Opinion ID: 675149
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Evidence of Pension Benefits

Text: 48 Finally, Brandt argues that Vulcan should not have been allowed to introduce evidence of his pension benefits because (1) such evidence is ordinarily inadmissible, and (2) the information prejudiced the jury by intimating that Brandt was double dipping. Before Brandt took the stand, the District Court explicitly ruled that if Brandt testified on direct examination that he retired under disability, then Vulcan was entitled to impeach him by asking whether he left with full retirement benefits. This is exactly what happened. After Brandt stated on direct that he retired under disability, Vulcan elicited the fact that Brandt continued to work for two years after the accident, retiring only after he was eligible for full benefits. Tr. II at 136-37. In its closing, Vulcan then argued that Brandt's claim that he retired due to disability was belied by the fact that he retired with full pension benefits. Tr. IV at 40. 49 Although evidence of collateral source payments is, indeed, generally inadmissible in Illinois, see Hamrock v. Henry, 222 Ill.App.3d 487, 584 N.E.2d 204, 210, 165 Ill.Dec. 25, 31 (1st Dist.1991), once it has been established as relevant, the District Court has broad discretion in determining whether its probative value outweighs possible prejudice. See In re Air Crash Disaster Near Chicago, 803 F.2d 304, 308-09 (7th Cir.1986) (relevance of evidence is determined by state law, but admissibility is governed by FRE 403 and the trial court's exercise of its broad discretion will be accorded great deference) (citing West v. Love, 776 F.2d 170, 174 (7th Cir.1985)). 50 In Cowens v. Siemens-Elema AB, 837 F.2d 817, 824-25 (8th Cir.1988), for example, the Eighth Circuit ruled that evidence of workers' compensation payments was admissible to impeach a plaintiff's statements that he had suffered financial stress after the accident in question. The Cowens court also observed that the admission of the evidence cannot be said to have prejudiced [the plaintiff] because the jury found in favor of the [defendants] on the issue of liability. 12 Here, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting evidence of Brandt's pension benefits, because it was relevant simply to the issue of damages and was used only to impeach his claims that he retired due to disability. 13 III. Conclusion 51 For the reasons set forth above, the order of the District Court is 52 AFFIRMED.