Opinion ID: 448943
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Admission of the Safety Report as Evidence.

Text: 26 At trial the appellees introduced as evidence a certificate prepared by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) after an inspection of the OSWEGO PLANTER only four days before the accident occurred. Despite several relevant discovery requests, the appellants did not learn of this certificate until nine months after the court-imposed deadline for completing discovery had expired, just twenty-eight days before the trial began. The district court denied the appellants' motions to exclude the introduction of the ABS certificate and, in the alternative, to reopen discovery for the limited purpose of exploring the basis for the vessel's certification. The appellants now claim that the court abused its discretion in denying these motions. 27 A district court's ruling to admit or exclude evidence because of one party's failure to comply with the limits imposed on discovery is not to be disturbed absent a clear abuse of discretion. E.g., Port Terminal & Warehousing Co. v. John S. James Co., 695 F.2d 1328, 1335 (11th Cir.1983). There is no question that the appellees here failed to comply with the rules of discovery and deliver the inspection certificate when requested. However, the ABS certificate simply comprises cumulative evidence of the cargo equipment's proper working condition. The ship's chief officer had inspected the cargo gear on the day before the accident. Only two months before, the equipment had been inspected and certified safe by the International Cargo Gear Bureau. Several expert witnesses testified at trial that the cargo gear was in proper working condition before the accident. Therefore, we hold that the district court's admission of the ABS certificate, if improper, was nevertheless harmless. E.g., Coughlin v. Capitol Cement Co., 571 F.2d 290, 307 (5th Cir.1978). Similarly, the court's refusal to reopen discovery, if an abuse of discretion, was harmless. We can find no indication in the record that the appellants would have altered their trial preparation or the presentation of their case had further discovery been permitted. 28 AFFIRMED.