United States v. Lawer

41 M.J. 751, 1995 CCA LEXIS 66, 1995 WL 31650
CourtU S Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedJanuary 25, 1995
DocketCGCM 0080; Docket No. 1028
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 41 M.J. 751 (United States v. Lawer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U S Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Lawer, 41 M.J. 751, 1995 CCA LEXIS 66, 1995 WL 31650 (uscgcoca 1995).

Opinion

BAUM, Chief Judge:

Pursuant to his pleas of guilty, entered in accordance with a pretrial agreement, Appellant was convicted by general court-martial judge alone of the following offenses: two specifications of sodomy with a woman not his wife; one specification of adultery; and two specifications of indecent acts with his daughter in violation of Articles 125 and 134, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C.A. §§ 925, 934. The judge sentenced Appellant to a dishonorable discharge, confinement for five years, and reduction to pay grade E-l. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged, but, as called for by the plea bargain, sus[752]*752pended all confinement in excess of forty two months for a period of twelve months from the date of trial. Before this Court, Appellant has assigned three errors, one of which summarily challenges the Court’s jurisdiction based on the service of civilian judges on the Court who, its asserted, have not been appointed in accordance with the appointments clause of the constitution. This assignment has been decided contrary to Appellant’s position in U.S. v. Carpenter, 37 M.J. 291 (CMA 1993), pet. for cert. filed, 62 U.S.L.W. 3411 (U.S. Oct. 29, 1993) (No. 93-676). That decision is dispositive and the assignment is rejected for that reason. The remaining assignments will be addressed.

I

THAT THE MILITARY JUDGE ABUSED HER DISCRETION BY PERMITTING QUESTIONS OVER DEFENSE OBJECTION CONCERNING UNCHARGED MISCONDUCT INVOLVING APPELLANT’S OLDEST DAUGHTER, WHICH WAS COMPOUNDED PREJUDICIALLY BY THE TRIAL COUNSEL’S MISUSE OF THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS DURING CROSS-EXAMINATION AND DURING SENTENCING ARGUMENT

A

Judge’s Ruling On Questions Concerning Uncharged, Misconduct

After conviction of the various offenses to which he had pled guilty, including two specifications of committing indecent acts upon his two year old daughter, Appellant called a psychiatrist as an expert witness in his behalf during the presentencing phase of trial. On direct examination, the witness expressed the opinion that Appellant had good potential for rehabilitation and was a very good candidate for treatment. He further testified on direct examination that his opinion was based in part on the “very small number of victims” and the “very small number of actual events he’s engaged in.” R. 134.

On cross-examination, after the psychiatrist reconfirmed that portion of his direct testimony, the trial counsel asked him if he was aware that Appellant had sexually abused another daughter for a period of some seven years. Since none of the charges against Appellant involved that daughter, trial defense counsel immediately objected to the question as calling for uncharged misconduct not related to the case. He also argued that it was not proper aggravation evidence and that it was more prejudicial than probative. In response, the trial counsel stated that he was not offering matters in aggravation, that, instead, he was seeking information bearing on Appellant’s rehabilitative potential and on the weight to be given to the expert’s testimony. The judge overruled the defense objection and permitted the question, stating: “I will specifically not consider that information as far as being prior misconduct. It is strictly a question of testing just what the witness meant on it happened a few times.” R. 145.

Appellant contends that the judge erred in so ruling, despite the fact that the basis of an expert opinion generally may be tested on cross-examination. According to Appellant, the expert’s answers fall squarely under Military Rule of Evidence (M.R.E.) 403 which says that relevant evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Appellant submits that the probative value of the evidence here was slight and the danger of unfair prejudice enormous. He argues that it is precisely the type of uncharged misconduct that would invite the sentencing authority to impose a more severe sentence.

While we agree that M.R.E. 403 permits the exclusion of relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, it is a matter for the judge’s discretion. Here, we do not believe the judge abused her discretion by allowing the trial counsel’s question to be asked and answered. Rather than having slight probative value, as characterized by Appellant, we see the information sought by trial counsel as having direct and substantial probity with respect to the reliability of the expert’s opinion. Moreover, the danger of [753]*753unfair prejudice was slight, given the fact that trial was by judge alone. Slight as it was, the danger of unfair prejudice was reduced even further by the judge’s express statement that she would not consider the information as prior misconduct. Accordingly, we reject Appellant’s contention that the judge erred by considering the evidence for the limited purpose of testing the basis for the witness’s opinion concerning rehabilitative potential.

B

Prosecution’s Possible Overreaching And Misuse Of Evidence Admitted For Limited Purpose

Appellant argues additionally that, notwithstanding the judge’s ruling allowing the evidence for only a limited purpose, the trial counsel went beyond that purpose in completing his cross-examination of the expert and then misused the evidence in argument on the sentence. We do not find an overreaching by trial counsel in his cross-examination, as Appellant has asserted, but the argument on sentence is another matter. Appellant provides the following portrayal of trial counsel’s argument, with pertinent quotes:

He [trial counsel] first stated that “Bill Lawer abuses his kids.” R. at 194. Later, purporting to speak for Sarah [the younger daughter], he stated, “My big sister was abused by my dad.” R. at 196. Then purporting to speak for Petty Officer Law-er’s wife, Diane, he stated, “I married a guy that in time abused two of our three daughters____” R. at 197. The trial counsel again argued the alleged abuse of Jennifer [the older daughter] as aggravation, while purporting to speak for Petty Officer Lawer himself. R. at 200. Finally, he argued to the military judge that Petty Officer Lawer was dangerous because he has a “long, long history of abusing children ...” R. at 205.

Appellant’s brief pages 6 & 7.

Appellant asserts that trial counsel’s argument was clearly improper and that it seriously and unfairly prejudiced his substantial rights. We agree that the argument constituted improper comment on evidence admitted for a limited purpose. The trial counsel’s treatment of this evidence as if it were a matter in aggravation was error. That error was waived by Appellant’s failure to object, however, unless it amounted to plain error. U.S. v. Richardson, 33 M.J. 1024 (C.G.C.M.R.1991), U.S. v. Olivari, 33 M.J. 933 (C.G.C.M.R.1991). In that regard, the Government had the following to say:

There was no plain error in trial counsel’s argument. For there to be plain error, the error must be obvious and substantial and must have an unfair prejudicial impact on the [sentencer’s] determinations. U.S. v. Rice, 33 M.J. 451 (C.M.A.1991). Here, any references in trial counsel’s sentencing argument to Appellant’s abuse of the older daughter were made only in passing and were not concentrated upon by trial counsel. These brief references certainly were not obvious or substantial when examined in context of the trial counsel’s sentencing argument.

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Bluebook (online)
41 M.J. 751, 1995 CCA LEXIS 66, 1995 WL 31650, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-lawer-uscgcoca-1995.