State v. Gallo
CourtSupreme Court of Connecticut
Date FiledNovember 26, 2013
DocketSC18992
JudgeRogers; Palmer; Zarella; Eveleigh; McDonald; Vertefeuille
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
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STATE OF CONNECTICUT v. DONALD GALLO
(SC 18992)
Rogers, C. J., and Palmer, Zarella, Eveleigh, McDonald and Vertefeuille, Js.
Argued October 30—officially released November 26, 2013
Norman A. Pattis, for the appellant (defendant).
Bruce R. Lockwood, senior assistant state’s attorney,
with whom, on the brief, were David I. Cohen, state’s
attorney, and Mary A. SanAngelo, senior assistant
state’s attorney, for the appellee (state).
Opinion
PER CURIAM. The defendant, Donald Gallo, was con-
victed, after a jury trial, of assault of public safety per-
sonnel in violation of General Statutes § 53a-167c (a)
(1),1 assault of public safety personnel in violation of
§ 53a-167c (a) (2) and interfering with a peace officer
in violation of General Statutes § 53a-167a.2 The trial
court rendered judgment in accordance with the ver-
dict, and the defendant appealed to the Appellate Court,
which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. State v.
Gallo, 135 Conn. App. 438, 41 A.3d 1183 (2012). We
granted the defendant’s petition for certification to
appeal from the judgment of the Appellate Court limited
to the following issue: ‘‘Did the Appellate Court properly
determine that the admission of a protective order
issued against the defendant, as impeachment evidence,
constituted harmless error?’’ State v. Gallo, 305 Conn.
915, 46 A.3d 172 (2012). We conclude that certification
was improvidently granted and dismiss the appeal.
The factual background of this case is set forth in
the Appellate Court’s opinion. State v. Gallo, supra,
135 Conn. App. 441–43. During a domestic dispute, the
defendant threw a glass and the police were summoned.
Id., 442. ‘‘The officers entered the residence and repeat-
edly ordered the defendant to come out of the bedroom.
The defendant did not comply, but shouted expletives
at the officers. . . . Ignoring repeated police com-
mands, the defendant shouted expletives at the officers
and, with his right hand, threw a key ring that held
approximately sixteen metal keys in the direction of
[the face of one of the officers], causing him injury.’’ Id.
‘‘[Two of the officers] attempted physically to restrain
the defendant, who continued to disobey police com-
mands. While the officers tried to handcuff the defen-
dant, he kept his hands in the area of his waistband,
as if he were attempting to retrieve an object therefrom.
The officers used physical force and, ultimately,
removed the defendant from the bedroom and, despite
his physical and verbal efforts to resist, from the resi-
dence itself.
‘‘A jury found the defendant guilty of interfering with
a peace officer and two counts of assault of public safety
personnel.’’ Id., 442–43. The defendant then appealed to
the Appellate Court claiming, inter alia, that the trial
court had improperly permitted the state to impeach
him by admitting into evidence a full protective order
against him issued following his arrest. Id., 456.
The Appellate Court concluded that the admission
into evidence of the protective order constituted harm-
less error. Id., 462. In reaching its decision, the Appellate
Court made the following subordinate conclusions.
First, the Appellate Court concluded that ‘‘the evidence
did not relate to any essential element of the crimes of
which the defendant was convicted, but to a collateral
issue raised for the purpose of impeaching the defen-
dant.’’ Id., 460–61. Second, the Appellate Court con-
cluded that ‘‘the [trial] court did not restrict the
defendant’s ability to present additional evidence to
rebut the improperly admitted evidence.’’ Id., 461. Third,
the Appellate Court concluded that ‘‘insofar as the
defendant asserts that the protective order unfairly por-
trayed him as an unusually violent person who posed
a danger to [members of his household] following his
arrest, the record does not reflect that it had any detri-
mental impact on the jury’s deliberations . . .
[because the] jury returned a not guilty verdict with
regard to the only charges, namely, assault in the second
degree and risk of injury to a child, which arose from the
defendant’s alleged violent conduct toward a member in
his household . . . .’’ Id. Fourth, the Appellate Court
concluded that ‘‘the state presented strong evidence
against the defendant . . . [including] the testimony
of multiple witnesses who observed the defendant’s
conduct during the events at issue.’’ Id., 462. Fifth, the
Appellate Court concluded that ‘‘in evaluating the likely
impact of the evidence on the trier of fact and result
of the trial . . . we conclude that it was not likely that
the improperly admitted evidence was very damaging
to the defense.’’ (Citation omitted; internal quotation
marks omitted.) Id.
This certified appeal followed. On appeal to this
court, the defendant claims that the Appellate Court
improperly affirmed the judgment of the trial court
because the admission into evidence of the protective
order was improper and not harmless. After examining
the entire record on appeal and considering the briefs
and oral arguments of the parties, we have determined
that the appeal in this case should be dismissed on the
ground that certification was improvidently granted.
The appeal is dismissed.
1
Although § 53a-167c has been amended by the legislature several times
since the events underlying the present case; see, e.g., Public Acts 2011,
No. 11-175, § 4; those amendments have no bearing on the merits of this
appeal. In the interest of simplicity, we refer to the current revision of
the statute.
2
We also note that § 53a-167a has been amended by the legislature several
times since the events underlying the present case. See, e.g., Public Acts
2010, No. 10-110, § 51. Those amendments, however, have no bearing on
the merits of this appeal. In the interest of simplicity, we refer to the current
revision of the statute.