Opinion ID: 69343
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Salom’s Requested Jury Instruction

Text: Salom also asserts the district court erred by declining to issue his proposed jury instruction. We review a district court’s refusal to give a requested jury instruction for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Fulford, 267 F.3d 1241, 1245 (11th Cir. 2001). A court’s failure to give a requested jury instruction only constitutes reversible error if: “(1) the requested instruction correctly stated the law; (2) the actual charge to the jury did not substantially cover the proposed instruction; and (3) the failure to give the instruction substantially impaired the defendant’s ability to present an effective defense.” Id. 13 Here, Salom requested an instruction that, if the jury were to find that a witness was lying about a particular fact, then it could infer the opposite of that witness’s testimony. Although Salom’s proposed instruction was essentially a correct statement of the law, the district court’s jury instructions concerning witness credibility covered the substance of Salom’s proposed instruction. Moreover, the court’s failure to give the requested instruction did not substantially impair Salom’s defense, as he was still permitted to suggest to the jury during closing argument that they could believe the exact opposite of Quintana’s testimony. Therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion by denying Salom’s proposed jury instruction.