Opinion ID: 1231135
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evans's Statements to Dr. Wolf

Text: Evans's second contention is that the superior court erred in excluding certain statements Evans made to Dr. Wolf. During Dr. Wolf's examination of Evans, the latter said he was unable to recall the shooting. Evans also told Dr. Wolf that he did not recall other violent incidents which had occurred when he was intoxicated. These incidents were related to Evans by friends. The superior court ruled that Evans's statements to Dr. Wolf were hearsay and excludable. Evans argues that that these statements come under an exception to the hearsay rule. Alaska Rules of Evidence 803 and 804 provide for exceptions to the hearsay rule. Subsection (4) of Rule 803 provides for the admissibility of [s]tatements made for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment and describing medical history, or past or present symptoms, pain, or sensations, or the inception or general character of the cause or external source thereof insofar as reasonably pertinent to diagnosis or treatment. Thus, Evans's statements to Dr. Wolf would be admissible under Alaska's present Rules of Evidence. These rules did not become effective, however, until August 1, 1979. The trial in this case took place in April 1978. Apparently, the proposed Alaska Rules of Evidence were available at the time of trial. The state argues, and the record reflects, that defense counsel did not bring the proposed rules to the attention of the superior court. Neither did defense counsel cite to the superior court the identical Federal Rule of Evidence, promulgated in 1975. A majority of courts at common law distinguished between statements made to a physician for treatment and statements made to a physician for litigation. Generally, statements made for treatment were excepted from the hearsay rule because their reliability was assured by the patient's belief that treatment effectiveness depended on the accuracy of the statements. This rationale does not apply to statements made solely for the purpose of litigation and a majority of courts have excluded such statements as hearsay. C. McCormick, Law of Evidence § 193, at 694 (E. Cleary 2d ed. 1972). In explaining its ruling which precluded the introduction of Evans's statements, the superior court observed that Evans's statements were not made for the purpose of treatment and that his defense could not be based entirely on hearsay. In view of the foregoing, we cannot conclude that the superior court erred at the time it made its ruling on the statements in question. Evans argues that these statements would also be admissible under Alaska Rule of Evidence 703, which provides: Basis of Opinion Testimony by Experts. The facts or data in the particular case upon which an expert bases an opinion or inference may be those perceived by or made known to him at or before the hearing. Facts or data need not be admissible in evidence, but must be of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the particular field in forming opinions or inferences upon the subject. The state asserts that the underlying facts would be inadmissible as hearsay, and that they would come within the ambit of Alaska Rule of Evidence 705(c) which provides: Balancing Test  Limiting Instructions. When the underlying facts or data would be inadmissible in evidence for any purpose other than to explain or support the expert's opinion or inference, the court shall exclude the underlying facts or data if the danger that they will be used for an improper purpose outweighs their value as support for the expert's opinion. If the facts or data are disclosed before the jury, a limiting instruction by the court shall be given upon request. Thus, the superior court could reasonably have concluded that the statements would have been used for an improper purpose  i.e., to prove the truth of what was said. Given the former position of the Alaska case law on this point, and the limited basis on which such statements can possibly be admitted under our new rules of evidence, we are convinced that the superior court did not commit error in excluding the questioned statements. At trial, Evans elected to take the stand and testify for the limited purpose of curing the hearsay problem relating to his statements to Dr. Wolf. Evans argues that this dilemma violated his rights against self-incrimination. In general, a defendant who chooses to testify waives his privilege against compulsory self-incrimination. Harrison v. United States, 392 U.S. 219, 222, 88 S.Ct. 2008, 2010, 20 L.Ed.2d 1047, 1051 (1968). Evans argues that the only reason he testified was to cure the hearsay problem, and that since the hearsay rule is one based on policy, it should be subordinated when it conflicts with his constitutional rights. The single case cited by Evans, Salazar v. State, 559 P.2d 66 (Alaska 1976), involved balancing the husband-wife privilege of confidential marital communications against the defendant's constitutional right to effectively confront a witness. The defendant did not have it within his power in that case to preserve his constitutional right and impeach the witness other than by subordinating the privilege. Here, on the other hand, exclusion of the doctor's testimony did not prevent Evans from remaining silent  it only made it less advantageous for him to do so. Evans did not possess a constitutional right to have his hearsay statements to the doctor placed in evidence. A waiver of the right against self-incrimination is no less effective because the defendant may have been motivated to take the witness stand only by reason of the strength of the evidence against him. Harrison v. United States, 392 U.S. 219, 222, 88 S.Ct. 2008, 2010, 20 L.Ed.2d 1047, 1051 (1968). Thus, we do not find that the superior court's refusal to admit this evidence violated Evans's rights against compulsory self-incrimination.