Response in Opposition by Kisha Sutton re: 271 Motion — United States v. Sutton et al. (Dkt. 274, S.D. W. Va.)

Record facts

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia · No. 2:24-cr-00192 · Doc. 274 · 2025-06-24 · Docket on CourtListener

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‭IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT‬
‭FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA‬
‭CHARLESTON DIVISION‬
‭UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,‬
‭PLAINTIFF,‬
‭V.‬
‭CASE NO.: 2:24-cr-00192‬
‭KISHA SUTTON,‬
‭DEFENDANT.‬
‭DEFENDANT KISHA SUTTON’S RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT’S‬
‭MOTION IN LIMINE TO EXCLUDE UNDISCLOSED DEFENSE EVIDENCE‬
‭NOW‬ ‭COMES‬ ‭the‬ ‭Defendant,‬ ‭Kisha‬ ‭Sutton,‬ ‭by‬ ‭and‬ ‭through‬ ‭counsel,‬ ‭and‬ ‭hereby‬
‭responds‬‭to‬‭the‬‭Government’s‬‭Motion‬‭In‬‭Limine‬‭to‬‭Exclude‬‭Undisclosed‬‭Defense‬‭Evidence‬‭by‬
‭stating‬ ‭that‬ ‭such‬ ‭Motion‬ ‭is‬ ‭premature‬ ‭and‬ ‭should‬ ‭be‬ ‭denied‬ ‭and/or‬ ‭revisited‬ ‭if‬ ‭a‬
‭document‬ ‭in‬ ‭evidence‬ ‭is‬ ‭being‬ ‭introduced‬ ‭in‬ ‭the‬ ‭Defendant’s‬ ‭case-in-chief‬ ‭that‬ ‭was‬ ‭not‬
‭turned‬‭over‬‭to‬‭the‬‭prosecution.‬‭However,‬‭Defendant‬‭Sutton‬‭reserves‬‭the‬‭right‬‭to‬‭use‬‭and‬
‭introduce‬‭documents‬‭and‬‭other‬‭evidence‬‭as‬‭is‬‭relevant‬‭for‬‭other‬‭such‬‭purposes,‬‭such‬‭as:‬
‭rebuttal‬‭or‬‭impeachment.‬‭Finally,‬‭the‬‭Government‬‭just‬‭superseded‬‭the‬‭Indictment‬‭on‬‭June‬
‭10,‬‭and‬‭provided‬‭its‬‭Second‬‭Supplemental‬‭Discovery‬‭Response‬‭on‬‭June‬‭16,‬‭2025.‬‭As‬‭of‬‭the‬
‭filing‬ ‭of‬ ‭this‬‭response,‬‭14‬‭days‬‭have‬‭not‬‭yet‬‭elapsed.‬‭Nevertheless,‬‭this‬‭Motion‬‭should‬‭be‬
‭denied as premature.‬
‭The‬ ‭Motions‬ ‭In‬ ‭Limine‬ ‭filed‬ ‭by‬ ‭the‬ ‭Government‬ ‭in‬ ‭this‬ ‭case‬ ‭do‬ ‭not‬ ‭provide‬
‭adequate‬‭context,‬‭do‬‭not‬‭point‬‭to‬‭any‬‭particular‬‭documents,‬‭and‬‭are‬‭otherwise‬‭general‬‭in‬
‭nature. The West Virginia Supreme Court has held these types of Motions are frivolous:‬
Case 2:24-cr-00192     Document 274     Filed 06/24/25     Page 1 of 3 PageID #: 1365

‭“I‬ ‭totally‬ ‭agree‬ ‭with‬ ‭the‬ ‭excellent‬ ‭majority‬ ‭opinion.‬ ‭I‬ ‭write‬ ‭to‬
‭emphasize‬‭that‬‭our‬‭recently‬‭amended‬‭Rules‬‭of‬‭Evidence‬‭not‬‭only‬‭discourage‬
‭the‬‭use‬‭of‬‭motions‬‭in‬‭limine‬‭,‬‭but‬‭recognize‬‭that‬‭many‬‭of‬‭the‬‭motions‬‭that‬‭are‬
‭filed‬ ‭are‬ ‭frivolous‬ ‭and‬ ‭a‬ ‭waste‬ ‭of‬ ‭judicial‬ ‭resources.‬ ‭The‬ ‭comment‬ ‭to‬‭Rule‬
‭103 of the new‬‭Rules of Evidence‬‭[2014] states:‬
‭Motions‬‭in‬‭limine‬‭on‬‭legal‬‭issues‬‭presented‬‭in‬‭a‬‭vacuum‬‭are‬‭often‬‭frivolous.‬
‭Boilerplate,‬ ‭generalized‬ ‭objections‬ ‭in‬ ‭motions‬‭in‬‭limine‬‭are‬‭inadequate‬‭and‬
‭tantamount‬ ‭to‬ ‭not‬ ‭making‬ ‭any‬ ‭objection‬ ‭at‬ ‭all‬ ‭and‬ ‭will‬‭not‬‭preserve‬‭error.‬
‭For‬ ‭example,‬ ‭a‬ ‭motion‬ ‭that‬ ‭simply‬ ‭asks‬ ‭the‬ ‭trial‬ ‭court‬ ‭to‬ ‭prohibit‬ ‭the‬
‭adverse‬‭party‬‭from‬‭presenting‬‭hearsay‬‭evidence‬‭or‬‭mentioning‬‭insurance‬‭at‬
‭trial‬‭is‬‭a‬‭waste‬‭of‬‭judicial‬‭resources.‬‭Generally,‬‭a‬‭motion‬‭in‬‭limine‬‭should‬‭not‬
‭be‬ ‭filed‬ ‭(or‬ ‭granted)‬ ‭until‬ ‭the‬ ‭trial‬ ‭court‬ ‭has‬ ‭been‬‭given‬‭adequate‬‭context,‬
‭and‬ ‭the‬‭evidence‬‭is‬‭sufficient‬‭to‬‭permit‬‭the‬‭trial‬‭court‬‭to‬‭make‬‭an‬‭informed‬
‭ruling.”‬
‭Browning‬ ‭v.‬ ‭Hickman‬‭,‬ ‭235‬ ‭W.Va.‬ ‭640,‬ ‭776‬ ‭S.E.2d‬ ‭142‬ ‭(W.Va.‬ ‭2015)‬ ‭(Justice‬ ‭Ketchum‬
‭concurring‬‭opinion).‬‭While‬‭obviously‬‭not‬‭of‬‭precedential‬‭value,‬‭the‬‭reasoning‬‭of‬‭the‬‭WVSC‬
‭applies.‬
‭This Court should deny the Government’s Motion.‬
‭Respectfully submitted,‬
‭By Counsel‬
‭S://‬‭Connor D. Robertson‬‭________‬
‭Connor Robertson (11460)‬
‭ROBERTSON LAW PLLC‬
‭2939 Virginia Avenue, Suite 2010‬
‭Hurricane, WV 25526‬
‭(304) 557-1601‬
‭cdr@croblaw.com‬
Case 2:24-cr-00192     Document 274     Filed 06/24/25     Page 2 of 3 PageID #: 1366

‭IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT‬
‭FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA‬
‭CHARLESTON‬
‭UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,‬
‭PLAINTIFF,‬
‭V.‬
‭CASE NO.: 2:24-CR-000192-01‬
‭KISHA SUTTON,‬
‭DEFENDANT.‬
‭CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE‬
‭I,‬ ‭Connor‬ ‭Robertson,‬ ‭certify‬ ‭that‬ ‭on‬ ‭the‬ ‭24rd‬ ‭day‬ ‭of‬ ‭June,‬ ‭2025,‬ ‭a‬ ‭copy‬ ‭of‬ ‭the‬
‭foregoing‬‭Response‬‭was‬‭served‬‭on‬‭the‬‭United‬‭States‬‭by‬‭ECF,‬‭to‬‭Jonathan‬‭Storage,‬‭Assistant‬
‭United States Attorney to the following:‬
‭Jonathan Storage‬
‭Assistant United States Attorney‬
‭Jonathan.Storage@usdoj.gov‬
‭S:// Connor D. Robertson‬
‭Connor Robertson (11460)‬
‭ROBERTSON LAW PLLC‬
‭2939 Virginia Avenue, Suite 2010‬
‭Hurricane, WV 25526‬
‭(304) 557-1601‬
‭CDR@CROBLAW.COM‬
Case 2:24-cr-00192     Document 274     Filed 06/24/25     Page 3 of 3 PageID #: 1367

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