Opinion ID: 77567
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Testimony About Access

Text: 33 Corwin complains that the district court improperly excluded his evidence prior to consideration of the summary judgment motion, when, taken all together, that evidence would have allowed inferences to be drawn that Disney had access to the Painting in the early 1960s. The court excluded the testimony of Waters's former wife on the ground that, based as it was upon conversations with Waters, it constitute[d] hearsay and speculation. R20-229 at 3. Ellen Waters has asserted no direct personal knowledge of the painting or the transaction between Waters and Jaffray. The court similarly found the testimony of both Marian Jaffray and Patricia Jaffray Jones to be inadmissible because it was not based on personal knowledge and was therefore speculative. Id. at 4, 5. Neither woman claims to have been at the alleged meeting between Jaffray and any Disney representative, and neither claims personal knowledge of what materials Jaffray took with him to any such alleged meeting. Because a court is not required to accept as true testimony that is not based on personal knowledge and because none of this excluded testimony was based on personal knowledge, the district court did not abuse its discretion in disregarding this testimony. 7 Citizens Concerned About Our Children, 193 F.3d at 1295 n. 11.