Opinion ID: 2967475
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Former Testimony Exception

Text: Federal Rule of Evidence 804(b)(1) provides an exception to the hearsay rule for the former testimony of a declarant where the declarant is unavailable as a witness.16 16 A declarant is unavailable when the declarant is exempted by ruling of the court on the ground of privilege from testifying concerning the subject matter of the declarant's statement. Fed. R. Evid. 804(a)(1). Bollin contends that he was unavailable because he had invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. A criminal defendant who invokes his Fifth Amendment privilege makes himself unavailable to any other party. United States v. Bumpass, 60 F.3d 1099, 1102 (4th Cir. 1995). Rule 804(a) provides, however, that [a] declarant is not unavailable as a witness if exemption, refusal, claim of lack of memory, inability, or absence is due to the procurement or wrongdoing of the proponent of a statement for the purpose of preventing the witness from attending or testifying. Fed. R. Evid. 804(a). By invoking his Fifth Amendment privilege, Bollin made himself unavailable for the purpose of preventing his testimony, and he therefore cannot invoke the exception in Rule 804(b)(1). Accord United States v. Peterson, 100 F.3d 7, 13 (2d Cir. 1996) (holding that a defendant who exercises his privilege not to testify at a second trial of his case is not entitled to introduce the testimony he gave at the first trial); United States v. Kimball, 15 F.3d 54, 55-56 (5th Cir. 1994) (same).