Opinion ID: 1845007
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidentiary Issues Which May Arise on Retrial.

Text: Because this action must be retried, we briefly consider certain evidentiary disputes which are likely to recur. Plaintiff sought to offer as evidence at the first trial two letters of her physician which were identified and authenticated in the physician's deposition testimony. These letters were written more than four months after plaintiff's discharge and supported her claim that her carpal tunnel syndrome problems were work-related. Defendant moved to exclude these letters on the ground that they were written after plaintiff had been discharged and therefore contained information not available to it when it terminated plaintiff's employment. The trial court granted defendant's motion to exclude the correspondence on that ground. On the record which existed at the time this ruling was made we are unable to say it was erroneous. Relevancy and materiality are ordinarily matters of trial court discretion. Carter v. MacMillan Oil Co., 355 N.W.2d 52, 55 (Iowa 1984). Plaintiff's theory of admissibility for these letters is that they complete the story of the diagnosis made of her physical condition. She contends defendant is relying on an earlier tentative diagnosis from the same physician indicating that her condition was not work-related. She suggests that such reliance by defendant is for the purpose of claiming plaintiff was terminated for misrepresenting the cause of her physical condition in the workers' compensation claim. It is provided in Iowa Rule of Evidence 106(a) that: When an act, declaration, conversation, writing, or recorded statement, or part thereof, is introduced by a party, any other part or any other act, declaration, conversation, writing, or recorded statement is admissible when necessary in the interest of fairness, a clear understanding, or an adequate explanation. Notwithstanding the provisions of that rule, we believe plaintiff's theory of admissibility is anticipatory. Often the determination of relevance must await the development of the parties' respective positions at trial. See State v. Campbell, 326 N.W.2d 350, 354 (Iowa 1982). It is as yet impossible to state precisely what reason defendant will give to the jury for having terminated plaintiff's employment. Perhaps the subject matter of these letters written on November 13, 1984, and November 27, 1984, will become relevant and material to the issues. We cannot say at this time, however, that such will be the case, nor that the district court erred in excluding these exhibits. Also swept up in the trial court's ruling on defendant's motion to exclude evidence was another letter which was written by defendant's attorney to plaintiff's attorney six days after plaintiff's termination. Plaintiff's trial counsel read certain portions of this letter into the record out of the presence of the jury. This included the statement that: [I]f Mary now believes her injury was not caused by her job, the company would be willing to review the situation. Of course, she would have to return the money she's received from the insurance company. Defendant's attorney objected to this letter because it comes after the date of the dismissal of the plaintiff, therefore, it's irrelevant and immaterial to any issues in this case. The district court in ruling on the motion to exclude the letters from plaintiff's physician also declared that the letter from defendant's attorney would be excluded. Without expressing any opinion as to other objections that might be available in regard to the latter correspondence, we conclude that it is not irrelevant or immaterial to the issues because it was written after plaintiff was discharged. Correspondence written after the happening of an event may be illuminating as to motives which prompted that event. We have considered all issues presented and, for reasons which were stated earlier in this opinion, conclude that the judgment of the district court must be reversed. The case is remanded to the district court for a retrial of the issues. REVERSED AND REMANDED.