Evidence Flashcards
Irrelevant evidence is inadmissible, and relevant evidence
Might be admissible.
Evidence is logically relevant if
It has a tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more or less probable than it would be without the evidence.
The substantive law in a given case is what you look to in order to decide what facts are of consequence. The evidence must relate to the time, event, or person in controversy in the litigation currently before the court.
Are prior accidents or claims of the plaintiff admissible?
 Usually, without similarities, prior accidents or claims of the plaintiff will be irrelevant and, as such, and admissible.
What are the exceptions to the general rule that prior accidents or claims of the plaintiff are usually irrelevant and inadmissible
Pattern of fraudulent claims
Pre-existing condition
Relevant to prove intent
Relevant to rebut defense of impossibility
Comparable sales relevant to establish value
Habit evidence
Routine business practices relevant to show conduct in conformity
Industrial custom evidence relevant to prove standard of care
Under the federal rules of evidence, the court must decide any preliminary questions about whether a witness is qualified, a privilege exist, or evidence is admissible. In so deciding, is the court bound by evidence rules?
The court is not bound by evidence rules, except those on privilege.
Rule for hearings on the admissibility of a confession, e.g. Miranda violations?
Hearings on the admissibility of a confession shall in all cases be conducted outside the presence of the jury.
If a party moves to exclude prospective witnesses before they testify what should the court do?
The court must order witnesses excluded so they cannot hear other witnesses testimony.
The court has a discretion to exclude logically relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by
Unfair prejudice, confusion, or waste of time.
What if evidence is admissible for one purpose but inadmissible for another purpose
In such cases, the court must balance the probative value of the evidence for its admissible purpose against the unfair prejudice of the evidence for its inadmissible purpose.
Facts appropriate for judicial notice of adjudicative facts
A court may recognized as true indisputable facts that are generally known within the jurisdiction or capable of accurate and ready determination by sources whose accuracy cannot be reasonably questioned
A court shall take judicial notice of adjudicative facts if
Requested by a party and if the court is supplied with the necessary information
Even without a request, do courts have discretion to take judicial notice of adjudicative facts
Yes
Appellate court judicial notice of adjudicative facts
A reviewing court is required to take judicial notice of any matter that the trial court properly noticed or was obliged to notice but did not
When may judicial notice of adjudicative facts be taken
Judicial notice may be taken at any stage of the proceeding, even on appeal
Is judicial notice of adjudicative facts conclusive in civil and criminal cases
Judicial notice is conclusive in civil cases.
Judicial notice is not conclusive in criminal cases. The effect of judicial notice in criminal cases is to satisfy the prosecution’s burden of proof, but the jury may elect to disregard the judicially notice fact and decide otherwise.
Adjudicative v legislative facts
Adjudicative Facts are those facts that gave rise to, and must be proven to resolve, the action.
Legislative facts are those facts that are necessary to interpret the scope and meaning of the law.
What are the public policy reasons to exclude relevant evidence?
Liability insurance
Subsequent remedial measures or repairs
Settlements, offers to settle, pleas
Evidence of payments/offers to pay medical expenses
Admissibility of liability insurance?
Evidence of defendant’s liability insurance is inadmissible to prove culpable conduct or the defendant’s ability to pay a judgment. However, evidence of liability insurance can be used to prove something else and it can be admitted for that other reason. Before admitting the evidence however the court must balance any unfair prejudice against probative value.
Admissibility of subsequent remedial measures or repairs?
Evidence of safety measures or repairs after an accident is inadmissible to prove culpable conduct or a defective product design in a product’s liability action.
Evidence of defendant’s subsequent remedial measures or repairs may be admissible to rebutt defendant’s claim that there was nothing she could do to fix the problem. If the defendant, however, merely contends that the situation was safe as is then the rule excluding evidence of repairs applies and the evidence is in admissible. If the subsequent remedial measures or repairs are admissible for one purpose and inadmissible for another the court must balance unfair prejudice against probative value.
Admissibility of settlement, offers to settle, pleas, related statements
Evidence of settlements, offers to settle, and all related statements about the case made after a claim is asserted or implied are inadmissible to prove culpability in civil cases.
Evidence of pleas, offers to plea, and all related statements about the case are inadmissible to prove guilt.
If a defendant has admitted liability and exactly how much she owes, will the settlement offer exclusion rule apply
No
Admissibility of evidence of payment/offers to pay medical expenses?
Evidence of payment/offers to pay medical expenses are inadmissible to prove liability for injuries in question. Related statements are still admissible.
What are the four requirements for witness competency under the FRE?
Ability to observe, ability to remember, ability to communicate, appreciation of oath obligation
A witness may testify to facts observed if
She has a present recollection
Under the FRE, is a witness who was traumatized and cannot remember a fact but who is able to recall after police hypnosis allowed to testify in federal court?
Yes
What is the burden of proof for personal knowledge
Sufficient to support a finding, I.e. could a reasonable person believe the witness perceived the fact she testified to?
A witness must declare, by oath or affirmation, that
She will testify truthfully
Objections to form of testimony or examination
- Cross examination not limited to the subject matter of the direct examination and matters affecting the credibility of the witness.
- Question is too broad
- Unresponsive answer. 
- Leading questions on direct examination (exceptions)
- Question assumes facts not in evidence.
-  Argumentative question
- Compound question
- Witnesses reading documents during testimony
When must a motion to strike the unresponsive portion of the witnesses answer be made?
A motion to strike must be made immediately after a witnesses response, and can only be made when the original question did not obviously contemplate an objectionable response.
What are the exceptions to the general rule that no leading questions are allowed on direct examination
Adverse witness, e.g. when the plaintive called the defendant
Hostile witness OR
Witness who needs help
Are leading questions permitted on cross examination?
Leading questions are permitted on cross examination, but questions must stay within the scope/subject matter of the direct examination. If a lawyer wants to go beyond the scope into other subjects, she must conduct a direct examination and no leading questions are permitted.
What is an argumentative question?
An argumentative question is one in which the lawyer argues the facts or issues of the case rather than just eliciting a direct response from the witness.
Refreshing the recollection of the witness
It is OK for a witness to read the record to herself. Once the witness’s memory is refreshed, the item that was shown to her must be taken away, and the witness must then testify from her refreshed memory. The item used to refresh eyewitnesses memory can be inspected and offered into evidence so the Finder of fact can also inspect it.
When a witness’s memory cannot be refreshed a recorded recollection can be offered into evidence and the document/hearsay will be read to the jury. What is required for this recorded recollection exception?
- Witness once had knowledge of the facts
- The document was created by the witness, or under her direction, or adopted by the witness
- The document was written or adopted at a time when the facts were fresh in the witnesses memory
- It was accurate when made AND
- Current recollection is insufficient to testify to the matters contained in the document
Lay opinion evidence is only admissible if
It is rationally based on witness’s perception, will be helpful to the trier of fact, and is not based on scientific or other specialized knowledge.
Traditional categories for admissible lay opinion
General appearance or condition of a person, voice or handwriting ID, speed of an automobile or other moving object, intoxication, sanity, emotions, value of witness’s own property or services.
Traditional categories for inadmissible lay opinion
Agency or authorization
Contract or agreement
To be admissible, expert testimony must be
Helpful to the jury in the determination of the action; Based on the knowledge, experience, and training of the expert; believed to a reasonable degree of certainty by the expert; based on a proper factual basis; and based on proven and reliable data and methods reliably applied to the underlying facts of the case.
An expert opinion must be supported by proper factual basis. A proper factual basis may be predicated upon
- Admitted evidence
- The expert witness’s personal knowledge OR
- Inadmissible evidence reasonably relied upon by the expert
The judge must find by a preponderance of the evidence that the expert opinion is based on reliable principles that were reliably applied to the facts of the case. Criteria for reliable scientific opinion:
Peer reviewed and published, tested and subject to more testing, low error rate, and reasonable level of acceptance.
Learned treatise hearsay exception
A learned treatise is admissible to prove anything stated in it, as long as the treatise is an accepted authority in the field. If the court finds a publication to be a reliable authority, then statements may be read into evidence, but that publication may not be received as an exhibit.