Opinion ID: 1190835
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of the 1982 Fire at Pacheco's Prior Dental Office

Text: Pacheco next argues that the trial court erred in admitting evidence of an arson investigation involving Pacheco following a fire in 1982. This evidence was admitted despite the fact that Pacheco's involvement in the other fire was never established. Pacheco argues that case law provides that evidence of other criminal conduct will not be received as indicative of the commission of a particular act charged, whether in the context of a criminal case, or of a civil case. See e.g., Curtis v. Western Reporting and Credit Co., 39 Idaho 784, 787, 230 P. 771, 774 (1924) (in an action on a promissory note, where usury is pleaded as evidence with respect to other alleged usurious transactions is not admissible). In a case upon a claim of fire loss, evidence of other fires will not be admitted unless it can be established that the claimant was connected with starting those other fires. Hawks v. Northwestern Mutual Ins. Co., 93 Idaho 381, 383-383, 461 P.2d 721, 723-723 (1969); Boise Association of Credit Men, Ltd. v. United States Fire Ins. Co., 44 Idaho 249, 259-261, 256 P. 523, 533-535 (1927). We need not address Pacheco's analysis of the law because evidence of the 1982 fire was originally introduced by Pacheco in his case in chief. Later, Pacheco agreed that the evidence could come in under Safeco's defense to the bad faith claim. Once that evidence was introduced by Pacheco, then the prohibition of the rule of law in the cases cited by Pacheco did not apply. Therefore, the evidence was properly admitted. Safeco argues that this Court should change the law pertaining to this issue, as cited by Pacheco, and opt for the better rule as expressed by the court in Rutledge v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 286 S.C. 360, 334 S.E.2d 131, 137 (App. 1985) in which the court stated: Still, we think the better rule is that evidence of another fire and of settlement arising therefrom is relevant to the issues of the insured's intent, motive and knowledge irrespective of whether the other fire was incendiary. Safeco argues that the courts should allow evidence of prior fires in civil arson cases without requiring evidence that the insured set them. Safeco fails to present any compelling reason to change the law as it now exists in Idaho. The reasoning in St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. is unpersuasive. The point that evidence of a prior fire may be indicative of motive and/or intent in a later fire, regardless of whether it was even proven that the first fire was set by an arsonist, is particularly unpersuasive. We adhere to the opinion that such evidence is both legally and logically irrelevant.