Opinion ID: 600392
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Impeachment on Collateral Matters

Text: 10 Defendant contends the district court abused its discretion when it precluded Mrs. Amaral from taking the stand to contradict Massey's testimony that he lived at 101 Carpenter Street. Defendant points to Supreme Court authority that a defendant is entitled to cross-examine a witness as to his or her name and address. See Smith v. Illinois, 390 U.S. 129, 131, 88 S.Ct. 748, 749, 19 L.Ed.2d 956 (1968); Alford v. United States, 282 U.S. 687, 693, 51 S.Ct. 218, 220, 75 L.Ed. 624 (1931). Defendant concedes, as he must, that the district court permitted him to cross-examine Massey on his address. Defendant contends, however, that the value of his right to ask Massey where he lives for the purpose of exposing falsehood is vastly diminished if defendant cannot also present extrinsic evidence demonstrating that Massey has lied. Defendant additionally argues that, quite apart from the value of Mrs. Amaral's testimony to impeach Massey by contradiction, the proffered testimony was relevant to expose Massey's motive to testify falsely. We find neither argument persuasive. 11 It is well established that a party may not present extrinsic evidence to impeach a witness by contradiction on a collateral matter. 1 E.g., United States v. Pisari, 636 F.2d 855, 859 (1st Cir.1981); 1 McCormack on Evidence § 45, at 169 (4th ed. 1992). Thus, it is often said that when a witness testifies to a collateral matter, the examiner must take [the] answer, i.e., the examiner may not disprove it by extrinsic evidence. E.g., United States v. Martz, 964 F.2d 787, 789 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 823, 121 L.Ed.2d 694 (1992); United States v. Young, 952 F.2d 1252, 1259 (10th Cir.1991); 1 McCormack on Evidence § 45, at 170. A matter is considered collateral if the matter itself is not relevant in the litigation to establish a fact of consequence, i.e., not relevant for a purpose other than mere contradiction of the in-court testimony of the witness. 1 McCormack on Evidence § 45, at 169. Stated another way, extrinsic evidence to disprove a fact testified to by a witness is admissible when it satisfies the Rule 403 balancing test and is not barred by any other rule of evidence. See United States v. Tarantino, 846 F.2d 1384, 1409 (D.C.Cir.) (The 'specific contradiction' rule ... is a particular instance of the trial court's general power under Fed.R.Evid. 403 to exclude evidence 'if its probative value is substantially outweighed ... by considerations of undue delay, [or] waste of time.' ), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 867, 109 S.Ct. 174, 102 L.Ed.2d 143 (1988); Pisari, 636 F.2d at 858; 3 Weinstein's Evidence, 607, at 607-79, -80 (1992). To the extent Mrs. Amaral's testimony merely went to Massey's credibility by demonstrating a contradiction on an immaterial matter, it was clearly excludible. 12 Defendant contends that testimony as to Massey's residence was not merely collateral, but was relevant and admissible for a purpose other than impeaching Massey's general character for truthfulness or untruthfulness through contradiction. According to defendant, Massey's insistence that he lived at 101 Carpenter Street in Pawtucket and not at his wife's house on Pine Street in Central Falls, could have been viewed as an attempt to distance himself from the forged check, which had originally been mailed to the Francos' residence in Central Falls. According to defendant, Massey's alleged falsehood concerning his residence would thus expose a motive to shift culpability for stealing the check from himself to defendant. 13 But while a witness's self-interest or motive to testify falsely is generally considered to be a non-collateral issue, United States v. Rios Ruiz, 579 F.2d 670, 673 (1st Cir.1978) (bias); United States v. Calle, 822 F.2d 1016, 1021 (11th Cir.1987) (self-interest in testifying), we think the district court was entitled to conclude that the marginal relevance of Mrs. Amaral's proposed testimony was outweighed by the time and effort it would entail to present this testimony. As noted by the district judge, who presided over defendant's first trial, Mrs. Amaral's testimony was inconclusive. She testified that she occasionally saw Massey, a truck driver, at 101 Carpenter Street, but that his brother and sister paid the rent. Moreover, as the district court noted, Pawtucket is adjacent to Central Falls; therefore, whether Massey lived at his siblings' house in Pawtucket or his wife's house in Central Falls said little about Massey's personal involvement in the crime, particularly since there had already been testimony that Massey spent at least some time at both locations. Under the circumstances, we cannot say that the district court abused its discretion in excluding Mrs. Amaral's proposed testimony concerning whether Massey lived at 101 Carpenter Street.