Opinion ID: 1234314
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: summary of earnings

Text: Chief argues that the district court erred in admitting into evidence a summary of the sales, costs, and net profits of the Minnesota plant for the first 13 months of its operation. Chief first relies on the hearsay rule. Utah R.Evid. 63. Cook counters that Chief waived this point by failing to object to the evidence at trial. Since the record reveals that there was no objection on the basis of hearsay, that theory cannot now be raised on appeal. Utah R.Evid. 4; Obradovich v. Walker Brothers Bankers, 80 Utah 587, 602-04, 16 P.2d 212, 217-18 (1932); In re Van Alstine's Estate, 26 Utah 193, 203-05, 72 P. 942, 945-46 (1903). Chief also challenges the admission of the financial summary on the basis of the best evidence rule. Utah R.Evid. 70; U.C.A., 1953, § 78-25-16. That objection was raised at trial, but only by the dealer, who was not joined by Chief. In fact, Chief did not object to the admission of the summary on any ground. Whether an objection by one party properly preserves an objection on appeal as to another party is apparently a question of first impression in this Court. Virtually every other jurisdiction that has considered the question has concluded that an objection to evidence by one or more parties at trial does not inure to the benefit of other parties who do not join in the objection. E.g., Thomas v. Bank of Springfield, Mo. App., 631 S.W.2d 346, 351 (1982); Wolfe v. East Texas Seed Co., Tex.Civ.App., 583 S.W.2d 481, 482 (1979); 4 C.J.S. Appeal & Error § 251 (1957). We adopt that rule. Since Chief failed to make its complaint known at trial by objecting on some ground itself or by joining in the dealer's objection, its reliance on the best evidence rule to require the exclusion of the financial summary is not properly before us on this appeal.