Opinion ID: 719635
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Exclusion of Psychiatrist's Testimony

Text: 20 The defendant contends that the district court abused its discretion in excluding the testimony of Dr. Fawver. According to Shlater, Dr. Fawver's proffered testimony that the defendant Shlater suffered from a mild to moderate delusional disorder was relevant to the issue of the defendant's insanity. 21 Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence provides, with emphasis added: 22 If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise. 23 However, not all expert testimony is admissible; the evidence must be relevant to a fact in issue, and the district court retains the discretion to make that determination. United States v. Sinclair, 74 F.3d 753, 758 (7th Cir.1996); United States v. Anderson, 61 F.3d 1290, 1297 (7th Cir.1995). This rule applies to the relevance of expert testimony concerning a defendant's sanity. United States v. Davis, 772 F.2d 1339, 1344 (7th Cir.1985). 24 An appellate reversal of a decision to limit an expert's testimony requires more than bare arguments that the expert is qualified and his testimony is relevant. Indeed the abuse of discretion standard requires the challenging party to show that 'no reasonable person would have agreed with the district court['s ruling].'  Matter of Sheridan, 57 F.3d 627, 635 (7th Cir.1995) (quoting Holmes v. Elgin, Joliet & Eastern R. Co., 18 F.3d 1393, 1397 (7th Cir.1994)). 25 We have described the issue of insanity as follows: 26 Insanity, for our purposes, is a legal term. We do not ask whether [the defendant] is insane by psychiatric or psychological standards. Rather we ask only whether [the defendant] has established insanity as defined by the Legal Insanity Defense Reform Act (the Act). 18 U.S.C. § 17. Under that Act, [the defendant] can establish the affirmative defense of legal insanity only if he proves two facts by clear and convincing evidence. 18 U.S.C. § 17. First, [the defendant] must prove that he suffered from a severe mental disease or defect. Proof that he had a mental disorder is not enough. The Act requires that the mental disorder be severe. United States v. Salava, 978 F.2d 320, 322 (7th Cir.1992). Second, if [the defendant] proves this first element, the Act requires that he prove that his severe mental disorder rendered him unable at the time of the crime to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his acts. Id. 27 United States v. Reed, 997 F.2d 332, 334 (7th Cir.1993). 28 In Shlater's case, the fact in issue was whether the defendant, at the time of the extortion incident, suffered from a severe mental disorder that affected his ability to distinguish right from wrong. Dr. Fawver testified that Shlater suffered a mild to moderate personality disorder. The district court excluded the testimony because the federal statute and caselaw defining insanity require that a defendant suffer from a severe mental disorder. The court concluded that it would not permit a medical opinion ... that didn't fall within the parameters of the statute. Although Dr. Fawver's testimony that Shlater suffered a mild to moderate mental disorder was relevant in a general sense to the defendant's mental state, the Legal Insanity Defense Reform Act is clear that the defense of insanity requires that the defendant suffer a severe mental disorder. See Reed, 997 F.2d at 334. Had Dr. Fawver testified, his testimony would have served to confuse the jury as to the requisite mental state of severe mental disorder required under the federal statute for criminal insanity. The trial judge did allow the defendant to present a psychiatrist, Dr. Davis, who testified that Shlater had a severe mental disorder; thus, the trial judge did not clearly abuse his discretion in excluding the testimony of Dr. Fawver.