Opinion ID: 2976676
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Exclusion of Griffin’s Testimony

Text: Sigler’s expert Griffin provided evidence via a report, J.A. at 41-42, and a sworn declaration, J.A. at 138-40, regarding the speed at which the Accord likely struck the tree and the possible cause for the failure of the Accord’s airbag to deploy given Griffin’s opinion that the Accord was traveling at thirty to forty miles per hour when it collided with the tree. J.A. at 138-40 (Griffin Decl.). Griffin attested that he owns and operates two automobile sales and service facilities, performs “vehicle autopsies” for the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office, has served as an expert witness in civil litigation, and has twenty-six years of experience in repairing and diagnosing problems with automobiles. J.A. at 138-39. Honda’s motion in limine argued that “Griffin is not qualified as an expert to give testimony regarding the speed of the Accord when it went off the roadway and struck the tree, nor to give testimony regarding any alleged defect and/or unreasonably dangerous condition of the Accord.” J.A. at 21 (Mot. in Limine to Exclude Griffin at 2). The district court granted Honda’s motion in limine because “[n]othing in Griffin’s resume, education, or training suggests he is qualified to offer an expert opinion on a defect in the Accord’s airbag without actually inspecting it. Griffin’s resume suggests he would have been admissible and well-qualified to perform an automobile autopsy per his typical practice.” J.A. at 249 (Mem. at 12). The district court noted that “Griffin is clearly an expert mechanic, but his qualifications do not suggest he is an expert in physics, accident reconstruction, or airbag engineering.” Id. In part to respond to similar arguments that Honda advanced in its motion for summary judgment, Griffin’s sworn declaration, which Sigler appended to her Response to Honda’s Motion for Summary Judgment, revealed for the first time that Griffin’s evaluation involved assistance from Danny Bryant, who “was formerly employed by the Virginia State Police” and who “has received a certification in accident reconstruction from the Transportation Safety Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.” J.A. at 139 (Griffin Decl. at ¶ 7). The district court found that Griffin’s reliance on Bryant’s expertise only underscored the impropriety of Griffin’s evidence as an expert on issues pertaining to accident reconstruction and potential defects in the airbag. The district court observed that “Griffin is not an accident reconstructionist—this is key—and may not testify as such” and also cited Dura Automotive Systems of Indiana, Inc. v. CTS Corp., 285 F.3d 609 (7th Cir. 2002), a case on which Sigler had relied. J.A. at 250 (Mem. at 13 n.5). In Dura, the Seventh Circuit explained that [a] theoretical economist, however able, would not be allowed to testify to the findings of an econometric study conducted by another economist if [the theoretical economist] lacked expertise in econometrics and the study raised questions that only an econometrician could answer. If it were apparent that the study was not cut and dried, the author would have to testify; he could not hide behind the theoretician. Dura, 285 F.3d at 614. No. 07-5471 Sigler v. American Honda Motor Co. Page 7 Similarly, in this case, although Griffin appears to be an able mechanic, the substance of his evidence deals with estimating the speed at which Sigler’s vehicle was traveling when it struck the tree, a matter of accident reconstruction. Griffin’s report and declaration also offered an opinion as to why the airbag failed to deploy, but Griffin’s “usual practice” is to examine the vehicle, and he was unable to inspect Sigler’s Accord because Sigler’s insurance company had already salvaged the vehicle. J.A. at 247, 249 (Mem. at 10 n.4, 12). Griffin’s evidence thus pertained to accident reconstruction, an area in which he lacked expertise, and to analyzing an automobile after an accident, an area in which Griffin does have expertise, but his method involves physically examining the vehicle, which did not occur in this case. We hold, therefore, that the district court did not abuse its discretion in granting Honda’s motion in limine to exclude Griffin from offering evidence on the subject of accident reconstruction and on the subject of potential defects in the Accord. 3. The District Court’s Reliance on Honda’s Unsworn Expert Statements Sigler argues that the district court improperly relied upon three expert reports that Honda attached to its Motion for Summary Judgment. Appellant Br. at 30-35; see also Appellant Reply Br. at 6-8. The reports in question were prepared by Dr. Berta Bergia (“Bergia”), J.A. at 70, Dr. Charles E. Bain (“Bain”), J.A. at 71-75, and Alfred E. Kirkland (“Kirkland”), J.A. at 76-77. The district court’s opinion contained substantial discussion of these reports and clearly relied on them. J.A. at 252 (Mem. at 15 n.6); J.A. at 254 (Mem. at 17); J.A. at 256 (Mem. at 19). All three reports, however, were not sworn statements, and Sigler argues that, under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, the district court should not have considered them. See also Pack v. Damon Corp., 434 F.3d 810, 815 (6th Cir. 2006) (“Although the district court relied on both the Bukowski Report and the Quillen Affidavit, the Bukowski Report is unsworn and thus is hearsay, which may not be considered on a motion for summary judgment.”). In response to Sigler’s arguments that the district court improperly considered these three expert reports, Honda argues that “[t]he first time [Sigler] objected to these reports is in the appellant’s brief on appeal” and “submits that the issue of [Honda’s] use of these reports has been waived by [Sigler] inasmuch as her objection was not brought to the trial court’s attention.” Appellee Br. at 47, 50. Honda’s assertions, however, are simply incorrect. Sigler repeatedly objected in the district court to these three expert reports. In her Response to Honda’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Sigler described Bergia’s opinion as “inadmissible hearsay.” J.A. at 123 (Pl.’s Resp. to Mot. for Summ. J. at 14). Sigler also noted that Honda’s motion “cite[d] to two hearsay reports from Alfred Kirkland and Charles Bain” and argued that “[t]hese reports are clearly hearsay. Neither Mr. Kirkland nor Dr. Bain has submitted a sworn declaration or affidavit. Thus, their expert reports are inadmissible.” J.A. at 125-26 (Pl.’s Resp. to Mot. for Summ. J. at 15-16). Furthermore, in her Response to Honda’s Motion in Limine to Exclude the Testimony of Dr. Heisser, Sigler again referred to the “hearsay report of Berta Bergia, M.D.” J.A. at 213 (Pl.’s Resp. to Mot. in Limine to Exclude Heisser Testimony at 3). Even construing Honda’s argument as contending that Sigler forfeited her evidentiary objections because she failed to object to the hearsay evidence by filing a motion in limine, as opposed to simply raising an objection in her motion in opposition to summary judgment, Honda’s argument fails. As Sigler argues in her Reply Brief, “to the extent that [Honda] implies in its argument that [Sigler’s] hearsay objections were not raised by proper procedure” that argument lacks merit because Honda has not pointed to any authority setting forth the manner in which a party must object to hearsay evidence. Appellant Reply Br. at 8. In arguing that Sigler has forfeited her evidentiary claim by failing to object in the district court, Honda quotes at length from an opinion from the Northern District of Ohio, but that opinion’s language does not indicate that any particular procedure is required for objecting. See Gault v. Zellerbach, 981 F. Supp. 533, 536 (N.D. Ohio 1997) (“The burden is on the opposing party to object to the improper evidence; failure to object constitutes a waiver.”). Furthermore, our sister circuits have held that objecting in summary No. 07-5471 Sigler v. American Honda Motor Co. Page 8 judgment papers to such improper evidence suffices to preserve the issue on appeal. Fraser v. Goodale, 342 F.3d 1032, 1036 (9th Cir. 2003) (“Fraser would have us conclude that the Bank waived its hearsay objection to the diary. However, the Bank’s objection was clear, specific, and timely made to the district court in its reply motion for summary judgment. The Bank’s evidentiary objection was preserved.”); Taylor v. Principi, 141 F. App’x 705, 708 (10th Cir. 2005) (unpublished) (“In his motion for summary judgment, defendant timely objected to Ms. Taylor’s failure to properly authenticate the documents in her affidavit.”). We hold that the district court improperly considered Honda’s unsworn, hearsay evidence in deciding to grant Honda’s motion for summary judgment. Pack, 434 F.3d at 815. Further, we hold that Sigler adequately raised the issue below by objecting multiple times to this hearsay evidence in her responses to Honda’s motion for summary judgment and motion in limine. 4. The Exclusion of Dr. Heisser’s Testimony As an initial matter, although Sigler’s brief asserts that the “trial court erred in excluding the expert testimony of Dr. Randy Heisser,” Appellant Br. at 26, the district court’s Order mentions only that the court granted Honda’s motion for summary judgment and its motion in limine regarding Griffin. J.A. at 258 (Order). The Order does not in fact state any disposition of Honda’s motion in limine regarding Dr. Heisser. Id. Nonetheless, the district court’s memorandum opinion discussed Dr. Heisser’s declaration, stating that “[t]he Court agrees with [Honda’s] argument that there is no evidence in the record to support the assumptions upon which Heisser bases his opinion (there is, specifically, no evidence as to the Accord’s speed at the time of the collision).” J.A. at 255 (Mem. at 18). The court concluded that Heisser’s “testimony is irrelevant and unreliable under Fed. R. Evid. 702 as interpreted by Daubert and its progeny.” J.A. at 255-56 (Mem. at 18-19). From this language, it appears that the district court viewed Dr. Heisser’s evidence as inadmissible, even if the court failed to issue such a ruling in its order, and we will assess Sigler’s argument as though the district court had formally excluded Heisser’s evidence. In excluding Dr. Heisser’s evidence, the district court clearly abused its discretion because the factual record contradicts the court’s analysis, which was infected by reliance on the unsworn materials that Honda submitted. The critical portion of Dr. Heisser’s declaration states that [a]ssuming that Mrs. Sigler’s vehicle was traveling at least 20 miles per hour when it struck the tree, and further assuming that Mrs. Sigler’s head struck the interior of the vehicle during the collision, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, such trauma to the head more than likely aggravated or exacerbated her preexisting seizure disorder. J.A. at 157 (Dr. Heisser Decl. at ¶ 4). In describing Dr. Heisser’s evidence as “irrelevant and unreliable,” the district court stated that, having excluded Griffin’s evidence, “there is no evidence in the record to support the assumptions upon which Heisser bases his opinion (there is, specifically, no evidence as to the Accord’s speed at the time of the collision).” J.A. at 256, 255 (Mem. at 19, 18). The district court’s analysis on this point relied upon the hearsay expert reports submitted by Honda, as the court observed that Honda “has offered an expert rebuttal averring that a second collision would not have occurred under the speed, delta-V, and conditions of the accident” such that “Heisser’s declaration would not aid the jury.” J.A. at 256 (Mem. at 19) (citing Kirkland Letter, J.A. at 76-77). Contrary to the district court’s assertion, the record does contain evidence to support Heisser’s assumptions—and, of course, the district court should not have considered the unsworn Kirkland letter. Specifically, Sigler’s deposition and Williams’s Declaration provided evidence that Sigler was driving approximately seventy miles an hour before the Accord veered off the road, and No. 07-5471 Sigler v. American Honda Motor Co. Page 9 Williams testified that he did not see any brake lights or blinkers on Sigler’s vehicle. J.A. at 132 (Williams Decl. at ¶ 5); J.A. at 266 (S. Sigler Dep. at 33). Although it is unclear how far the car traveled after leaving the highway, the declarations of Williams and Alton Rogers, the member of the Tennessee State Highway Patrol who responded to the accident, indicate that the car traveled down an embankment and through a small fence before going into a clump of trees. J.A. at 132-36 (Williams and Rogers Decls.). The record therefore contains evidence that the Accord was traveling at seventy miles per hour shortly before the accident, that its brakes were not activated, and that it traveled downhill before striking and uprooting the tree. Given that Honda moved for summary judgment, we must draw all reasonable inferences from the evidence in favor of Sigler, and the available evidence permits an inference that the Accord was still traveling at a relatively high rate of speed—at least above twenty miles per hour as Dr. Heisser assumed—when it collided with the tree. Further, although Sigler was unconscious at the time of the accident and no witness saw the impact, whether Sigler’s head struck the interior of the car is a disputed issue of material fact given the testimony from Sigler and her husband that she developed a bruise on her head the day after the accident. J.A. at 262 (D. Sigler Dep. at 23); J.A. at 239 (Mem. at 2) (citing deposition testimony). Dr. Heisser’s declaration could assist the jury in finding the facts, and the district court abused its discretion in excluding Dr. Heisser’s evidence. Neither Honda nor the district court offered any reason to question the qualifications or reliability of Dr. Heisser as an expert medical witness; rather, his testimony was excluded for relying on assumptions that the district court found were unwarranted, in light of inadmissible evidence that the court should not have considered. As a result, given the remaining admissible evidence, a reasonable jury might well choose to believe that the circumstantial evidence demonstrates that the Accord was more likely than not traveling at a speed in excess of twenty miles per hour when it collided with and uprooted the tree. A reasonable jury might also believe the Siglers and find that, as a result of the airbag’s failure to deploy, a second collision occurred and caused Sigler’s bruise, in which case Dr. Heisser’s expert opinion— that such a second collision and resulting head trauma is likely to have exacerbated Sigler’s preexisting seizure condition—is highly relevant. We therefore hold that the district court abused its discretion in excluding Dr. Heisser’s evidence.