Opinion ID: 1351708
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The admissibility of Harold Irick's deposition.

Text: Harold and Norma Irick were joined as parties defendant by Ballard, who alleged in the complaint that Iricks claimed an interest in the real property but that the interest would be subject to the lien of the plaintiff's mortgage. Iricks never filed any responsive pleading in the case, nor did they appear and assert or defend any claim which they may have had. Harold Irick was deposed on July 5, 1972, by the plaintiff Ballard, the defendant and cross claimant Shuler Bros., the defendant Lava Hot Springs Resort, Inc., and the defendant Fred Coats. At trial nine months later, the attorney for Shuler Bros. moved that the deposition of Irick be published by the court as testimony of an adverse party under Rule 26(d)(2) (present Rule 32(a)(2)). He also lodged with the court a subpoena and sheriff's return showing that the subpoena was issued on April 10, 1973 (one week prior to trial), and that the sheriff of Bannock County was unable to locate Irick. The trial court ruled, over the objections of Ballard and Lava Hot Springs Resort, Inc., that the deposition could be used for all purposes. Lava Hot Springs Resort, Inc., claims that it was error for the trial court to allow the deposition of Harold Irick to be used. Its arguments in support of this claim may be summarized as follows: (1) the deposition was not signed or read by Harold Irick as required by I.R.C.P. 30(e) [3] and (2) there was no finding of unavailability of the witness Irick as required by I.R.C.P. 26(d)(3). [4] The reason the deposition was never read or signed by Harold Irick is explained in a certificate of court reporter filed with the court by the reporter who took the deposition of Irick. This statement alleges that the reporter had been instructed by Irick to sent the transcribed deposition to Irick's attorney and that he forwarded the deposition to the attorney with instructions to request Irick to read through the deposition and sign it, and then to return the deposition to him. The deposition was in the possession of Irick's attorney for seven months, from July 20, 1972, to February 20, 1973, at which time it was returned unsigned to the court. Even if the objection to the publication of Irick's deposition made at trial did constitute a prompt motion to suppress the deposition as required by I.R.C.P. 32(d), [5] the statement of the court reporter constitutes a sufficient explanation of the reason the deposition was unsigned, and it was not an abuse of discretion for the court to allow the deposition to be used as though it had been signed. Cf. Ikerd v. Lapworth, 435 F.2d 197 (7th Cir.1970); Bernstein v. Brenner, 51 F.R.D. 9 (D.D.C. 1970). The next objection to the use of Harold Irick's deposition at trial is that the trial court made no finding regarding Irick's unavailability to testify at trial as required by then Rule 26(d)(3). At trial during the preliminary motions and stipulations, the attorney for Shuler Bros. stated: I'd at this time lodge with the court a civil subpoena and a sheriff's return showing that the subpoena was issued the 10th of April, 1973, addressed to Mr. Harold Irick and that the sheriff of Bannock County was unable to locate Mr. Irick. THE COURT: It's lodged with the court. Rptr. Tr., p. 36. The objections raised by the opponents to the use of the deposition were (1) that it was offered prematurely in the trial; (2) that it was unsigned; and (3) that it would somehow be unfair to Irick. No one claimed that Irick was not an adverse party, or that he was in fact available at the time of trial. We are satisfied that a sufficient showing was made in the trial court that the party offering the deposition was unable to procure the attendance of Harold Irick by subpoena. Accord: Otis Elevator Co. v. McLaney, 406 P.2d 7 (Alaska 1965); and cf., Grubb v. Grubb, 208 Kan. 484, 493 P.2d 189 (1972); Ikerd v. Lapworth, 435 F.2d 197 (7th Cir.1970); U.S. v. Bowen, 411 F.2d 923 (5th Cir.1969). However, our conclusion in this case that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the deposition to be offered rests primarily on Rule 26(d)(2) [6] which allowed the deposition of a party to be used by an adverse party for any purpose. There is no requirement of a showing of unavailability before an adverse party's deposition may be admitted as substantive evidence. Blankenship v. Myers, 97 Idaho 356, 544 P.2d 314 (1975); 8 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure, § 2145 (1970). As previously noted, Lava Hot Springs Resort, Inc., did not argue at trial, nor does it argue on appeal, that Harold Irick is not an adverse party. The complaint joined Irick as a party defendant, and the parties offering the deposition were his judgment creditors whose claims were adverse to Irick's. Further, Harold Irick is a major shareholder in Lava Hot Springs Resort, Inc., and in that capacity his position is clearly adverse to that of the proponents of the deposition. We emphasize that our ruling that the deposition of Harold Irick was properly admitted as the deposition of an adverse party does not affect the precept which governs the admission of depositions at trial: RULE 26(d). Use of depositions.  At the trial or upon the hearing of a motion or an interlocutory proceeding, any part or all of a deposition, so far as admissible under the rules of evidence, may be used against any party who was present or represented at the taking of the deposition or who had due notice thereof, ... . (Emphasis added). [7] See 8 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, §§ 2142, 2143 (1970). The deposition of Harold Irick was clearly taken for discovery purposes. He was a local resident; those present at the deposition in July, 1972, must have assumed that he would be present at trial. As a result, much of his testimony is incomplete and irrelevant. Further, Irick alleged in his deposition that he possessed documentary proof of his claims of ownership of the property, of amounts he had invested in the property, of the sale of the property to Lava Hot Springs Resort, Inc. None of these documents were produced at the deposition, nor were they introduced at trial. Consequently, the only proof in the record of Irick's claims are his self serving, unsubstantiated statements contained in the deposition. Ballard and Lava Hot Springs Resort, Inc., timely objected to many of these statements under I.R.C.P. 26(e) (now I.R.C.P. 32(b)), most of which were properly excluded by the trial court.