Opinion ID: 1353665
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The trial court erred in denying plaintiff's request for previous statements by defendant for use in cross-examination.

Text: In considering whether the trial court erred in denying plaintiff's request for previous statements by defendant for use in cross-examination, reference must be made to the transcript of the trial proceedings. The following appears from the record at the conclusion of defendant's testimony on direct examination: MR. MALONEY: Your Honor, I request Mr. Wicks provide me with all copies of statements he has from the witness before I cross-examine. THE COURT: I deny  MR. MALONEY: That is the Pacific Northwest Bell case, your Honor. THE COURT: I will deny it. The following also appears from that record when plaintiff subsequently undertook to make an offer of proof outside the presence of the jury: THE COURT:    Put your matter [offer?] of proof on. MR. MALONEY: If Mr. Wicks would simply stipulate there are statements obtained from Mr. Gilligan concerning the accident that he has possession of I wouldn't need to make  MR. WICKS: I will stipulate that we took a recorded telephone       MR. WICKS: A statement was taken from you by telephone right after the accident? THE DEFENDANT: Yes. THE COURT: There is the question of a work product, the work product of an attorney, the question of just getting around who would he give a statement to right after the accident except his own insurance company. These little inferences and it's these innuendoes, I don't like them. Put on your matter [offer?] of proof. If you lose the case you have the Supreme Court to rule on it.      MR. MALONEY: Q Mr. Gilligan, after that accident did you give a statement concerning the accident to a representative of yours over the telephone? A He wasn't a representative of mine. Q Did you give a statement about the accident to someone over the telephone? A Yes, the  Can I say anything I want now? MR. WICKS: Yes, the jury is not here. A That was people insuring the rented car, the Continental Group. MR. MALONEY: Q And made one a couple of days after the accident? A It was made that night. It was made within  within an hour after the accident. Q All right. Thank you very much, Mr. Gilligan. Mr. Wicks, would you just stipulate that you have the statement, the possession of it? MR. WICKS: I am tempted to stipulate you can have it if you will give it to the jury. MR. MALONEY: I couldn't do that. THE COURT: Yes, I am not letting anybody stipulate to anything. I have expressed my feeling about this. MR. WICKS: I have a statement, your Honor. THE COURT: Well I assume it must have been transcribed off the telephone. MR. WICKS: Yes, and I think Mr. Gilligan is in error. I think he phoned a report of the accident the night that it occurred. This is a recording of a telephone conversation made the next day.