Opinion ID: 664077
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the newhaven house records

Text: 16 The plaintiff complains next that the district court erred in allowing Carroll's Newhaven House records into evidence. In 1985, Mr. Carroll was admitted to the Newhaven House for treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. Carroll's Newhaven House records contain references to Carroll's smoking, drinking, drug use, lustful sexual behavior, and marital infidelity. The plaintiff argues that the records should have been excluded as they were not relevant and were highly prejudicial. 17 The district court did not err in admitting the Newhaven House records. First, portions of the records were relevant to the possible causes of Carroll's death; the defendant presented medical testimony that smoking and drug and alcohol use contributed to Carroll's severe coronary heart disease. Dr. Bennett testified that smoking contributes to coronary artery disease, and in this case I would have to say it had something to do with [coronary artery disease]. Dr. Taylor testified that the decedent suffered from extremely advanced coronary artery disease and that smoking most definitely contributes to coronary artery disease. Several treating physicians also testified that they had emphatically instructed Carroll to quit smoking because of his heart condition, but that Carroll had defied these instructions. 18 The Newhaven House records were also admissible on the issue of damages. 3 Dr. Morgan was entitled to show that Carroll was not a healthy person and that his intemperance might have resulted in a reduced life expectancy. See, e.g., Smith v. Southland Corp., 738 F.Supp. 923, 925-26 (E.D.Pa.1990); Pharr v. Anderson, 436 So.2d 1357 (Miss.1983). Moreover, evidence of marital discord is probative of the extent of the survivor's noneconomic loss as a result of the wrongful death. McGowan v. Estate of Wright, 524 So.2d 308, 311 (Miss.1988). 4