Opinion ID: 844172
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Statements of a party

Text: ―Evidence of a statement is not made inadmissible by the hearsay rule when offered against the declarant in an action to which he is a party . . . .‖ (Evid. Code, § 1220.) Defendant notes that Pat did not repeat defendant‘s statements verbatim, and speculates that Pat had merely offered his opinion to Rosemary about defendant‘s culpability. We have long recognized that, in this context, persons are often unable ― ‗ ―to state the exact language of an admission.‖ ‘ ‖ (People v. Ford (1964) 60 Cal.2d 772, 800, quoting People v. Bemis (1949) 33 Cal.2d 395, 399.) This recognition, however, does not automatically render any statements of a party inadmissible, but instead merely goes to the weight of such evidence. Accordingly, when there is some doubt as to the exact wording of a party‘s statement, we require an instruction to advise jurors to view such statements with caution. (People v. Slaughter (2002) 27 Cal.4th 1187, 1200.) Here, Pat received an urgent late-night telephone call from his son and had a 15-minute conversation with him. After the conclusion of that conversation, Pat reported that his son had shot his girlfriend and her friend. Under the circumstances, Pat clearly was repeating the substance of what defendant had told him. That Pat provided a succinct summary of his 15-minute conversation rather than a verbatim recounting did not render the statements inadmissible. In addition, the trial court properly warned the jury to weigh whether defendant had actually made the admission, and to view defendant‘s admissions with caution. (CALJIC No. 2.71.) Accordingly, the court properly concluded the statement came within the hearsay exception for the statements of a party.