Opinion ID: 453222
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Admissibility of Ms. Wells' testimony

Text: 11 Appellant Cornett argues that the district court committed error in permitting his former wife, Gretta Wells, to testify. Ms. Wells testified that during her marriage to Judge Cornett she found in a bureau drawer a piece of paper which appeared to be an unexecuted bill of sale transferring Ann's Liquor Store to her. Upon confronting her then husband Cornett with the document, Ms. Wells stated that he tore it up. Cornett asserts that this evidence was admitted in derogation of the confidential marital communications privilege. 8 12 Confidential communications between spouses made during the marriage are presumptively privileged. E.g., Trammel v. United States, 445 U.S. 40, 51, 100 S.Ct. 906, 912, 63 L.Ed.2d 186 (1980); Blau v. United States, 340 U.S. 332, 333, 71 S.Ct. 301, 302, 95 L.Ed. 306 (1951); United States v. Sims, 755 F.2d 1239, 1241 (6th Cir.1985); United States v. Klayer, 707 F.2d 892, 894 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 180, 78 L.Ed.2d 161 (1983). This privilege, however, applies only to conduct and expressions intended to be a communication. E.g., Pereira v. United States, 347 U.S. 1, 6, 74 S.Ct. 358, 361, 98 L.Ed. 435 (1934); United States v. Ferris, 719 F.2d 1405, 1408 (9th Cir.1983); United States v. McCown, 711 F.2d 1441, 1452 (9th Cir.1983); United States v. Smith, 533 F.2d 1077, 1079 (8th Cir.1976) (per curiam). In the present case, Ms. Wells testified only as to acts--not communications. The finding of the alleged unexecuted bill of sale carried no communicative connotations. Similarly, the mere act of Judge Cornett tearing up the document by itself does not rise to the level of a communication. Therefore, the district court permitted properly Ms. Wells to testify as to these acts.