Does a defense witness have a constitutional or statutory right to refuse to answer a prosecutor's question?
California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Dolphin, D068245 (Cal. App. 2016):
court in the presence of the jury. (See People v. Lopez (1999) 71 Cal.App.4th 1550, 1553, 1555-1556.) Moreover, if a defense witness has no constitutional or statutory right to refuse to answer a prosecutor's question, the "[j]urors are entitled to draw a negative inference when such a witness refuses to provide relevant testimony." (Id. at p. 1554.)
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