General Principles

Question 1

What is the standard for a harmless error in FL evidence?

Answer 1

The burden is on the state to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of didn’t contribute to the verdict or that there’s no reasonable possibility that the error contributed to the conviction

Question 2

What is standard for harmless error in civil cases?

Answer 2

The beneficiary of the error must prove that there’s no reasonable possibility that the error complained of contributed to the verdict

Question 3

What preliminary questions does the court determine?

Answer 3

(1) Qualifications of witnesses
(2) Existence of a privilege
(3) Admissibility of evidence

Question 4

What is the difference in evidence of what FL judges can consider vs federal judges in preliminary matters?

Answer 4

FL judges can only consider evidence that could be admitted to the court. They can’t consider inadmissible evidence

Question 5

What is limited admissibility in FL compared to federal courts?

Answer 5

In FL, when evidence admissible for one purpose but inadmissible for another purpose is admitted, the court, UPON REQUEST, must restrict the evidence to its scope and inform the jury of the limitation at the time it’s admitted.
In federal courts, the judge has the choice to limit then or when jury instructions are given.