Opinion ID: 2316673
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Exclusion of Testimony Regarding Out-of-Court Statements by Defendant's Employees

Text: Plaintiff contends that the trial court erred in excluding, on hearsay grounds, testimony by Wallace Blowers, a Canadian Pacific engineer, relating to statements made to him by other Canadian Pacific engineers regarding the safety of the Chester railroad crossing. We find no error in the court's evidentiary ruling. At trial, plaintiff called Blowers to testify about a letter he had written to the Bangor Daily News that was published approximately one month after the accident. Blowers' letter was a response to published letters written about the accident by people in the Chester community. Blowers sought to explain the rules about speed and whistle blowing requirements at crossings. In the letter, which was read to the jury, Blowers expressed his opinion that flashing lights were long overdue at the Chester crossing. Blowers was then asked by plaintiff's attorney to describe the feedback he got from other Canadian Pacific engineers in response to his published letter. The court sustained Canadian Pacific's hearsay objection. Plaintiff contends the testimony was admissible pursuant to M.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(D). M.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(D) provides that a statement is not hearsay if it is offered against a party and is made by the party's employee concerning a matter within the scope of his employment and during the course of the employment. Canadian Pacific contends that the out-of-court comments of its engineers were not made within the scope of their employment because the engineers are not involved in decisions related to the safety of railroad crossings. [5] Indeed, the testimony given at trial established that it is the duty of the Department of Transportation, not Canadian Pacific, to install and maintain automatic signals at railroad crossings to protect the safety of motorists. The trial court reasonably concluded that the comments were hearsay because they were not made within the scope of the engineers' employment. Because the hearsay statements do not fit within any exception to the hearsay rule, the court correctly excluded them.