Opinion ID: 1976870
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Suppression Hearing Transcript as Evidence.

Text: During the contested case hearing before the agency Heidemann unsuccessfully offered in evidence the former testimony given by the arresting officer and Heidemann himself at the earlier hearing on his motion to suppress. The hearing officer sustained the department's objection to that evidence on the ground that a transcript of that testimony had not yet been prepared even though Heidemann had adequate time to obtain it for the hearing. When Heidemann filed his petition for judicial review he attached the transcript of that testimony to his petition as an offer of proof and requested that the court remand the case to the agency for consideration of that additional evidence. He contended the agency's refusal to consider that testimony constituted both an abuse of discretion and error of constitutional dimension. The district court denied Heidemann's request for remand to the agency but permitted him to include the transcript in the record of the judicial review proceeding as an offer of proof. Heidemann by cross-appeal contends the agency erred in failing to consider that testimony, while the department contends that the district court erred in allowing Heidemann to make his offer of proof. A. Rules of evidence governing administrative agencies in contested cases are set forth in the five subsections of Iowa Code section 17A.14. These rules provide guidelines to hearing officers which are less detailed than the Iowa Rules of Evidence which govern most court proceedings. See Iowa R.Evid. 1101 (outlining court proceedings where Iowa Rules of Evidence apply). We find no abuse of the hearing officer's discretion in rejecting Heidemann's offer of the transcript. Had the transcript been admitted, a decision in the case would have been delayed by the considerable time required for transcription of the testimony. Moreover, the attorney for the department had not been present at the suppression hearing, so neither the hearing officer nor the attorney objecting to the transcript knew just what was the substance of the testimony. It is noteworthy that the arresting officer and Heidemann were both available to testify at the contested case hearing, and the officer did testify and was cross-examined. Sound reasons supported the hearing officer's discretionary ruling on the matter. Heidemann also contends that the exclusion of that evidence violated his constitutional rights to due process and equal protection, but he has neither cited supporting authorities nor elaborated on that contention at any stage of this proceeding. The hearing officer's evidentiary ruling was neither erroneous nor constitutionally infirm. B. At first blush it appears that the district court had no authority to receive the transcript as an offer of proof in the judicial review proceeding. The district court is in the role of an appellate court in such proceedings, reviewing only the record made before the agency. Young Plumbing and Heating Co. v. Iowa Natural Resources Council, 276 N.W.2d 377, 381 (Iowa 1979). The district court is precluded from hearing evidence in such cases. Iowa Code § 17A.19(7) (1983); see Hoffman v. Iowa Department of Transportation, 257 N.W.2d 22, 24-25 (Iowa 1977). Any party in such proceedings, however, may apply to the district court for leave to present evidence in addition to that found in the record before the agency; and the court has the discretion to order that additional evidence be taken before the agency, upon conditions determined by the court, if there were good reasons for failure to have that evidence presented in the contested case proceeding. Iowa Code § 17A.19(7). Where, as here, the district court denies a party's application to present additional evidence to the agency the party may properly preserve error on that issue by presenting an offer of proof to the district court. Here the district court properly treated Heidemann's offer of the transcript as an offer of proof, thereby enabling Iowa appellate courts to determine whether refusal to remand the case to the agency was proper. We conclude, of course, that the district court correctly refused to remand the case to the agency for consideration of that transcript, because the sound reasons explained in division II.A. supported the hearing officer's ruling excluding that evidence.