Minn.1992) (citations omitted). And in State v. Galvan, 374 N.W.2d 269, 270 (Minn.1985), cert, denied, 475 U.S. 1097, 106 S.Ct. 1496, 89 L.Ed.2d 897 (1986), the supreme court specifically ruled that summaries of witnesses’ statements do not represent nondiscoverable work product.

In this case, on September 24, 1991, shortly before the omnibus hearing, complainant told the prosecutor that appellant’s penis had a scab on it. Because complainant’s statement constitutes an oral statement relating to the case, the prosecutor, by not informing defense counsel, violated the continuing duty to disclose mandated by Minn.R.Crim.P. 9.01, subd. 1(2), and by Kaiser.

Once a discovery violation has occurred, the trial court has wide discretion in imposing sanctions. State v. Lindsey, 284 N.W.2d 368, 373 (Minn.1979). According to the Minnesota Supreme Court:

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Related

State of Minnesota v. Andrea Deshawn Wilkes
Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2016
Gorman v. State
619 N.W.2d 802 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2000)
State v. Moore
493 N.W.2d 606 (Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 1992)

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Bluebook (online)
493 N.W.2d 606, 1992 Minn. App. LEXIS 1209, 1992 WL 365622, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-moore-minnctapp-1992.