Opinion ID: 357119
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Statistical Survey

Text: 11 The government's statistical survey was inadmissible. It was offered and admitted to prove the true prices paid for land in the county, not as the basis for an expert opinion under Rule 703 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. The deeds were not introduced into evidence, nor was any other effort made to verify or authenticate the data in accordance with Rule 901. The evidence therefore did not come within the exception to the hearsay rule admitting deeds and public records, Rule 803(8), (14), (15), or any other exception to the hearsay rule. There was no way for the landowner to test the accuracy or reliability of the data. Moreover, the survey data was not relevant to prove the agricultural value of the Cook's farm because no effort was made to show that the unidentified properties covered by the survey were comparable. 12 The government argues that even if the survey was not admissible to show the actual value of comparable farms in the county it was admissible at least to refute the landowner's contention that there was a demand for home sites in the southern part of the county. The District Court ruled, however, that all of the landowner's evidence showing the potential of his land for home site development was inadmissible. If the landowner's evidence on this subject was irrelevant, it would appear that the government's evidence offered to refute this contention was also irrelevant.