Opinion ID: 744916
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Donna Sherwood's Testimony

Text: 33 The Ahrings' counsel read into the record a statement made by Donna Sherwood the day after the accident that was written down by Linda Woodall. Woodall was the secretary of Todd Bosen, SFM's insurance agent for all the relevant actors herein. The statement, made over the telephone, was: Larry told Milburn [Meb] that this way no one would get stuck with the $100,000 bill. He kept saying, 'You need to sign this title over and Todd would take care of the insurance.'  Donna Sherwood testified that she did not remember making the statement, although she said she was sure that she made it. 34 The district court allowed the reading of this hearsay statement pursuant to Fed.R.Evid. 803(5): 35 A memorandum or record concerning a matter about which a witness once had knowledge but now has insufficient recollection to enable him to testify fully and accurately, shown to have been made or adopted by the witness when the matter was fresh in his memory and to reflect that knowledge correctly. 36 Id. The Woodall note was neither made nor adopted by Donna Sherwood when it was fresh in her memory. Therefore, it was error to admit the statement. 37 This error was harmless. There was considerable other evidence of the scheming between Larry Rogers and Todd Bosen to get Meb Sherwood to sign over the title of the pickup, including Donna Sherwood's own admissible testimony. Although none of the other testimony includes this statement by Larry Rogers about a hundred thousand dollar bill, that statement is not of such singular importance that it would require a new trial.
38 SFM objected to Donna Sherwood's testimony relaying Larry Rogers' overheard statement to Meb Sherwood. According to Donna, Rogers said, Meb, we have to get this taken care of right away. I've talked to Todd, and he said that we have to do this right away and say that you were going to buy the vehicle so this pickup would be covered by insurance. This statement is admissible within the hearsay exception for statements made by a co-consipirator made in furtherance of the conspiracy. Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E).
39 Donna Sherwood testified that on the day after the accident she felt like it was wrong that Meb Sherwood should have to buy that truck. SFM claims that her feelings were irrelevant as to whether Meb agreed to buy the truck before the accident. The testimony is relevant, however, to whether Donna felt that Meb was under any coercion to sign his name to the title. Therefore, there was no error. 5