Opinion ID: 1677618
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Evidence Claimed to be Newly Discovered

Text: Hirsch argues that a videotape taken during Christmas 1987 constitutes newly discovered evidence supportive of a new trial. The videotape depicts the daughter interacting with Hirsch during the exchanging of Christmas presents. More specifically, it shows the daughter sitting with Hirsch, allowing him to touch and hug her, smiling and laughing with him. Hirsch represents that a psychotherapist would testify that based on the tape, the daughter was not being truthful when she testified that Hirsch sexually abused her. Hirsch urges that as the videotape was in the possession of his brother, as he had no intent to videotape the Christmas festivities, and as no one individual did the actual videotaping, it is unreasonable to expect him to have remembered it when he was charged with a crime years later. Assuming, without deciding, that the evidence was otherwise admissible, it simply does not qualify as being newly discovered. In order to qualify as such, the evidence may not be something which could have been uncovered and produced at trial with reasonable diligence. See, Boppre, supra ; Jensen, supra . In Pence v. Liermann, 191 Neb. 614, 216 N.W.2d 746 (1974), we wrote that one moving for a new trial on the ground of newly discovered evidence must show that the evidence was uncovered since the trial, that the evidence was not equally available before the trial, and that the evidence was not simply discovered by the exercise of belated diligence. Evidence is not newly discovered if diligence before the trial would have produced notice or knowledge of the alleged recently uncovered evidence. Maddox v. First Westroads Bank, 199 Neb. 81, 256 N.W.2d 647 (1977). This court has defined reasonable diligence as appropriate action where there is some reason to awaken inquiry and direct diligence in a channel in which it will be successful. State v. Munson, 204 Neb. 814, 285 N.W.2d 703 (1979). In The People v. Williams, 242 Ill. 197, 89 N.E. 1030 (1909), a defendant made application for a new trial on the basis of the affidavit of his wife's physician establishing that the defendant was at home on the day the larceny occurred. The court denied the application, finding it difficult to believe with so serious a charge as this made against the defendant that he never inquired of the physician and nurse as to their recollection of his whereabouts. In the instant case, the videotape could have been uncovered by the exercise of diligence prior to trial. Even assuming as true that no one person did the taping, Hirsch was aware of and remembered that the taping was being done that day; in fact, it was Hirsch's video camera that was used. Not knowing the tape still existed and not recalling or having forgotten the tape do not excuse failing to discover its existence when Hirsch offers no evidence of any previous attempts to locate the tape either through his brother, who had possession of it, or any of the other at least five adults present during the visitation and taping. As early as in Upton v. Levy, 39 Neb. 331, 58 N.W. 95 (1894), we refused to grant a new trial on the ground of newly discovered evidence when it appeared that such evidence was not produced at trial because the litigant had forgotten its existence. We stated that if courts should grant litigants new trials in order to enable them to produce evidence which they had forgotten exists, there would be few final judgments. See State v. Perez, 235 Neb. 796, 457 N.W.2d 448 (1990) (trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant's motion for new trial made on grounds of newly discovered evidence which consisted of defendant's sudden recollection after listening to tape recording of his drug sale, where tape was in his possession far in advance of trial and defendant failed to act with reasonable diligence by neglecting to review tape and refresh his memory until after trial). Other jurisdictions have also held that forgetfulness is inconsistent with the diligence required in presenting the evidence during the trial, and such lack of due diligence does not warrant a new trial on the basis of newly discovered evidence. See, United States v. Leyba, 504 F.2d 441 (10th Cir.1974), cert. denied 420 U.S. 934, 95 S.Ct. 1139, 43 L.Ed.2d 408 (1975) (application for new trial to introduce testimony of witnesses known to, but forgotten by, party at time of trial denied); State v. Daymus, 93 Ariz. 332, 380 P.2d 996 (1963) (facts or evidence not introduced or otherwise made use of at trial because they were forgotten until after the trial do not constitute newly discovered evidence); Com. v. Duest, 30 Mass.App. 623, 572 N.E.2d 572 (1991), review denied 410 Mass. 1103, 577 N.E.2d 309 (recollection of fact after trial does not constitute newly discovered evidence justifying new trial, since such recollection pertains to known rather than unknown, to which concept of discovery applies; by due attention fact might have been remembered); Lewis v. State, 367 So.2d 542 (Ala.Crim.App.1978), writ denied 367 So.2d 547 (Ala.1979) (new trial denied where defendant, who could not remember last name of potential defense witness, did subsequently remember name of witness, since this was not newly discovered evidence, but, rather, newly disclosed evidence). But cf. Archer v. Whitten, 120 Minn. 433, 139 N.W. 815 (1913) (newly discovered evidence consisting of letter claimed to be admission of plaintiff and of which defendant had no recollection and which he had discovered accidentally was grounds for new trial).