Opinion ID: 1158206
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Jury's Function

Text: Rules 702, 703, 704, and 705 govern the admissibility of expert opinion testimony. These rules do not characterize expert opinion testimony as a lesser or greater form of evidence, but rather accord the trier of fact the discretion to evaluate such evidence just like any other admissible evidence. See Price v. Foster (In re Estate of Foster), 102 N.M. 707, 711, 699 P.2d 638, 642 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 102 N.M. 734, 700 P.2d 197 (1985). This Court has consistently held that the jury are [sic] the judges of the weight and credibility of evidence. State v. Hudson, 78 N.M. 228, 230, 430 P.2d 386, 388 (1967); see also State v. Dorsey, 93 N.M. 607, 609, 603 P.2d 717, 719 (1979) (relative weight accorded lay or expert testimony is matter for jury). Thus, expert opinion testimony is given no more credence or weight, at least in theory, than ordinary lay witness testimony. The majority of the panel of the Court of Appeals here was concerned that the jury would abdicate its duty to critically evaluate the evidence as fact-finder and thus defer the resolution of a critical issue to expert opinion testimony. It stated that [t]he problem is that most lay people, including the jury, are likely to feel the same way  that the expert is better qualified to draw the inference  and therefore defer to the expert. The law should guard against such deference unless there is a substantial basis for it. Otherwise, the expert's testimony is likely to be given undue weight. In that event, the expert opinion testimony misleads or confuses the jury; it does not assist the trier of fact. (Emphasis added). (citations omitted). Having set up its strawman, the Court then framed the issue: The pivotal question therefore is `When is an expert's opinion entitled to the deference that the fact-finder is likely to give it?' Assuming that a jury will defer to an expert's opinion testimony and stating that the law should guard against such deference distorts the issue concerning the admissibility of expert testimony. First, nothing in our case law or Rules of Evidence directs a trial court to guard against any deference that a jury might accord expert testimony. To the contrary, even predating statehood, this Court stated that [i]t is such a well established rule as scarcely to require repetition, that, when there is competent evidence, the jury are [sic] the judges of its credibility, and the weight to be attached to it. Territory v. Maxwell, 2 N.M. 250, 255 (1882) (emphasis added). Thus, the issue is focused on what is competent evidence, not whether there is a substantial basis for the admission of expert opinion testimony. One of the most fundamental rules of American jurisprudence is that the jury has the privilege to believe or to disbelieve any testimony it hears. See State v. Holden, 85 N.M. 397, 399, 512 P.2d 970, 972 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 85 N.M. 380, 512 P.2d 953 (1973). It is the duty of our courts, therefore, to determine initially whether expert testimony is competent under Rule 702, not whether the jury will defer to it. [5] Second, the Court of Appeals' premise that juries are awed by the aura of the infallibility of expert opinion testimony and thus defer to it is flawed speculation. In theory, an expert's opinion is not conclusive of a fact in issue even though the opinion may be uncontroverted. See Van Orman v. Nelson, 78 N.M. 11, 23, 427 P.2d 896, 908 (1967); Jamison v. Shelton, 35 N.M. 34, 36, 289 P. 593, 594 (1930). The province of the experts is to aid the jury in reaching a conclusion. Their opinions are not to be taken as conclusive. The judgments of experts or the inferences of skilled witnesses, even when unanimous and uncontroverted, are not necessarily conclusive on the jury, but may be disregarded by it. State v. Moore, 42 N.M. 135, 160, 76 P.2d 19, 34 (1938). And in practice, the body of our reported case law indicates that juries do not always accord deference to expert testimony; juries often reject it. See, e.g., Dorsey, 93 N.M. at 608, 603 P.2d at 718 (jury rejected insanity defense supported by expert testimony); Moore, 42 N.M. at 160, 76 P.2d at 34 (jury evidently rejected expert opinion regarding defendant's insanity and found him sane); Holden, 85 N.M. at 399, 512 P.2d at 972 (jury rejected defense of diminished responsibility supported by expert testimony); State v. James, 85 N.M. 230, 233, 511 P.2d 556, 559 (Ct.App.) (jury rejected insanity defense supported by expert testimony), cert. denied, 85 N.M. 228, 511 P.2d 554 (1973); State v. Smith, 80 N.M. 126, 130, 452 P.2d 195, 199 (Ct.App. 1969) (jury apparently not wowed by expert testimony). Even the most seasoned and successful trial attorneys know that juries, like most people, are unpredictable. Even they do not claim the omniscience of presaging a jury's verdict or the evidence upon which it might rely in making its decision. Thus, it is not within the province of our appellate courts to assume that juries will accord undue weight to expert opinion testimony as a pretext for excluding it when there is evidence in our case law militating against deference by juries and when excluding that evidence vitiates the most basic function of a jury to arbitrate the weight and credibility of evidence, even expert opinion testimony. The jury is not required to accept expert opinions as conclusive and disregard all other evidence bearing on the issue. Smith, 80 N.M. at 130, 452 P.2d at 199. And as evidenced by the case law cited above, juries adhere to this principle.