Opinion ID: 1433971
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Teel's evidentiary claimDrinkwater Report

Text: Teel claims that the district court abused its discretion by excluding a pretrial report prepared by Wayne Drinkwater while representing USF&G in Peoples Bank. The report contained Drinkwater's opinions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of USF&G's case in Peoples Bank, based upon the status of the law in Mississippi at the time, potentially damaging internal emails sent by USF&G employees, the quality of Marks' attorneys, and his view of then-Judge Teel. At trial, Teel moved to admit the report as a business record under FED.R.EVID. 803(6). The district court determined that the report was inadmissable, because it contained double hearsay in the form of Drinkwater's statements recounting the emails by USF&G employees and that the hearsay problem could not be cured through redaction. A review of the record demonstrates that appellants' attorneys were permitted to fully cross-examine Drinkwater on the substance of his pretrial report, including his impressions regarding the damaging emails discussed therein. Therefore, even assuming that the district court erred in refusing to admit the report itself, we find no harmful error substantially affecting appellants' rights.