Opinion ID: 2284813
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ultrasound

Text: A second motion in limine by Appellant sought to exclude an ultrasound of the fetus during pregnancy. The motion was denied and, when Lisa Hillman took the stand, a video of the ultrasound was played for the jury. Appellant contends the ultrasound was not properly authenticated by Hillman and also that it unduly prejudiced Appellant by its presentation. Appellant never challenged the authenticity of the ultrasound at trial. His motion in limine instead focused purely on the relevance and prejudice of the ultrasound. When Appellees attempted to introduce the ultrasound at trial, Appellant simply renewed his objection to its probative value. Thus, the issue of authentication was not properly raised and is unpreserved for Appellate review. Consequently, Appellant cannot now claim that Hillman was an improper witness through whom to authenticate and introduce the ultrasound. Turning to Appellant's second contention, it is essentially an argument under KRE 403: he asserts the ultrasound had minimal probative value and whatever value it did have was substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect. This contention was properly preserved through Appellant's motion in limine. Appellant is correct that the ultrasound carries minimal probative weight. The only relevant fact the ultrasound tends to show is that the fetus was living at the time the ultrasound was performed. (Even this observation may not be obvious to a juror unfamiliar with ultrasounds.) Although the ultrasound may tend to prove the fetus was then alive, this does not impute great probative value, as that fact was not disputed at trial. Furthermore, to the extent that the ultrasound demonstrates life in the fetus, that proof is simply redundant to the ultrasound report, which was admitted for the same purpose. Despite the minimal probative value, this Court cannot say it was an abuse of discretion to admit the ultrasound in light of its similarly minimal countervailing prejudicial effect. As Appellant described the video of the ultrasound in his original motion in limine, it shows nothing other than a purely objective and scientific procedure already documented by the ultrasound report. (Emphasis added.) Appellant's assertion of the unfair prejudice deriving from the ultrasound is as follows: [B]y showing the jury this video of an approximately seven-month-old fetus, the jury was left with the impression that in one moment everything was O.K. with the mother and baby, and then all of a sudden, everything was not O.K. (Emphasis in original.) This Court finds both of Appellant's fears assumed in this statement to be misguided. First, as Appellant himself admits, Due to the jury's lack of knowledge of ultrasound imaging, the video had no tendency to make the existence of any consequential [and disputed] fact (e.g., the health of the fetus and whether or not it had a genetic defect) more or less probable. Thus, while the ultrasound tends to show that the fetus was alive, it does nothing to leave the impression that everything was O.K. with the mother and baby. Even more far-fetched is Appellant's assumption that the ultrasound left the jury with the impression that, all of a sudden, everything was not O.K. Obviously, the presentation of the ultrasound in no way suggests what occurred following the ultrasound procedure. At least to a lay observer, the ultrasound is equally consistent with the fetus developing problems due to a genetically defected placenta, as due to preeclampsia. Neither signs of a genetic defect, or the lack thereof, nor signs of preeclampsia, or the lack thereof, are apparent from the ultrasound. In light of its minimal prejudicial effect, it was not an abuse of discretion to admit the ultrasound into evidence.