Opinion ID: 2585525
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: placing the burden of testing the evidence upon the litigants during trial

Text: The U.S. Supreme Court has stated that the truth-finding process is better served if the witness's testimony is submitted to `the crucible of the judicial process so that the factfinder may consider it, after cross-examination, together with the other evidence in the case to determine where the truth lies.' Briscoe, 460 U.S. at 334, 103 S.Ct. 1108. Stated another way, [I]n immunizing participants from liability for torts arising from communications made during judicial proceedings, the law places upon litigants the burden of exposing during trial the bias of witnesses and the falsity of evidence. Silberg, 266 Cal.Rptr. 638, 786 P.2d at 370. The litigation privilege helps ensure that the parties diligently investigate and test the evidence in a timely manner. Placing the burden of testing the evidence on the parties potentially limits subsequent claims of newly discovered evidence or fraud and is, therefore, also related to the policy of encouraging the finality of judgments, discussed infra. However, withholding and destroying evidence obviously frustrates the policy of placing the burden of testing the evidence upon the litigants. Clearly, parties cannot test what is willfully and wrongfully withheld from them. Therefore, such policy does not favor limiting liability in subsequent proceedings when fraud is uncovered after judgment has been rendered or the case has been settled and dismissed.