Heresay Flashcards
What is heresay?
Out of Court Statement (oral/written/non verbal)
Offered by Declarant (human)
for the trust of the matter asserted (prove element in the case)
What is the general heresay rule?
Exclude it unless an exception applies.
Does FL have a catch all heresay exception?
No
What is required for a statement not be heresay?
One element of the heresay definition is missing.
Run through the definition and see what is missing.
Is Copy of verdict or conviction heresay?
Yes - in Florida it is heresay and automatically excluded.
What are situations where an out of court statement is not heresay at all?
Statement is used to show
1) Word of legal consequence
2) Acceptance/Consent/ Waiver/ Permission
3) Conspiracy
4) Not in for truth but to prove a different fact (state of mind/ownership/knowledge)
What is the rule regarding statements determined to be non-hearsay?
Not hearsay because the statement is a special prior statement of the Witness or Parties made under oath
Not heresay if
1) Declarant must testify at trial; and
2) Must be subject to cross examination about prior statement.
Is a prior inconsistent statement under oath heresay?
No - it is non-hearsay
Must be at a court proceeding.
Can be used to impeach
Can be used for the truth of the matter
Is a prior consistent statement under oath heresay?
No - admissible for rehabilitation or rebuttal
Is a prior statement of ID under oath hearsay?
No is it non hearsay.
Must be about a person
Must be testifying.
What are examples of reliable hearsay where the testimony or declarant availability not matter?
1) Excited Utterance
2) Present Sense Impression
3) State of Mind
4) Statement of medical diagnosis
5) Recorded recollection
6) Business Record
7) Public Records
8) Market Report/Ancient Document
9) Admission by party opponent (generally hs unless the statement is by the defendant and offered agianst them)
10) Learned Treatise - only used to impeach an expert witness
What are reliable heresay where the Defendant must be unavailable?
1) Former Testimony
2) Dying Declaration
3) Statement by ill or deceased
4) Statement v. Interest
Statement by Deceased or Ill Declarant
1) Must be unavailable - death or illness
2) Action against estate or trust of deceased person
3) Oral or written statement admissible
4) if it involves the same subject matter as a previously admitted statement made by the same declarant
In Florida, what are statements by Opposing Parties/ Admissions treated as?
An exception to the hearsay rule.
Are hearsay statements of a co-conspirator admissible to prove participation of another co-conspirator?
No - In admissible hearsay. Participation should be established by independent evidence.
True or False: Once a conspiracy is established, the conspirator’s statement will qualify as a vicarious admission of co-conspirator.
True
Former Testimony
1) Criminal Proceeding -Declarant must be unavailable
2) Civil Proceeding - unavailability not matter
Court of Appeals held that lack of unavailability requirement was unconstitutional.
True or False: A declarant must be unavailable for a dying declaration.
True
True or False: Dying declaration is admissible in a civil case.
True
True or False: Dying declaration is not admissible in a criminal case.
False - it is admissible.
Does Fl provide a hearsay exception for an out of court statement of elderly or abused adult describing acts of abuse, negligence, or violence?
Yes
What are the requirements for the heresay exception regarding elder abuse?
1) There must be corroborative evidence of abuse
2) The declarant must be unavailable.
Declarant’s unavailability can be due to the fact that trial could cause sever emotional, mental, or physical harm.
What are classic grounds establishing unavailability?
1) Death
2) Infirmity
3) Lack of Memory
What is the issue with the hearsay exception for elder abuse?
The unavailability requirement presents issues under the confrontation clause when it relates to a criminal case.
True or False: Unde the public records and reports factual findings resulting from legally authorized investigations are admissible.
False - They are inadmissible.
Does FL recognize a hearsay exception for criminal convictions.
No - they are not admissible as substantive evidence.
What is the ancient document hearsay exception?
1) Unavailability not matter
2) Applies to statement authenticated in a document that is at least 20 years old.
Does FL recognize a hearsay exception for learned treatise?
No - there can only be used to attack the creditability of an expert once it has been established as authoritative.
Does FL have a hearsay exception for statements of a victim with a physical, mental, emotional, or development age of 16 or less?
Yes - if it describes any act of child abuse, neglect or sexual abuse.
Admitted:
1) the time, content, and circumstances of statement provide sufficient safeguards or reliability
and
2) child either testifies or is unavailable as a witness.
If the child is unavailable, there must be trustworthy corroborative evidence of the crime.
Found in criminal cases to violate the confrontation clause.
Reasons for excluding hearsay
1) The party had no chance to test declarant’s perception
2) issue with memory
3) issue with sincerity
4) ability to relate the statement - did they mean to say what they said
State of Mind
Exception to hearsay - statements that reflect directly on the declarant’s state of mind.
Is there such a thing as animal or machine heresay?
No - must be out of court statement of a human.
Is a person who testifies as to what the clock said testifying as to heresay?
No - they are just saying what the machine says - this is not hearsay.
Is this hearsay: D told me the light was red.
Hearsay
Prosecution introduces lab report to prove envelop contained hereoin
Hearsay
Written receipt describing property in question
Heresay
Where is hearsay within a hearsay admitted?
When both the inner and outer hearsay statement are admissible under the hearsay rules.
Prior Inconsistent Statement
Not Hearsay
No hearsay if made under penalty of perjury at a prior trial or proceeding or deposition.
Admissible to impeach/substantive proof
Prior Consistent Statement
Admissible if offerred to rebut an express or implied charge that witness is lying because of statement made before
or to rehab witness whose credibility has been impeached on some non-character ground like lie or exaggeration.