Opinion ID: 1756911
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Refusal to Permit Expert Testimony.

Text: During trial defendants asked funds with which to bring Dr. Robert Salso from Idaho to testify as an expert witness concerning the unreliability of eye witness testimony. Dr. Salso is a professor of psychology at the University of Idaho. He has written extensively on eyewitness perception and has testified as an expert on that subject in a number of cases. The trial court refused to interrupt the trial to permit his attendance. The State had objected on the grounds that such testimony invaded the province of the jury and because the proposed testimony is not a proper subject for expert opinion. The trial court denied the request. We set out the relevant portions of the ruling. THE COURT: It's the feeling of this Court on the record . . . at this . . . point of the trial that . . . the Court will [not] allow this witness to be brought in to testify at State expense. .... The Court will elaborate to this extent. The stated expense for this individual, the Court would feel, might be reasonable. The Court also feels that at this point of the trial, . . . it's a little late to be requesting the Court for permission to ship out an expert from Idaho to testify with regard to eye-witness identification. .... . . . I could foresee no end to this trial if that were allowed. It appears to me, on request of the State, the Court would have to grant a continuance for them to have an opportunity to contact an expert to rebut this witness' testimony. I don't think it's fair to the State. I don't think it's fair to the clients. I don't think it's fair to the Court. Clearly the trial court was within its discretion in refusing to interrupt the trial on such a belated motion. Defendants then offered to produce Dr. Salso without expense to the state. This was also rejected by the trial court. Counsel next wanted to know if the trial court's ruling applied to any witness who might be called to testify on this subject. Basing its ruling on the record, the trial court said it did. We doubt if this presents anything for us to rule on. Defendants had already made it clear they had no other witness. It is hardly conducive to orderly trials to begin a search for witnesses, particularly experts, while trial is in progress. Defendants want us to reconsider State v. Galloway, 275 N.W.2d 736 (Iowa 1979), an invitation we decline. In Galloway, we said evidence of the kind proposed to be introduced here should not have been received. Id. at 741 (Reynoldson, C. J., concurring specially and joined by six other justices). If we were to review Galloway, as defendants want us to, anything we say would be in the nature of an advisory opinion. This record discloses no refusal to allow an available witness to testify. We hold the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ruling as it did.