Opinion ID: 1402588
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statement of Chris Martinez, Jr. Concerning the Temper of Chris Martinez, Sr.

Text: {36} Coffin sought to introduce an intake and evaluation report by the Youth Diagnostic Development Center (YDDC) from the 1991 commitment of Chris Martinez, Jr. to the New Mexico Boys School. The report contained the statement from Chris Martinez, Jr. that his father was `nasty when mad,' particularly while drinking. Coffin offered the statement to prove character of the victim through opinion evidence, see Rule 11-404(A)(2), and he argued that the statement was admissible under the business records exception to the hearsay rule, see Rule 11-803(F) NMRA 1999. {37} Coffin correctly asserts that Rule 11-404(A)(2) permits a defendant to adduce opinion or reputation testimony concerning a victim's propensity for violence in order to support a claim that the victim was the first aggressor, and he is correct that the defendant need not be aware of a victim's reputation for violence in order to introduce such evidence. See State v. Baca, 115 N.M. 536, 540, 854 P.2d 363, 367 (Ct.App.1993). However, Coffin overlooks that Rule 11-404(A)(2) is not an exception to the general rule that hearsay evidence is inadmissible. See Rule 11-802 NMRA 1999 (Hearsay is not admissible except as provided by these rules or by other rules adopted by the supreme court or by statute.). Coffin offered the out-of-court statement for the truth of the matter asserted. As such, the statement constitutes hearsay and is inadmissible unless it satisfies an exception articulated in a rule of this Court or by statute. See Rule 11-801(C) NMRA 1999 (defining hearsay); Rule 11-802. {38} Coffin contended in the trial court that the statement was made in the course of regularly conducted business activity and is, therefore, excepted from the hearsay rule. The hearsay rule does not exclude [a] memorandum, report, record or data compilation, in any form, of acts, events, conditions, opinions or diagnoses, made at or near the time by, or from information transmitted by, a person with knowledge, if kept in the course of a regularly conducted business activity, and if it was the regular practice of that business activity to make the memorandum, report, record or date compilation ... unless the source of information or the method or circumstances of preparation indicate lack of trustworthiness. Rule 11-803(F) (emphasis added). Although Coffin argued to the trial court that the reliability of the statement is not a relevant consideration under this exception, Rule 11-803(F) explicitly contemplates that a trial court will evaluate the trustworthiness of a statement made in a business record. Furthermore, we review a trial court's determination of trustworthiness for an abuse of discretion. See Kirk Co. v. Ashcraft, 101 N.M. 462, 468, 684 P.2d 1127, 1133 (1984). The trial court determined that the statement by Chris Martinez, Jr. was inadmissible because on a variety of levels it is unreliable. Specifically, the trial court stated that many time[s] statements like these are self-serving, in that the declarant attempts to glean sympathy from people at YDDC in order that instead of wanting to punish him, they're now very sympathetic toward him. We conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in deciding that the statement lacked trustworthiness because of the unreliability of the source of information contained in the business record. The trial court did not err in excluding this evidence.