Opinion ID: 1677762
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: did the trial court commit reversible error in admitting defendants response to a request for admissions in the civil proceeding?

Text: The trial court admitted into evidence an admission by Hooker in the civil case that he owe[d] the trust $43,500 for proceeds which [he] deposited to [his] personal checking account which were produced by the sale of trust property. Hooker argues that the trial court's ruling violated Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 36(b), which provides: Any admission made by a party under this rule is for the purpose of the pending action only and is not an admission by him for any other purpose nor may it be used against him in any other proceeding. However, as Hooker admits, he did not base his objections on either the rule or the statute, and neither was cited in his motion for new trial. In order to preserve an objection, a party must state the specific ground of objection, if the specific ground was not apparent from the context. Miss. R.Evid. 103(a)(1). This Court's reversal is not predicated on the admission into evidence of the answer to the request for admission in the civil case. However, on retrial, the lower court should exclude the admission based on Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 36(b). [1] Based on the foregoing discussion, this Court reverses and remands for a new trial consistent with this opinion. REVERSED AND REMANDED. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., HAWKINS and DAN M. LEE, P.JJ., SULLIVAN, ANDERSON, GRIFFIN, and ZUCCARO, JJ., concur. ROBERTSON, J., not participating.