Opinion ID: 1452933
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Judgment of Conviction as Evidence of Negligence

Text: The trial court apparently concluded that a prior criminal conviction was not admissible as evidence of negligence in a later civil suit arising from the same transaction. We do not agree. Where an identical issue of fact was necessarily decided, in a judgment on the merits, in a former trial where the party against whom it is now offered was a party, and where he had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the issue, we think the prior judgment is entitled to some evidentiary weight. This is especially true where the prior judgment was a criminal one, because of the extensive safeguards afforded defendants in criminal trials. Teitelbaum Furs, Inc. v. Dominion Ins. Co., 58 Cal.2d 601, 25 Cal. Rptr. 559, 375 P.2d 439 (1962). In addition to the right to counsel, and in many cases the right to a jury trial, the defendant has the additional advantage provided by the reasonable doubt standard. [1] While there is a divergence of authority on this point, we think the better-reasoned rule is that, although not conclusive, the prior judgment should be admissible as evidence where the following factors are present. (1) It must be shown that the issue on which the judgment is offered was necessarily decided in the prior trial. (2) A judgment on the merits must have been rendered. (3) It must appear that the party against whom the judgment is offered had a full and fair opportunity at the prior hearing to litigate the claim, and especially to contest the specific issue on which the judgment is offered. In other words, it must appear that the party against whom the judgment is offered had a full and complete day in court on that issue, with the opportunity to call and cross-examine witnesses and to be represented by counsel. Where these requirements are met, there is good authority for the proposition that the prior judgment is entitled to evidentiary weight. Stagecrafters' Club, Inc. v. District of Columbia Div. of American Legion, 111 F. Supp. 127 (D.D.C. 1953); Fidelity-Phoenix Fire Ins. Co. of New York v. Murphy, 226 Ala. 226, 146 So. 387 (1933); Smith v. Andrews, 54 Ill. App.2d 51, 203 N.E.2d 160 (1964); Schindler v. Royal Ins. Co., 258 N.Y. 310, 179 N.E. 711 (1932); Hurtt v. Stirone, 416 Pa. 493, 206 A.2d 624 (1965); Mineo v. Eureka Security Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 182 Pa.Super. 75, 125 A.2d 612 (1956); Eagle, Star & British Dominions Ins. Co. v. Heller, 149 Va. 82, 140 S.E. 314 (1927); Teitelbaum Furs, Inc. v. Dominion Ins. Co., 58 Cal.2d 601, 25 Cal. Rptr. 559, 375 P.2d 439 (1962); 5 Wigmore, Evidence § 1671a (3rd ed. 1940). In addition, a great number of the law review writers have taken this position. [2] In the present case, we feel that the conviction should have been admitted as evidence of negligence. If we were to make an arbitrary rule for admission or nonadmission based upon the seriousness of the offense involved, we would feel compelled to exclude all traffic convictions, as well as many, if not all, misdemeanor convictions. [3] This sort of rule, being more arbitrary, would be easier to apply in a specific case. The rule we have adopted, however, goes directly to the underlying issue: that many minor convictions are not reliable indicators of guilt, because they are often decided with an eye to convenience rather than truth. In traffic prosecutions, for example, it is unlikely in the majority of cases that defendants defend themselves as fully as they would if there were more at stake. Under the rule we adopt, it will be possible to admit the convictions that seem reliable and trustworthy indicators, be they for major or minor offenses, based upon whether the proceedings leading to each conviction seem to have afforded the defendant a full and complete opportunity to have his day in court, while avoiding use of convictions that seem unreliable because they are based upon proceedings that were largely perfunctory. Even where a conviction is admissible, it is not conclusive evidence, and the party against whom it is admitted may rebut it by other evidence. Where, as in the present case, a defendant has had a jury trial, was represented by counsel, cross-examined witnesses, and was convicted by a unanimous jury beyond a reasonable doubt, we think that the judgment based upon the conviction can reasonably be given some weight in a subsequent civil trial based upon the same transaction. [4]