State v. Caswell

BISTLINE, Justice,

concurring in part and dissenting in part.

I concur in the majority’s resolution of the issues raised in Caswell’s direct appeal. I also concur in the majority opinion as to the issue raised in the petition for post conviction relief to the extent that it holds that under I.C. § 19-3504 the State does not have the authority to dismiss the case against Caswell. However, in my view, the district court’s order dismissing the petition should be reversed and the case remanded for a new hearing to determine whether the State should be required to recommend dismissal.

The evidence relating to the agreement to dismiss is as follows. Caswell testified that after he was arrested, Agent Peterson of the IBN contacted him in jail and said, “If you can bail out, give me a telephone call, we’ll work with you.” When Caswell posted bail, he set up an appointment with IBN and met with Agent Beatty at the IBN offices. Caswell’s friend Valenda Pickett was also at the meeting. Beatty wanted Caswell to set up three controlled narcotics buys. Beatty also said that two buys would be enough if one of them was from a narcotics laboratory. In exchange, Beatty told Caswell that all charges would be dropped.

A second meeting was arranged where Caswell would supply Beatty with the names of ten people Caswell might be able to set up. At this meeting, Beatty said that he had been authorized by John Horgan, the Jerome County Prosecuting Attorney, to enter into this deal with Caswell. “Well, I’ve talked to Mr. Horgan. I’ve talked to people over there. And they are willing to go along with it.”

Pickett testified and corroborated Caswell’s testimony. Other testimony established that it was a regular practice for the IBN to recruit defendants as undercover *806agents in exchange for promises to dismiss or reduce charges against the defendants.

The next week when Caswell presented his list of ten “possible victims,” Beatty left the room saying he was going to check the names on his computer. When Beatty returned he said, “Well, get a hold of me next Wednesday when you contact some people, and we’ll get it done.”

After the meeting, Caswell diligently made arrangements for three controlled buys, one of which was to take place that Wednesday. Caswell called Beatty at 1:00 Wednesday afternoon. Agent Mark Denart answered the telephone and told Caswell that Beatty was out of town and asked if he could help. After Caswell explained that he had a deal with Beatty and that he was ready to fulfill his part of the deal, Denart said he would call Caswell “right back.”

Five minutes later Denart telephoned Caswell. Caswell told him that he had a buy set up for that night. Denart told Caswell to be at the IBN office by five o’clock in order to prepare for the buy. At ten minutes to five, Denart called again and said, “Sorry. We can’t help you. You’ll have to take your chances in court now, you know.”

At the end of Caswell’s evidence the State moved for a directed verdict. The district court granted the motion stating that “since there is no showing that Mr. Horgan or Mr. Gold or anyone in charge in Jerome County, where the crime was committed, entered into such a bargain, you have got nothing. So the petition is denied.”

I

A petition for post conviction relief is civil in nature. “All rules and statutes applicable in civil proceedings including pre-trial, discovery and appellate procedures are available to the parties.” I.C. § 19-4907. As noted above, at the end of Caswell’s case, the district court granted the State’s I.R.C.P. 50(a) motion for a directed verdict. Our standard of review of the grant of motions for directed verdicts is as follows: “Whether a verdict should be directed ... is purely a question of law and on those questions, the parties are entitled to full review by the appellate court without special deference to the views of the trial court.” Quick v. Crane, 111 Idaho 759, 764, 727 P.2d 1187, 1192 (1986).

II

The district court was mistaken when it said that there was no evidence that the Jerome County prosecutor entered into a bargain with Caswell. Both Pickett and Caswell testified that Beatty said he spoke to Prosecuting Attorney John Horgan who gave his permission to enter into the agreement. The out of court statements of Beatty and Horgan are not hearsay statements because they are admissions by a party-opponent which are excluded from the hearsay rule. I.R.E. 801(d)(2). Additionally, Pickett and Caswell’s testimony was admitted without objection from the State.

In this respect, United States v. Williams, 780 F.2d 802 (9th Cir.1986), cited by the majority, is easily distinguished. In Williams, there was no evidence presented by the defendant that the United States Attorney Office agreed to recommend dismissal of the charges if Williams cooperated with a Veterans Administration investigation. By contrast, in this case there was evidence from two witnesses that Prosecuting Attorney John Horgan had approved the agreement between Caswell and Beatty-

In light of the direct evidence of an agreement between Caswell and the Jerome County Prosecuting Attorney, the district court’s reason for granting the motion for directed verdict is simply wrong and the motion never should have been granted on that basis.

III

The majority affirms the trial court’s decision on an additional basis not mentioned by the district court. It holds that the agreement cannot be binding upon the State because the State does not have the statutory authority to dismiss cases.

*807The majority is only partially correct. It is a fact the State does not have the authority to dismiss a case. Idaho Code § 19-3504 clearly states that only the court may dismiss a case. However the conclusion the majority draws from that fact does not logically follow.

The majority’s argument is this: 1) the agreement was to dismiss the case, 2) neither the prosecutor or the IBN can dismiss a case on its own, 3) therefore the agreement is totally void.

However, the fact that the State cannot literally perform its agreement does not excuse it from performing as much of the agreement as is possible. The majority’s argument is similar to an impossibility defense to a contract action. However, even if a contract is impossible to perform, that does not void the contract if a party can partially comply with the agreement.

The conditions that rendered performance impossible do not terminate the contract ab initio, and vitiate what has been done and what remains to be done that is capable of execution.
The conditions may be of such an extent as to amount to a substantial abrogation of the entire contract, or they may relate to an insignificant part of the contract, but they excuse performance only to the extent to which performance is impossible, and leave what has been done valid permitting a recovery therefor, and may not excuse performance of the remaining work.

18 Williston on Contracts, § 1956 pg. 146 (3rd ed. 1987) quoting Umatilla Fruit Co. v. Campbell, 123 Fla. 484, 167 So. 370 (1936), see also Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 270 (1981).

The Court should hold that even though the State cannot perform the literal terms of the agreement, it can be held to perform as much of the agreement as is statutorily allowed. Under the evidence before the court when it granted the direct verdict Caswell was entitled to have the State make a good-faith recommendation to the court that the case be dismissed. Such a recommendation would substantially comply with the terms of the agreement.2 The district court could then dismiss the case in the interests of justice pursuant to I.C. § 19-3504. See also I.C.R. 48(2).

The majority goes on to state that even if the agreement has some legal validity, it need not be enforced because Caswell did not detrimentally rely on the agreement.

It is undisputed that Caswell did partially perform the agreement by providing Beatty with a list of ten suspected drug dealers. This information must have been of some value to the IBN as it conditioned the entire agreement on Caswell providing the list. Further, there can be no doubt that Caswell would not have parted with this information if he did not believe it would help get the charges against him dismissed. Thus it is beyond dispute that Caswell provided the list in reliance on the agreement. The only question that remains is whether the act was to Caswell’s detriment.

The majority’s conclusion that there was no detriment to Caswell because he was not placed in danger shows an astounding lack of understanding of police procedures. Being placed in danger cannot be the touchstone of detrimental reliance here because neither side anticipated that providing the list would place Caswell in danger. The police do not want suspected criminals to know who the police informants are, hence the term “undercover informants.” It has been discovered that known undercover informants are of little or no value to the police, as criminals are loath to conduct any illegal business with them. Thus, it is unlikely, if all went according to plan, that Caswell would be put in any actual danger by providing the names. To the contrary, the IBN would have done everything in its power to make certain that no one knew *808who provided the names of “candidate” buyers.

Simply becoming an informer for the police and providing a list of “possible victims” consisting of friends and acquaintances was detrimental reliance in and of itself. Caswell made a significant sacrifice by providing the list of names to the police and thereby becoming what is known as a “squealer,” “rat,” “snitch,” or “stool pigeon.” These are labels which are not seen as compliments. Our society detests informers. We tell our children to not be “tattle-tales.” Those artists who were blacklisted in the 1950's because of their refusal to “name names” when subpoenaed before the House Unamerican Activities Committee are now considered heroes. Conversely, those who became informers are viewed with pity or contempt. A person gives up a great deal when s/he becomes an informer. It is no small sacrifice. One of the most hated persons in western history was involved in the same actions as Caswell. As we all know, it is no tribute to be called a “Judas.”3

IV

It is a fact of life that law enforcement authorities rely upon the services of informers in order to effectively do their job. Today, however, the majority, in its haste to affirm Caswell’s conviction, actually obstructs the capture of many more lawbreakers by diminishing the incentive for defendants to cooperate with the police. Since the Court will not hold the IBN and the Jerome County Prosecutor to their bargain, there is little if any reason for other defendants to cooperate with either of those parties. Defendants will now hesitate before entering into a cooperation agreement with any law enforcement agency for fear that the agreement will not be enforceable. Further, the majority’s opinion may lead to mischief by the police. Some may try to strike illusory “deals” by intentionally inserting terms they do not have the authority to perform and then refuse to perform their obligation after the defendant has performed his/her part of the bargain.

The Court this day should be requiring the State to perform, insofar as is possible, the agreements which its agents make with informers in pursuit of furthering effective law enforcement and demonstrating fair play. Caswell has presented a prima facie case that there was an agreement made between him and the prosecutor. He also presented evidence that he detrimentally relied upon that agreement. A directed verdict should not have been granted because the court on the evidence before it could have ordered partial performance of the agreement. The order granting the motion for directed verdict should be reversed and the cause remanded for a new hearing.

. If the State would have been required to present its evidence, it very well may have been shown that a recommendation for dismissal was all that was offered in the first place. Caswell, who was not represented by an attorney during the negotiations, could have misunderstood the exact terms of the offer. Many people are under the mistaken impression that the prosecutor can "drop charges” at will. We will never know what the State’s version of the facts were because the district court did not require of it the presentation of any evidence.

. Judas Iscariot was paid thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Matthew 27:3 (King James). Whatever else might be said about the Romans they, unlike the IBN, at least fulfilled their agreement.