State v. Morse

February 23 2015
DA 14-0052
Case Number: DA 14-0052
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
2015 MT 51
STATE OF MONTANA,
Plaintiff and Appellee,
v.
BARNEY ALLEN MORSE,
Defendant and Appellant.
APPEAL FROM: District Court of the Third Judicial District,
In and For the County of Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Cause No. DC 12-45
Honorable Ray Dayton, Presiding Judge
COUNSEL OF RECORD:
For Appellant:
Amy Eddy, The Law Offices of Amy Eddy, PLLP, Kalispell, Montana
For Appellee:
Timothy C. Fox, Montana Attorney General, C. Mark Fowler, Assistant
Attorney General, Helena, Montana
Joan Borneman, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Attorney, Anaconda,
Montana
Submitted on Briefs: November 13, 2014
Decided: February 23, 2015
Filed:
__________________________________________
Clerk
Justice Laurie McKinnon delivered the Opinion of the Court.
¶1 Barney Allen Morse appeals the judgment of conviction for sexual intercourse
without consent and the order denying his motion for new trial entered by the Third
Judicial District Court, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County.
¶2 Morse presents the following issues for review:
1. Did the District Court abuse its discretion when it denied Morse’s
untimely motion for new trial and directed Morse to pursue postconviction
relief?
2. Did the District Court abuse its discretion when it allowed the State
to elicit testimony from the victim’s sisters about Morse’s past conduct?
We reverse and remand for further proceedings as to Issue One. Based on our resolution
of Issue One, we do not reach the merits of Issue Two.1
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
¶3 H.S. is the adult daughter of Morse’s girlfriend. H.S. is married and has three
children. At the time of the incident on September 17, 2012, she had known Morse for
several years. H.S. suffers from spinal neuropathy related to childbirth and has chronic
back pain. She is prescribed lorazepam, a muscle relaxer, for pain relief and relief from
muscle spasms. H.S. knew Morse was friends with a local chiropractor and believed
Morse knew certain chiropractic techniques which would help with her back pain. Morse
had given H.S. “minor adjustments” in the past.
1
Morse maintains that the District Court should have prohibited the State from
introducing evidence of his past conduct pursuant to M. R. Evid. 403 and 404(a) and (b). In light
of our resolution of Issue One and our remand for further proceedings, however, we decline to
render an advisory opinion and instead recognize that the parties will be in the same position as
if there had been no trial. Section 46-16-701, MCA.
2
¶4 On September 17, 2012, H.S. was experiencing severe back pain and discussed
with her mother and Morse taking a muscle relaxer and having Morse give her a massage.
H.S.’s mother agreed to watch her children because H.S. was concerned about her
children’s welfare knowing the muscle relaxer would make her “very tired” and unable to
care for her children. H.S. took the medication and Morse and her mother transported
H.S. back to her home where Morse accompanied her into a back room and began the
massage.
¶5 H.S. described that the massage went on for five hours. Morse would touch her
feet which would make her legs twitch and activate certain nerve areas. She explained
that this would wake her up a bit. H.S. testified:
Q: [Prosecutor] Okay. What happened after that?
A. [H.S.] He had – He had spread my legs, and he was massaging
his way up my legs. I remember at a given point that, over the course of
the time that we were in there, he was massaging my butt and he, uh—he
had put his fingers inside of me.
Q. Can you describe how you’re so sure that he put his fingers inside
of you?
A. Because I could feel it and he was moving, he was moving them.
Q. How was he moving them?
A. Like moving them (indicating).
Q. [H.S.], why didn’t you tell him to stop?
A. My Mom ended up coming in.
Q. What happened when your mom came in?
A. That’s when – well, he still, he had his fingers inside of me at that
point, because my mom walked in kind of right in the middle of that. And
he grabbed my right forearm because my mom, she asked how I was doing,
and I tried to answer but it was kind of garbled because my face was in the
massage pillow; and Barney was squeezing my arm, telling me not to
answer.
Q. He verbally told you not to answer?
A. No, he just squeezed my arm.
3
¶6 H.S.’s mother testified that she walked in to the massage room several times when
Morse was giving H.S. a massage. She testified that H.S. did not answer and Morse was
“standing still” when she walked in the last time. H.S’s mother left the room. H.S.
testified that Morse left after her mother came into the room.
¶7 H.S. described that she went to the bathroom because she felt like she had to
urinate and realized “that I had human bodily fluids on . . . my legs and in my private
area.” H.S. explained that she was “grossed out” and that she “was pretty positive it was
mine, and I was worried that some of it was his, but I knew at least some of it was mine.”
¶8 The State admitted into evidence a picture of H.S.’s shorts that she was wearing
during the incident. The crime lab outlined on the shorts stains that had fluoresced during
the Crime Lab’s examination. Lacey Van Grinsven, a forensic scientist with the State
Crime Lab, testified that she did not find semen or blood stains on the shorts and that the
crime lab cannot test for vaginal fluid.
¶9 The defense attempted to discredit H.S. by showing that, before trial, H.S. had
given statements to investigators that she thought the body fluid was semen from Morse,
but upon learning the Crime Lab did not find semen changed her testimony to indicate
the bodily fluid was hers. H.S. testified during cross examination as follows:
Q. [Defense counsel] So on that day, you told our investigator that it
was slimy white stuff, correct?
A. [H.S.] Yes, it was definitely bodily fluids.
Q. And you said, to quote you, “That obviously wasn’t mine. There
was a lot of it.” You said that correct?
A. I do not know for sure exactly how much of it is mine, how much
of it is his. I know that it was there; and during that statement, I was
extremely upset.
4
H.S. testified that “I was meaning it could not have been all mine because there was a lot
of it.”
¶10 The State described in its opening statement that H.S. “could just feel him inside
of her vagina,” but that H.S. could not scream out because of the effects of the muscle
relaxer. The State said that H.S. will tell the jury that “[H.S.] checked her shorts, and her
vaginal area was all wet. She’s [H.S.] going to tell you it looked like a white, creamy
substance,” and, although the Crime Lab could not test for vaginal fluid, that “[H.S.] will
tell you her shorts were wet, and that material looked as if she had just had sex.” During
closing argument the State argued that “[Morse] digitally penetrated her to the point that
she had so much bodily fluid on her legs and around her vagina that she thought it might
be somebody else’s.” The State argued:
You’ll notice those are the shorts that she was wearing that night, by
her own testimony. Notice the stains around the front, crotch. Now, could
those be something besides vaginal fluid? Absolutely. Could be urine.
Could be beer. Or it could be evidence of the large amount of fluid she had
on her because the Defendant had repeatedly digitally raped her while he
was in that room, is what it could be. There’s strong corroborative
evidence.
Now, the Defense, of course, makes a big deal out of the fact that
[H.S.] basically wasn’t sure what this stuff was on her, that she was afraid
at one point that it might be semen. Well, can you blame her? I mean,
imagine as she walks out of this room, she doesn’t know what he did when
she was asleep. She knows when she was awake, he had his fingers in her,
and then she finds all this fluid around her vagina.
Well, wouldn’t it be a reasonable assumption that maybe it was
sperm? She was afraid it was. She probably did think it was sperm. And
then when she finds out from the Crime Lab that it was not sperm, she is
relieved that she wasn’t raped by him while she was asleep with his penis.
Instead it was his fingers, and she was relieved. At that point, yeah, she did
think it was vaginal fluid. What else would it be? She knew she had all
this stuff on her legs.
5
¶11 On March 20, 2013, after the testimony of many other witnesses, including Morse,
the jury found Morse guilty of sexual intercourse without consent. On April 19, 2013,
Morse filed a motion for new trial arguing that there was insufficient evidence to convict
and that he was unfairly prejudiced by the admission of alleged prior bad acts. The
District Court denied the motion at a hearing on May 20, 2013.
¶12 Eleven days later, on May 31, 2013, Detective Ken Walund received a report that
H.S. had claimed her husband sexually assaulted her. Walund interviewed H.S. that same
day regarding these allegations. Afterward, H.S. told Walund that she was beginning to
think that Morse may have been just trying to help her. H.S. also stated that after having
time to sleep on it and think, she now remembered that the wetness on her was urine
because she wet herself. Walund informed H.S. that it was very important to get the facts
right and H.S. said she understood. H.S. agreed to come back on June 4, 2013.
¶13 During a subsequent telephone conversation with Walund, H.S. confirmed a
second time that she remembered the wetness on her was urine because she now
remembered wetting herself. On July 16, 2013, during a third, recorded interview with
Walund and the prosecutor, H.S. again confirmed that she thought the bodily fluid in her
vaginal area had been urine and explained, “I did relax to the point where I obviously
peed myself, because you know I can’t, can’t feel my, anything from the waist down,
then what I do feel was not right.”
¶14 Based upon H.S.’s post-trial statements, Morse filed a First Amended Motion for
New Trial on September 4, 2013. Although the motion was untimely pursuant to
§ 46-16-702(2), MCA, the District Court nevertheless conducted a second hearing on
6
October 21, 2013. The District Court considered the briefs and arguments of counsel
regarding the post-trial statements of H.S. and heard testimony from Walund and H.S.
The District Court appreciated that if “I decide [the motion] is untimely” and the
“Supreme Court affirms me . . . he stays in jail.” The District Court further observed that
immediately pursuing a petition for postconviction relief would require Morse to forego
an appeal, and that “there were important evidentiary rulings during the trial that I’m sure
[Morse] is going to want to have looked at” through an appeal. The District Court
recognized the situation as “problematic” and acknowledged that “there might be strong
enough evidence that’s newly discovered that would warrant the Court allowing the
motion for new trial to be considered and ruled upon after the 30-day time limit.” Next,
Walund testified that H.S. had informed him that she urinated on herself. H.S. testified
that she had, in fact, made these statements to Walund and the prosecutor. H.S. explained
that “[w]hen I lose feeling from my waist down, I try really hard, I mean, I’m always
worried that I’m going to lose control of my bladder; but when I get worried like that, I
just make sure I go use the bathroom.”
¶15 Based upon our review of the transcript, it is clear the District Court understood
that H.S. had contradicted her trial testimony by stating that the wetness in her vaginal
area was urine rather than vaginal fluid and that she had no feeling from the waist down.
The District Court stated at the hearing: “and then the statement that she made post trial,
post motion to amend, that she has no feeling below her waist when she was, I mean, she
did not say, [during the trial] ‘I saw him do it.’ She said, ‘I felt him do it,’ and then says,
‘I had no feeling below the waist.’” The district judge asked “Now is the jury going to
7
acquit based upon those two pieces of evidence? I don’t know, but I’ll tell you, I think it
would be a different trial.” The court observed that H.S. now says, “I peed myself,” and
that this was not available at the time the original motion for new trial was made. “The
jury could easily put quite a bit of weight on the fact that, well, God, she’s got all this
vaginal fluid on her shorts. That doesn’t happen with a massage unless there’s digital
manipulation, stimulation, you know. That’s why [the prosecutor] presented it to the
jury.”
¶16 On October 25, 2013, the District Court denied Morse’s request for a new trial. In
doing so, the court observed:
Of particular concern to the Court, H.S. has made post-trial statements
suggesting that the substance on her legs and vagina was her own urine and
that she could not feel anything from the waist down at the time Defendant
digitally penetrated her. H.S.’s post-trial statements appear to contradict
some of her trial testimony and arguments made by the State during trial.
Although the Court is concerned about the matters raised in Defendant’s
Amended Motion for New Trial, it concludes the motion is time barred
under section 46-16-702, MCA, and that no exception to the time bar
applies.
The court further declined to create an exception to the 30-day time limitation, finding
that Morse’s “circumstances do not give rise to constitutional due process implications
that transcend the otherwise clear and unambiguous requirements of section 46-16-702,
MCA.” Believing that H.S.’s statements could be adequately addressed in postconviction
proceedings, the court concluded that although it had the authority to consider Morse’s
motion sua sponte, the interests of justice did not require granting a new trial given the
availability of this collateral proceeding.
8
¶17 On December 3, 2013, the District Court sentenced Morse to 15 years in prison,
with 10 years suspended. The judgment was stayed and Morse was released on his own
recognizance pending appeal.
STANDARDS OF REVIEW
¶18 We generally review a district court’s decision to grant or deny a motion for new
trial for an abuse of discretion. State v. Clark, 2005 MT 330, ¶ 18, 330 Mont. 8, 125 P.3d
1099 (Clark I). To the extent that a district court makes findings of fact, those findings
must be made by a preponderance of the evidence and will be reviewed for clear error.
Clark I, ¶ 39. Where a district court exercises its discretion, its decisions will be
reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Clark I, ¶ 39. Whether a district court has the
authority to grant a new trial pursuant to § 46-16-702, MCA, is a matter of statutory
interpretation, and reviewed as a question of law. State v. Brummer, 1998 MT 11,
¶¶ 30-31, 287 Mont. 168, 953 P.3d 250.
DISCUSSION
¶19 1. Did the District Court abuse its discretion when it denied Morse’s untimely
motion for new trial and directed Morse to pursue postconviction relief?
¶20 The State argues that the District Court could not order a new trial in response to
Morse’s September 4, 2013 motion because § 46-16-702(2), MCA, requires that the
motion be filed within 30 days following the verdict. The State also maintains that
because Morse moved for a new trial, the District Court could not act sua sponte under
§ 46-16-702(1), MCA, and that Morse should not be allowed to rely on the District
Court’s sua sponte authority to circumvent the 30-day statutory limitation, thereby
rendering the provisions of subsection (1) useless. Morse argues that his case falls within
9
an exception to the 30-day limitation, because he will be denied due process if he is
required to serve a sentence for sexual intercourse without consent when it is known the
victim has recanted material parts of her trial testimony. Morse additionally argues that
the 30-day limitation should not prevent the court from ordering a new trial, because the
plain reading of § 46-16-702(1), MCA, demonstrates that a district court has the power to
grant a new trial in the interests of justice, no matter how it learns of the facts that require
a new trial.
¶21 Section 46-16-702, MCA, the statute under which a new trial may be granted or
denied, provides:
(1) Following a verdict or finding of guilty, the court may grant the
defendant a new trial if required in the interest of justice. A new trial may
be ordered by the court without a motion or may be granted after motion
and hearing.
(2) The motion for new trial must be in writing and must specify the
grounds for a new trial. The motion must be filed by the defendant within
30 days following a verdict or finding of guilty and be served upon the
prosecution.
(3) On hearing the motion for a new trial, if justified by law and the weight
of the evidence, the court may:
(a) deny the motion;
(b) grant a new trial; or
(c) modify or change the verdict or finding by finding the defendant
guilty of a lesser included offense or finding the defendant not
guilty.
¶22 The question of whether an untimely new trial motion precludes substantive
review of the defendant’s request has been raised numerous times in this Court, as well as
addressed by the Legislature. Subsection (1) has no express time limitation, whereas
10
subsection (2) requires that the defendant’s motion be filed within 30 days following a
verdict or finding of guilty. There have been many instances in which we have
considered the merits of defendant’s untimely request, State v. Moore, 268 Mont. 20, 58,
885 P.2d 457, 481 (1994), overruled in part by State v. Gollehon, 274 Mont. 116, 122,
906 P.2d 697, 701 (1995); State v. Barrack, 267 Mont. 154, 161-62, 882 P.2d 1028, 1032
(1994); State v. Redcrow, 242 Mont. 254, 259, 790 P.2d 449, 452 (1990), overruled in
part by Gollehon, 274 Mont. at 122, 906 P.2d at 701; State v. Perry, 232 Mont. 455, 462-
63, 758 P.2d 268, 272-73 (1988), overruled on other grounds by Clark I, ¶ 32, and as
many in which we found the untimely motion was a procedural bar to consideration of
the merits, State v. Sirles, 2010 MT 88, ¶ 37, 356 Mont. 133, 231 P.3d 1089; State v.
McCarthy, 2004 MT 312, ¶ 42, 324 Mont. 1, 101 P.3d 288; Gollehon, 274 Mont. at 117,
906 P.2d at 698 (construing previous version of § 46-16-702, MCA); State v. Best,
161 Mont. 20, 26, 503 P.2d 997, 1001 (1972), overruled in part by Gollehon, 274 Mont.
at 122, 906 P.2d at 701. Because it is undisputed that Morse’s motion was filed beyond
the 30-day time limitation set forth in subsection (2), these proceedings require us to
construe the provisions of subsection (1), which were also specifically considered by the
District Court.
¶23 We interpreted the provisions of subsection (1) in Brummer, ¶ 46, and held that
“the right of the defendant to move for a new trial does not affect the court’s inherent
power to order a new trial sua sponte when required in the interest of justice.” We
determined that “absent a lawful enactment by the Montana Legislature withholding the
trial court’s inherent power to grant a new trial sua sponte, the court’s power stands.”
11
Brummer, ¶ 46. We specifically acknowledged “‘the equitable concept that neither a
wronged litigant nor society itself can afford to be without some means to remedy a
palpable miscarriage of justice.’” Brummer, ¶ 38 (quoting 58 Am. Jur. 2d New Trial
§ 11); see also State v. Marker, 2000 MT 303, ¶ 11, 302 Mont. 380, 15 P.3d 373. We
also noted that
our construction of § 46-16-702, MCA, is consistent with the purposes and
construction of the rules of criminal procedure as stated by the Montana
Legislature: “to provide for the just determination of every criminal
proceeding . . . [and] to secure simplicity in procedure, fairness in
administration, and elimination of unjustifiable expense and delay.”
Brummer, ¶ 47 (quoting § 46-1-103, MCA).
¶24 In response to our observation in Brummer that § 46-16-702, MCA, contained
certain ambiguities regarding the court’s authority to consider a new trial, the 1999
Montana Legislature amended subsection (1) to specifically allow the court to order a
new trial either “without a motion or after motion and hearing.” 1999 Mont. Laws 301.
The Legislature did not place any limitations on the court’s authority to grant a new trial
whenever required by the interests of justice. In responding to Brummer with an
amendment to § 46-1-702(1), MCA, we can only assume that the Montana Legislature
accepted the equitable principles we enunciated in Brummer that served as a basis for our
decision that “the right of the defendant to move for a new trial does not affect the court’s
inherent power to order a new trial sua sponte when required in the interest of justice.”
Brummer, ¶ 46.
¶25 Following Brummer and the 1999 amendment, we again reiterated in Marker, ¶ 11
(construing § 46-16-702, MCA (1997)), that the time and notice requirements applicable
12
to a motion for new trial do not apply to a district court acting sua sponte. We
specifically rejected the State’s argument that the district court is bound by the 30-day
deadline for the filing of a defendant’s motion for new trial set forth in § 46-16-702(2),
MCA, when it is acting pursuant to § 46-16-702(1), MCA. Marker, ¶ 11. In so doing,
we again recognized “‘[t]his authority embodies “the equitable concept that neither a
wronged litigant nor society itself can afford to be without some means to remedy a
palpable miscarriage of justice.”’” Marker, ¶ 13 (quoting Brummer, ¶ 38). These
equitable principles guide us here as well. A court is not rendered powerless to act upon
learning of facts potentially warranting a new trial simply because it learned of those
facts through an untimely defense motion. Placing such an interpretation on subsection
(1) is inconsistent with the plain language of the statute, Brummer, Marker, and our
precedent recognizing that a court has the inherent authority to grant a new trial and
thereby “remedy a palpable miscarriage of justice.”
¶26 The State argues that because Morse moved for a new trial, the District Court
cannot act sua sponte under § 46-16-702(1), MCA. However, subsection (1) states:
“Following a verdict or finding of guilty, the court may grant the defendant a new trial if
required in the interest of justice.” In construing § 46-16-702, MCA, we cannot ignore an
elementary rule of statutory construction that the “office of the judge is simply to
ascertain and declare what is in terms or in substance contained therein, not to insert what
has been omitted or to omit what has been inserted.” Section 1-2-101, MCA. Although
this Court used the phrase “sua sponte” in Marker and Brummer when discussing
subsection (1), the Legislature did not insert “sua sponte” into subsection (1). The
13
language of the statute is clear that a court has the authority to consider granting a new
trial and is guided in its decision only by the interest of justice. Situations too
innumerable to account for in statutory language may arise in the context of people’s
lives and a criminal trial which would warrant consideration of a new trial. The
Legislature did not insert a time limitation on the court’s authority to act under subsection
(1), nor did it restrict the manner in which the issue may first be raised. We decline to do
so here.
¶27 We are also mindful of the rule of statutory construction that “[w]here there are
several provisions or particulars, such a construction is, if possible, to be adopted as will
give effect to all.” Section 1-2-101, MCA. To hold that a defense motion, considered
untimely under subsection (2), precludes the court from considering under subsection (1)
facts which potentially warrant a new trial would render, in part, the provisions of
subsection (1) ineffective. A court would not be able to consider granting a new trial
simply because of an untimely motion. The untimely motion may have been filed to
protect an alternative argument, as here, that an exception to the 30-day time limitation
under subsection (2) should be applied. See Perry, 232 Mont. at 462, 758 P.2d at 272.
Such an interpretation places a limitation on the court’s inherent authority to consider
granting a new trial under subsection (1). This limitation is not only absent from the
statutory language itself, but inconsistent with our precedent as set forth primarily in
Brummer and Marker.
¶28 We also observe that the analysis set forth in Gollehon, 274 Mont. at 118-22,
906 P.2d at 699-702, which arrived at a narrower construction of § 46-16-702, MCA, and
14
revisited several of our precedents, occurred prior to the 1999 amendments addressing a
district court’s authority to order a new trial with or without a motion. Those
amendments have resulted in an inherent tension: subsection (2) contains a specific time
limitation, while subsection (1) does not. This tension requires a new analysis. A
construction that recognizes a district court’s inherent power to grant a new trial, and yet
renders a defendant unable to communicate to the court circumstances that would justify
invocation of that power, does not adequately effect the intent of the 1999 amendments.
¶29 There are instances, such as what occurred here, where the facts warranting the
new trial did not arise from the trial itself, but rather came from post-trial statements of
the victim made after expiration of the 30-day time limitation and prior to sentencing. A
court can only learn of this information through the filing of a motion which will be
untimely under subsection (2). Here, the District Court determined the motion was
untimely pursuant to subsection (2) and could have ended with that, as it noted—“[i]f I’m
right, the Supreme Court affirms me, the motion was denied, he stays in jail.” However,
the District Court continued and extensively considered the propriety of granting a new
trial under subsection (1), observing that the post-trial statements were very concerning.
We agree with the District Court that these facts warranted a more thorough examination
of whether to grant a new trial and that the timing of the newly discovered evidence was
problematic. We appreciate the dilemma the District Court perceived it was in.
However, the provisions of subsection (1) allow the District Court to provide a remedy
under these circumstances when required by the interests of justice. The District Court’s
final decision, made pursuant to subsection (1), is subject to review by this Court.
15
¶30 We must now consider whether the District Court abused its discretion in denying
a new trial. Normally, our review under subsection (1) has been of a court’s decision to
grant, rather than deny, a new trial. However, as explained above, there are no
procedural limitations which would foreclose our review on the merits of the court’s
decision to deny Morse a new trial. Significantly, we note that the District Court
considered extensively the briefs filed by the parties, oral argument, documentary
evidence, and testimony from the lead detective and the victim. Although ultimately
deciding to deny Morse a new trial, the District Court nevertheless found that H.S.’s
post-trial statements contradicted her trial testimony and that they were concerning.
¶31 In Clark I, ¶ 34, this Court set forth the following five-part test when considering
motions for new trial based upon newly discovered evidence such as post-trial statements
from the victim:
To prevail on a motion for a new trial grounded on newly discovered
evidence, the defendant must satisfy a five-part test:
(1) The evidence must have been discovered since the defendant’s trial;
(2) the failure to discover the evidence sooner must not be the result of a
lack of diligence on the defendant’s part;
(3) the evidence must be material to the issues at trial;
(4) the evidence must be neither cumulative nor merely impeaching; and
(5) the evidence must indicate that a new trial has a reasonable probability
of resulting in a different outcome.
See also Crosby v. State, 2006 MT 155, ¶ 21, 332 Mont. 460, 139 P.3d 832 (“[T]he court
should consider all five of the Clark I factors, including, importantly, whether a new trial
would have reasonable probability of resulting in a different outcome. Under this test,
16
the court does not pass on the ultimate truthfulness of the recanting testimony; rather,
provided the five Clark I factors are satisfied, the court leaves the determination to the
fact-finder on retrial.” (Emphasis in original.)) These factors should likewise be applied
by the trial court when considering a new trial under subsection (1).
¶32 There can be no dispute that Morse has met factors (1) and (2) of the Clark I test.
H.S.’s post-trial statements, made to law enforcement, followed Morse’s verdict by only
two months. Defense counsel acted promptly in bringing the matter to the court’s
attention by filing an amended motion for new trial.
¶33 In considering whether H.S.’s statements were material to issues at trial, we
observe that H.S.’s statements at trial regarding the bodily fluid in her vaginal area
corroborated that she had been digitally stimulated. This was the primary purpose for the
State’s introduction of the shorts into evidence. Indeed, the State argued that the bodily
fluid was “strong corroborative evidence” that Morse had “repeatedly digitally raped her
while he was in that room.” Further, H.S.’s statement that she could not feel anything
from the waist down is also material given that her trial testimony was that she could feel,
as opposed to see, Morse inserting his fingers into her vagina. H.S.’s post-trial
statements are neither cumulative nor merely impeaching, but are rather material to
whether there actually was digital penetration. Morse has satisfied (3) and (4) of the
Clark I test.
¶34 As the District Court noted, “the primary issue in the case” was whether H.S. had
been digitally penetrated. The trial testimony and argument explaining that the bodily
fluid was likely vaginal fluid was strong corroborative evidence that penetration had
17
occurred. When H.S. subsequently testified that she remembered she had urinated on
herself and that she could not feel anything from the waist down, it is likely, as the
District Court observed, that “it would be a different trial.” We conclude that there is a
reasonable probability that had the jury considered H.S.’s post-trial statements, the
outcome would have been different. Morse has accordingly satisfied (5) of the Clark I
test.
¶35 Here, the District Court denied Morse a new trial after it determined Morse could
address the victim’s post-trial statements through the collateral remedy of a petition for
postconviction relief. The proceeding before the court, however, was not a petition for
postconviction relief, but rather a new trial motion based upon allegedly material and
substantive recantations by the victim, supported by testimony and documentary
evidence, made only 11 days after a hearing on Morse’s original new trial motion and just
two months following Morse’s guilty verdict. The availability of a remedy not currently
before the court should not displace an application of the Clark I factors relevant to a new
trial analysis. We note that at the time the District Court denied Morse a new trial, Morse
had not been sentenced, and thus he had no right of appeal and could not have filed a
petition for postconviction relief. M. R. App. P. 4(5)(b); § 46-21-102, MCA.2 Under the
circumstances of this case, we cannot require a defendant to forego an appeal in order to
2
We realize that Morse has asked this Court to carve out an exception under subsection
(2) to the 30-day time limitation based upon Morse having no other remedy or avenue for relief.
See Gollehon, 274 Mont. at 122, 906 P.2d at 701; Perry, 232 Mont. at 462, 758 P.2d at 272.
However, because we are granting Morse relief under the provisions of subsection (1), we will
not address whether to make an exception under subsection (2).
18
first pursue relief through a postconviction proceeding, while serving a sentence of
incarceration, when the court could provide an immediate remedy of granting a new trial.
CONCLUSION
¶36 We conclude the District Court abused its discretion when, in considering whether
Morse was entitled to a new trial pursuant to § 46-16-702(1), MCA, it failed to apply the
Clark I factors and instead determined that postconviction proceedings were best suited
to address H.S.’s post-trial statements. After applying the Clark I factors to H.S.’s
post-trial statements, in light of her testimony and other evidence, we are convinced that
Morse should be granted a new trial. We reverse the District Court’s order denying
Morse a new trial.
/S/ LAURIE McKINNON
We Concur:
/S/ PATRICIA COTTER
/S/ MICHAEL E WHEAT
/S/ JAMES JEREMIAH SHEA
Justice Jim Rice, concurring in part and dissenting in part.
¶37 I concur in the Court’s decision to grant relief to Morse and to remand this matter
for a new trial. I strongly disagree with the Court’s approach in reaching this
determination and the legal analysis undergirding it. The Court admittedly negates the
30-day requirement imposed by the Legislature upon motions for new trial, and justifies
this decision by asserting that the Legislature has essentially repealed it. I dissent from
19
this conclusion, which I believe blatantly breaches our judicial duty under the
Constitution.
¶38 In State v. Barrack, 267 Mont. 154, 882 P.2d 1028 (1994), the defendant filed an
untimely motion for new trial, which the District Court erroneously treated as a petition
for postconviction relief. Barrack, 267 Mont. at 160-61, 882 P.2d at 1031. Barrack was
thereby placed into a quandary, having to choose between pursuing his request for a new
trial and abandoning his right to appeal, or abandoning his new trial request in favor of
pursuing an appeal. Under those circumstances, we concluded it was the best course to
entertain Barrack’s untimely new trial motion on its merits. Barrack, 267 Mont. at
161-62, 882 P.2d at 1032. We were careful to emphasize that our decision was based
upon the unusual circumstances that resulted in Barrack’s forfeiture of a remedy, and that
nothing in our decision was to be read as “diminishing a defendant’s obligation to timely
file a motion for a new trial and a petition for post-conviction relief or appeal in
accordance with the applicable statutes.” Barrack, 267 Mont. at 162, 882 P.2d at 1032.
Here, Morse was placed in a similar quandary. His motion for new trial was untimely
due to the timing of the victim’s recantation. At that point, he could either abandon his
right to appeal, including the trial issues he sought to raise on appeal, in order to seek
postconviction relief regarding the recantation, or he could forego that relief in order to
pursue his appeal issues. Thus, I would conclude that Morse faced an unavoidable
forfeiture of remedy as in Barrack, reach the merits of his motion despite its
untimeliness, and grant a new trial, again emphasizing that this does not alter the
generally governing obligations “to timely file a motion for a new trial and a petition for
20
post-conviction relief or appeal in accordance with the applicable statutes.” Barrack, 267
Mont. at 162, 882 P.2d at 1032. Such an approach would preserve the Legislature’s
30-day time frame for motions for new trial alongside our precedent that provides relief
in the extraordinary circumstances where forfeiture of a remedy is unavoidable.
¶39 Instead, the Court engages in a lengthy analysis that concludes the Legislature has
disavowed altogether the 30-day time limit for new trial motions under § 46-16-702(2),
MCA, and that the limit no longer remains in effect, despite the fact that it remains in the
Code. The Court holds that a court is broadly authorized to grant a new trial even if
requested by “an untimely defense motion.” Opinion, ¶ 25. Obviously, if an untimely
defense motion can be considered in the same way as a timely defense motion, then the
30-day time limit is rendered null and void. The Court’s reasoning for this conclusion is
that “[s]ituations too innumerable to account for in statutory language may arise in the
context of people’s lives and a criminal trial which would warrant consideration of a new
trial.” Opinion, ¶ 26. This statement may well be true, but it is merely a policy argument
that the Legislature could consider as reason for repealing the statute, not a legal basis for
a court to negate it. I cannot countenance this abolishment of a legislative enactment.
¶40 The Court reasons that our decision in Brummer and the Legislature’s revision to
subsection (1) has somehow altered the statute. The Court states that “we can only
assume that the Montana Legislature accepted the equitable principles we enunciated in
Brummer.” Opinion, ¶ 24. However, the Legislature did no such thing.
¶41 The 30-day provision of subsection (2) was not at issue in Brummer. The issue
there was whether a district court had the authority under subsection (1) to order a new
21
trial sua sponte. It was in this regard that we cited equitable principles affording “some
means to remedy a palpable miscarriage of justice” before concluding a court had the
power to order a trial sua sponte under subsection (1). Brummer, ¶ 38 (quotations
omitted). Nor did we hold that a court could order a new trial “through an untimely
defense motion,” as the Court holds. Opinion, ¶ 25. That would have rendered
subsection (2) superfluous. The trial court in Brummer had ordered a new trial sua
sponte, and we simply held, over the State’s objection, that a court was authorized to do
so without a motion pursuant to subsection (1). Our holding did not alter the statutory
requirements for motions for new trial filed by a defendant, which are expressly governed
by subsection (2), including the 30-day requirement. We explained this point explicitly
in Brummer:
Under this construction, all subsections of § 46-16-702, MCA, are given
effect: so far as the defendant is concerned, he may move for a new trial,
and if he so moves, his motion must be in writing and filed within 30 days
of the verdict or finding of guilty; however, the right of the defendant to
move for a new trial does not affect the court’s inherent power to order a
new trial sua sponte when required in the interest of justice.
Brummer, ¶ 46 (emphasis added).
¶42 The Legislature then expressly stated its intention to codify Brummer by amending
the statute to clarify that trial courts “could order a new trial sua sponte.” 1999 Mont.
Laws 301. It thus amended subsection (1) to clarify this singular point, and that
provision now explains that a court can act on its own as well as pursuant to a motion by
the defendant. However, the Legislature expressed no intention and took no action to
revise subsection (2), which remained applicable to new trial motions initiated by a
defendant. There was no need to do so—Brummer had explicitly explained that the
22
30-day provision of subsection (2) remained applicable to new trial motions filed by a
defendant. There was no ambiguity on that point and the Legislature did not address it.
Clearly, the Legislature did not, as the Court posits, “accept[] the equitable principles we
enunciated in Brummer” in a manner that eliminated the 30-day requirement. Opinion,
¶ 24.
¶43 The Court repeatedly cites Marker for its equitable pronouncements and its
holding that the District Court was not bound by a 30-day deadline. Opinion, ¶¶ 23, 25,
26. However, the Court offers misleading partial quotes from Marker and fails to explain
that Marker dealt with a sua sponte granting of a new trial by the District Court. Marker,
¶ 7. The State’s argument in Marker was that the 30-day deadline applied to the District
Court’s sua sponte action. Marker, ¶ 9. We disagreed and held, as stated in full quote:
We reject the State’s argument that the District Court is bound by the notice
and time requirements contained in § 46-16-702(2), MCA. Subsection (2)
requires that when a defendant files a motion for a new trial, the motion
must be filed within 30 days following the verdict or finding of guilt. It has
no bearing on how or when a court, sua sponte, may grant a new trial under
subsection (1). We have held that the subsection (2) requirement that a
defendant file a motion when seeking a new trial does not affect the court’s
inherent power to order a new trial sua sponte when required in the
interests of justice. State v. Brummer, 1998 MT 11, ¶ 46, 287 Mont. 168,
¶ 46, 953 P.2d 250, ¶ 46. We now hold that the subsection (2) time and
notice requirements pertaining to the filing of motions do not apply to a
district court acting sua sponte under subsection (1).
Marker, ¶ 11 (emphasis in original). As did Brummer, Marker likewise reaffirmed the
30-day requirement for motions filed by a defendant, while holding that the requirement
did not apply to new trials when ordered sua sponte by the court. Yet, the Court cherry
picks language from Marker to give the false impression we held that courts could always
act without regard to the time limitation in order “to remedy a palpable miscarriage of
23
justice.” Marker, ¶ 13 (citations omitted). In my view, this is an incomplete, inaccurate,
and misleading citation to Marker. The very precedent that the Court offers in Opinion,
¶ 25 as support for its decision—Brummer and Marker—both stand for the precisely
opposite proposition: that the 30-day provision unquestionably applies to new trial
motions filed by a defendant, which is the situation here.
¶44 The Court invokes § 1-2-101, MCA, for the principle that we are not to insert what
has been omitted or omit what has been inserted. Opinion, ¶ 26. However, the Court is
doing just that—it is omitting the 30-day provision by concluding that it has no effect.
About subsection (1) of § 46-16-702, MCA, the Court offers that the Legislature “did not
place any limitations on the court’s authority to grant a new trial whenever required by
the interests of justice.” Opinion, ¶ 24. The fact that subsection (1) contains no provision
that expressly prohibits a defendant from raising the issue is not surprising, seeing that
this subsection addresses the authority of the court to act sua sponte. But, in any event,
that does not somehow permit this Court to ignore and fail to enforce the expressly
applicable provisions of subsection (2), which unmistakably governs Morse’s motion for
a new trial. Whatever canon of statutory construction the Court would choose to apply to
this statute rebels against the Court’s decision: the plain language requires filing of
motions for new trial within 30 days; subsection (2) is specifically applicable over any
general language in subsection (1); the subsections must be read together and reconciled
to give effect to all; the intention of the Legislature is to be pursued. Any and all of these
result in the 30-day requirement being applied to Morse’s motion.
24
¶45 The purpose of subsection (1), as we have explained and the Legislature has
confirmed, is to authorize a trial court to act sua sponte to order a new trial. That is for
good reason—a court, having viewed the proceeding, may be convinced that the
defendant received an unfair trial, and that the interests of justice require a new trial, such
as in Brummer and Marker. Subsection (1) authorizes the court to act in that event.
However, when a defendant files a motion, subsection (2) imposes time limits and other
requirements governing that motion. There is no “tension” between provisions here.
Opinion, ¶ 28. The only tension is in the Court’s will to enforce them as enacted.1
¶46 I concur in the result reached here, but strongly dissent from the Court’s manner of
granting relief, which I believe to be an abolishment of a statutory requirement that is a
clear violation of the constitutional separation of powers.
/S/ JIM RICE
1
We should let our history guide us here. In Gollehon, we criticized ourselves for “start[ing] down this shaky
staircase” of ignoring the 30-day requirement. Gollehon, 274 Mont. at 119, 906 P.2d at 699. We are now heading
down this same path again, only this time we are brazenly tossing the statutory requirement altogether.
25