Opinion ID: 1787959
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Aguallo's Alleged Admissions During Her Deposition

Text: At trial, Aguallo testified that she fell when she stepped down from the parking barrier onto the edge of the eroded area. According to the City, however, during her deposition, Aguallo admitted that she did not know if she fell when she stepped onto the eroded edge of the parking lot. The City claims that it was possible that she had simply lost her balance when she first began to step down from the parking barrier. The City claims that Aguallo's deposition testimony is fatal to her case because it would require the fact finder to guess whether the City's failure to repair the eroded area had caused her to fall. See Swoboda v. Mercer Mgmt. Co., 251 Neb. 347, 557 N.W.2d 629 (1997). A party who changes his or her testimony during litigation is bound by his or her earlier statements upon proof that the testimony pertains to a vital point, that it is clearly apparent the party has made the change to meet exigencies of the pending case, and that there is no rational or sufficient explanation for the changes in testimony. Breeden v. Anesthesia West, 265 Neb. 356, 656 N.W.2d 913 (2003). The rule does not apply, however, when the party's earlier statements are ambiguous. Here, Aguallo's deposition testimony could be interpreted as the City suggests. Alternatively, it is possible to interpret her testimony to mean that the fall occurred when she stepped onto the eroded asphalt, but that she was unsure which way her ankle twisted as she fell. Thus, we refuse to treat Aguallo's deposition testimony as an admission that she was unsure what had caused her to fall.