Opinion ID: 1796621
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dr Lavette

Text: The State tried to damage the credibility of Dr. Lavette's testimony by cross-examining her about a review published by Dr. Sensabaugh. This letter from Sensabaugh purported to criticize Lavette's claim that the FBI's protocol for examining evidence improperly found a DNA match on Hull. The problem with the State's examination, however, is that it attempted to attack the credibility of Lavette on unimpeachable evidence. The article could not be cross-examined, and the author of the article was not present to be cross-examined by Hull. The majority asserts that the statements about Sensabaugh's letter could be admissible under the learned treatise exception of our rules of evidence. However, the scope of that rule is limited. Lavette could have been cross-examined on the article only if she held the publication out to be authoritative. No such statement was elicited from Dr. Lavette at trial, and the record does not reveal that she felt that way. Therefore, this line of questioning was improper.