Opinion ID: 25
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: I'll run it downstairs

Text: Diaz also contends that P's request for the money and her assertion that she would bring it downstairs was improperly admitted under a sub-category of the state-of-mind exception to the hearsay rule known as the Hillmon doctrine. See Fed. R.Evid. 803(3) (describing the state-of-mind exception); Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Hillmon, 145 U.S. 285, 12 S.Ct. 909, 36 L.Ed. 706 (1892); Minh Tu v. Mut. Life Ins. Co., 136 F.3d 77, 81 (1st Cir.1998). [12] That doctrine allows admission of a hearsay statement of intent for the purpose of showing that the declarant later acted in accordance with his or her expressed intention, see Minh Tu, 136 F.3d at 81, and some courts also have allowed such evidence to prove the actions of a third party, see 2 George E. Dix, et al., McCormick on Evidence § 275, at 275-76 (Kenneth S. Broun, ed., 6th ed. 2006). We need not delve into the intricacies of the Hillmon doctrine here. Although the court raised the doctrine during the final pretrial conference, it gave only a standard state-of-mind instruction when it ruled during trial that P's statement was admissible. [13] Moreover, defense counsel objected to admission of the statement during the pretrial colloquy only on the ground that P's intent was not relevant and offered no additional explanations for the objection at trial. [14] Any other contention regarding the statement's admissibility is therefore subject to plain error review. See United States v. Dowdell, 595 F.3d 50, 53 (1st Cir.2010). The Hillmon claim and appellant's other contentions would be unavailing even under a less onerous standard, [15] however, because the statement's admission, if error at all, was harmless. P's intention to bring the money downstairs shows that she believed someone would be there to collect it from her, but her statement does not explicitly identify appellant as the expected recipient. Diaz argues that the statement was nonetheless prejudicial because it included an implied assertion that he was the individual to whom P expected to give the money. Even if such an implied assertion were subject to an appropriate hearsay objection (an issue we do not decide), the jury's finding of guilt would not be compromised. Diaz's willing participation in the Boston transaction, and thus the conspiracy, was more directly shown through other evidenceparticularly that he had driven P and Lewis to the hotel, stayed in the area after the drop-off, and gave an odd reason for remaining. In addition, the government presented evidence that appellant had admitted knowingly driving females, including P, to prostitution calls. P's statement added only marginally to this evidence, and we have no doubt that the jury would have reached the same outcome without it.