Opinion ID: 6358471
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admissibility of the Psychologist's Written Report

Text: [¶ 6] David asserts that the Probate Court erred by admitting the psychologist's written report in violation of the rule against hearsay. See M.R. Evid. 802. The Department contends that the record was properly admitted under M.R. Evid. 703, and argues that, even if the report had been improperly admitted, it would nonetheless constitute harmless error. See M.R. Civ. P. 61 ; M.R. Prob. P. 61. Trial courts have broad discretion in determining the admissibility of evidence. State v. Fox , 2017 ME 52 , ¶ 29, 157 A.3d 778 . We review a trial court's ruling to admit or exclude alleged hearsay evidence for an abuse of discretion. Walton v. Ireland , 2014 ME 130 , ¶ 12, 104 A.3d 883 . [W]e will find an abuse of discretion if a party can demonstrate that the trial court exceeded the bounds of the reasonable choices available to it. Fox , 2017 ME 52 , ¶ 29, 157 A.3d 778 (quotation marks omitted). [¶ 7] David's appeal focuses upon the admission of the psychologist's written report and not on the admission of his expert opinion relating to David's incapacity. Rule 703 allows the Department to present an expert's opinion, but it does not necessarily permit the admission of the underlying facts and data that supports the expert's opinion. [¶ 8] In Henriksen v. Cameron , 622 A.2d 1135 , 1143 (Me. 1993), we addressed a similar question concerning the operation of Rule 703 where an expert witness offered testimony that, in his own expert opinion, Henriksen was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. The expert further testified that he consulted with another psychiatrist who had prepared  a diagnostic evaluation that agreed with his opinion on virtually all aspects of the case. 2 Id. (quotation marks omitted). Pursuant to Rule 703, this testimony was admitted over a hearsay objection. Henriksen , 622 A.2d at 1143 . Finding that the trial court erred in admitting this evidence, we reasoned: Pursuant to Rule 703, [the expert] could testify that he relied on [the other psychologist's] report in order to establish the factual foundation necessary for the admissibility of his opinion. Testimony regarding the substance of [the other psychologist's] report, however, is not necessary to establish factual foundation under Rule 703 and remains hearsay not within any exception. Rule 703 does not make the substance of [the other psychologist's] report admissible and, therefore, admitting [the expert's] testimony about the substance of the report was error. Henriksen , 622 A.2d at 1144 . [¶ 9] Here, the psychologist testified to his opinion without objection, but David objected to the admission of the psychologist's written report. The Probate Court admitted the written report in evidence, stating that it believed that the written report was not hearsay. Notwithstanding the fact that the psychologist was testifying, his written report's extensive quotations of other medical reports evaluating David's condition constituted multiple levels of hearsay because those statements were made out of court and the report was offered to prove the truth of those statements. See M.R. Evid. 801(c), 805 ; see also Malenko v. Handrahan , 2009 ME 96 , ¶¶ 9, 35, 979 A.2d 1269 (holding that the written report of an expert who testified at a divorce proceeding was inadmissible hearsay evidence); Handrahan v. Malenko , 2011 ME 15 , ¶ 16 n.3, 12 A.3d 79 (explaining that a report containing multiple levels of hearsay could not be admitted under Rule 703 or as a business record without redacting the hearsay statements that did not fall within an exception to the hearsay rule (citing In re Soriah B. , 2010 ME 130 , ¶ 19, 8 A.3d 1256 ) ). [¶ 10] In support of its position on appeal, the Department relies on In re Soriah B. for the proposition that the psychologist's written report could be admitted as an expression of his expert opinion. The Department's reliance on this case is misplaced, as was its interpretation of Rule 703 in In re Soriah B. : The Department incorrectly reads [ Rule 703 ] to render an expert's entire written report admissible, as long as the expert testifies. The Rule does not, however, authorize a fact-finder to consider hearsay communications contained in an expert's report for their truth. The Rule simply allows the admission of an expert opinion , even when that opinion is based on information that would be considered hearsay in an adjudicatory proceeding. The Rule does not render admissible the hearsay that formed the basis for the opinion . 2010 ME 130 , ¶ 19, 8 A.3d 1256 (citations omitted). In In re Soriah B. , we upheld the trial court's admission of a written psychological report because the court explicitly indicated that it would not consider any hearsay contained within the report and that it would rely only on the report as an expression of the expert's opinion. Id. ¶¶ 21-22 (Because the court admitted the psychological evaluation report and the discharge summary as expressions of the testifying experts' opinions, subject to the mother's objections to the consideration of  any hearsay information for its truth, the court did not err in applying Rule 703....). Unlike in In re Soriah B. , in this case, there was no indication that the Probate Court would not consider any hearsay contained in the psychologist's written report. To the contrary, the Probate Court seemed to indicate that it believed the written report was not hearsay at all because it was the psychologist's own report. [¶ 11] Put succinctly, Rule 703 permits an expert's own opinion to be based on inadmissible facts and data, but it does not make those facts and data themselves admissible. See In re Soriah B. , 2010 ME 130 , ¶¶ 19-21, 8 A.3d 1256 ; Henriksen , 622 A.2d at 1143-44 ; see also Field & Murray, Maine Evidence § 703.2 at 399 (6th ed. 2007) (An expert opinion does not become the vehicle to convey inadmissible hearsay evidence into the trial for direct consideration and analysis by the jury.). Because it was error for the Probate Court to admit the psychologist's written report, we must now consider whether such error was harmless.