Opinion ID: 1779356
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Did the trial court abuse its discretion in admitting certain computer-generated documents into evidence?

Text: ¶ 8. The admission or exclusion of evidence is within the discretion of the trial judge and will not be reversed absent an abuse of that discretion. Gaines v. K-Mart Corp., 860 So.2d 1214, 1219 (Miss.2003); Barrett v. Parker, 757 So.2d 182, 183 (Miss.2000); Broadhead v. Bonita Lakes Mall, Ltd., 702 So.2d 92, 102 (Miss.1997); Sumrall v. Miss. Power Co., 693 So.2d 359, 365 (Miss.1997). Ferguson claims the jury's finding that GuideOne's policy afforded only $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage to Ferguson was based upon unauthenticated hearsay which should never have been admitted into evidence. Ferguson further argues that she established at trial that the only insurance policy and declarations sheet which had been issued to her by GuideOne showed that two vehicles were insured. Therefore, because two vehicles were insured, Ferguson claims that the uninsured motorist limit of $25,000 per vehicle should have been stacked, thereby affording $50,000 in uninsured motorist coverage. ¶ 9. However, GuideOne did not pay uninsured motorist benefits to Ferguson based on the assertion that there was only one vehicle covered under the policy. GuideOne determined that the applicable uninsured motorist liability limit was $25,000. Consequently, GuideOne found that its uninsured motorist limits did not exceed the liability of Snell and that Snell's vehicle was not underinsured. Therefore, according to GuideOne, no benefits were due to Ferguson. ¶ 10. The evidence offered by GuideOne in support of its assertion that only one vehicle was insured under the policy was made in the form of previously purged computer generated documents. The evidence was admitted under the business records exception of Miss. R. Evid. 803(6), which provides that such records are admissible upon a showing of the following foundation requirements: (1) the statement is in written or recorded form; (2) the record concerns acts, events, conditions, opinions or diagnoses; (3) the record was made at or near the time of the matter recorded; (4) the source of the information had personal knowledge of the matter; (5) the record was kept in the course of regular business activity; and (6) it was the regular practice of the business activity to make the record. ¶ 11. Ferguson argues that the purged computer generated documents showing that only one car was insured by GuideOne failed to meet the business records exception for a number of reasons. First, Ferguson asserts that the document was not prepared at or near the relevant dates of the policy period for which it purports to provide a record. Ferguson's policy from 1997 through 1999 was actually prepared on October 25, 2001. Second, Ferguson asserts that the sponsoring witness, Sue Anderson, did not have personal knowledge of the matter because she did not actually input the information into the computer and was not a custodian of the records for GuideOne. Additionally, Ferguson argues that the documents were not kept in the course of regularly conducted business because Anderson testified that GuideOne did not regularly prepare any record of policy activity following a purge of such records. These arguments are misplaced. ¶ 12. Under Rule 803(6), the focus is properly placed on the time period when the documents were created, the trustworthiness of the documents, and whether their creation was in the regular course of business. The record reveals that these documents were created in the regular course of business by an employee of GuideOne, although Anderson was not the exact employee that entered the data into the computer system. Yet it is not necessary to call or to account for all participants who made the record. Miss. Gaming Comm'n v. Freeman, 747 So.2d 231, 242 (Miss.1999); Miss. R. Evid 803(6) cmt. It is only necessary that testimony concerning the source of these documents is offered by an individual with knowledge who is acting in the course and scope of the regularly conducted activity. Id. ¶ 13. In the case at bar, Anderson testified to the contents and identification of the computer generated documents. She was an employee of GuideOne with the knowledge of the contents of the computer-generated document, its preparation, and how to access the documents from storage on her computer. Anderson testified to the contents of the document in question, which recorded every transaction on the insurance policy, and to exactly how each number on the page came to be. She further testified as to how the computer system functioned and explained that the computer makes some entries automatically. The record reflects that each of the entries were done in the course of regular business with GuideOne. ¶ 14. This amount of knowledge fully conforms to the requirements of our Rules of Evidence. GuideOne's sponsoring witness was well-versed with the knowledge required under the rule, provided testimony that authenticated the documents under Miss. R. Evid. 901(b), and also demonstrated to the trial court that the records were trustworthy and reliable. ¶ 15. Additionally, Ferguson's counsel had ample opportunity to cross-examine Anderson as to the trustworthiness and the reliability of these documents, and did so. Counsel also used an expert witness for the sole purpose of impeaching Anderson's testimony and the documents. The expert witness testified that there were no documents to support the information of the purged computer-generated document and that the computer-records lacked credibility. The trial court afforded Ferguson every opportunity to call into question the validity of the document; the jury apparently weighed the impeachment evidence in reaching its verdict. We hold that there was no abuse of discretion in allowing the computer-generated documents into evidence.