Opinion ID: 2094772
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Failure to Introduce Plaintiff's Proffer

Text: Defendant next contends that his attorney was ineffective for failing to document the other allegations of torture by introducing the proffer prepared by Wilson's civil attorneys. The proffer is a 12-page document detailing various allegations of torture by Burge and his associates during the years 1972 through 1984. In his affidavit, Dosch admits that he had the proffer before he sought to reopen defendant's motion to suppress. After examining the proffer, we do not believe that defense counsel was ineffective for failing to provide it to the trial court. The proffer is a summary of evidence prepared by Wilson's civil attorneys for Wilson's civil trials. We have previously recognized that documents prepared in anticipation of litigation generally lack the earmarks of trustworthiness and reliability. People v. Smith, 141 Ill.2d 40, 73, 152 Ill.Dec. 218, 565 N.E.2d 900 (1990); see also 725 ILCS 5/115-5(c)(2) (West 1998). The plaintiff's proffer is nothing more than 12 pages of unreliable hearsay. Consequently, we are unable to conclude that, even if this proffer had been presented to the trial court, a reasonable probability exists that the court would have either reopened the hearing or suppressed defendant's statements.