Opinion ID: 1373065
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Documentary Evidence

Text: Appellant contends that the trial court erred by refusing to admit into evidence his Exhibits D-2 through D-11 which were documents on file in the records of the Court of Ordinary of Crawford County (now known as Probate Court). Each document is a notice sent by the Superintendent of Central State Hospital informing the court that appellant was placed on convalescent status and released from the hospital on a specified date. Each notice recites that appellant's condition upon release was improved. These notices were, apparently, sent to the court by the superintendent in accordance with Code Ann. § 88-506.7. Appellant's only claim of harm from the exclusion of these documents is that the jury was prevented from considering records showing his additional admissions to Central State Hospital and showing his condition upon final discharge as being improved and not restored. If any error was committed in refusing to admit these documents, it was harmless. Considerable evidence was elicited from several witnesses including appellant concerning his various admissions to Central State Hospital, the reasons for those admissions and the state of his mental health since his last discharge from the hospital. Thus, the documents, if admitted, would have been only cumulative and repetitive of other evidence already before the jury. See Coker v. State, 234 Ga. 555, 559 (3) (216 SE2d 782) (1975). Moreover, it appears that the exhibits were properly excluded. The documents were not medical records within the purview of Code Ann. §§ 38-712, 38-713, but rather were notices sent to the ordinary in accordance with Code Ann. § 88-506.7 informing the court of appellant's release from the hospital. Insofar as the notices may be considered records kept in the regular course of business, the district attorney's stipulation that they were received by the ordinary through the mail from the hospital and were kept in the files in the ordinary's office, was not a sufficient basis for admission of the documents over objection and did not relieve the appellant of the requirement of proper preliminary proof. See Taylor v. State, 229 Ga. 536, 539 (2) (192 SE2d 249); Cassano v. Pilgreen's, Inc., 117 Ga. App. 260, 261 (2) (160 SE2d 439) (1968). This enumeration of error is, therefore, without merit.