Opinion ID: 1122950
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: application of the oregon evidence code

Text: Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to declare the Oregon Evidence Code (OEC) applicable to the second penalty-phase proceeding. See State v. Stevens, 319 Or. 573, 580, 879 P.2d 162 (1994) (The standard of relevance set forth in OEC 401 applies in penalty-phase proceedings.). Defendant contends that, during the first trial of this case, the state stipulated that the OEC would apply to the penalty-phase proceeding. Defendant further asserts that, because the second penalty-phase proceeding was a continuation of the first trial, the state is bound by that stipulation in the second penalty-phase proceeding. Defendant also argues that the trial court's prior approval of the application of the OEC to the penalty phase constituted the law of the case, as articulated in State v. Pratt, 316 Or. 561, 569, 853 P.2d 827 (1993), quoting Simmons v. Wash. F.N. Ins. Co., 140 Or. 164, 166, 13 P.2d 366 (1932): `It is a general principle of law and one well recognized in this state that when a ruling or decision has been once made in a particular case by an appellate court, while it may be overruled in other cases, it is binding and conclusive both upon the inferior court in any further steps or proceedings in the same litigation and upon the appellate court itself in any subsequent appeal or other proceeding for review.' Assuming arguendo, without deciding, that the state is bound by an earlier agreement to abide by the OEC and that the trial court's approval did constitute the law of the case, defendant has not demonstrated that any prejudice resulted from the trial court's ruling. Defendant argues that he was prejudiced because the trial court admitted other crimes and other bad act evidence which should have been excluded under the balancing of OEC 403 and as inadmissible hearsay under the evidence code. However, defendant has not identified any evidence, admitted by the trial court, that the OEC makes inadmissible. Defendant's assignment of error, therefore, is not well taken.