Opinion ID: 2433995
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Use of deposition

Text: Valerie Mitchell, a sister of Melinda Wiggins, testified that Melinda was left in her room unattended by Dr. Kelley and the nurses at Lee Memorial Hospital. Counsel for Dr. Kelley contends he was not permitted to question Mitchell on the basis of statements made by Alvis Wiggins in a pretrial deposition. Dr. Kelley argues, and Ark.R.Civ.P. 32(a)(2) provides, that the deposition of a party may be used by an adverse party for any purpose. We can find no ruling by the court refusing to allow Valerie Mitchell to be cross-examined on the matters Alvis Wiggins testified to in his deposition. Rather, there was a series of questions to which the court sustained intermittent objections of repetitiveness. In post-trial colloquy with counsel, the court referred to the questions as argumentative, but at no point does it appear that there was a refusal to allow the deposition to be read or otherwise used by counsel for Dr. Kelley. In his deposition Alvis Wiggins did not say the doctor or the nurses were with Melinda in her room constantly. He said only that they were there. Thus the deposition was not a strong, direct contradiction of Valerie Mitchell's testimony. In addition, the information from the deposition came into evidence when the deposition was used to cross-examine Alvis Wiggins. He testified his deposition contained his statement that Dr. Kelley stayed pretty much with Melinda and there were nurses with her when he was not there. In response to cross-examination at the trial, he testified that they were not present in Melinda's hospital room at all times. Even if we could say the court limited the use of the deposition, and if we could find that the limitation constituted error, it was hardly prejudicial in view of the fact that, to the extent the deposition contradicted Mitchell's testimony, it was placed before the jury later in the trial.