Opinion ID: 1598474
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: conflict jurisdiction

Text: Saleeby petitioned this Court for review, alleging express and direct conflict with Ellis v. Weisbrot, 550 So.2d 15 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989), regarding the admissibility of evidence of settlement at trial to demonstrate the bias of a testifying witness. [2] As explained below, these cases are in express and direct conflict regarding the admissibility of evidence of settlement at trial to demonstrate the bias of a testifying witness, and this Court has jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(3), Fla. Const. In Ellis, Darryl Ellis sued Jefferson Stores, Inc., and Drs. Kirsner and Weisbrot for dental malpractice. Ellis voluntarily dismissed Dr. Kirsner in return for a waiver of fees and costs but nevertheless called him as a witness at trial. Id. at 16. During cross-examination, Dr. Kirsner admitted that he had previously been a defendant in the case. Id. The trial court denied Ellis's immediate motion for mistrial and Ellis's objections to defense counsel's continual references to Dr. Kirsner's former party defendant status throughout the cross-examination. On appeal, the Third District reversed the jury verdict and remanded for a new trial. Id. Citing section 768.041's prohibition on informing a jury that a witness was a prior defendant in the case, the district court held that [a]dmission of such testimony, even to attack the former defendant's credibility, is clear error and requires reversal. Id. In both cases, the plaintiff dismissed a defendant from the case and then called the former defendant to testify. In both cases, the trial court permitted the remaining defendant in the case to use evidence of the witness's former party status to impeach the witness in contravention of a statute. Finally, in both cases, the district courts were presented with the same question of law regarding the admissibility of such evidence to impeach a witness, but they reached opposite conclusions. The Fourth District found no error and held that despite a statutory prohibition, the evidence was admissible to show witness bias, Saleeby, 965 So.2d at 216, but the Third District held that admission of such evidence to demonstrate witness bias was clear error, requiring reversal. Ellis, 550 So.2d at 16.