Opinion ID: 76334
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Truthful Person Evidence Under Fed.R.Evid. 608(a)(2)

Text: 77 Drury next challenges the district court's decision to exclude evidence that he is a truthful person. Drury contends that the government affirmatively challenged his believability. 18 As such, Drury argues that the district court abused its discretion by barring rehabilitative evidence under the otherwise attacked provision in Rule 608(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. 19 78 This Court reviews a district court's evidentiary rulings for a clear abuse of discretion. Tinoco, 304 F.3d at 1119 (citation omitted). A district court's evidentiary rulings will only be reversed if the resulting error affected the defendant's substantial rights. Id. (citing United States v. Hands, 184 F.3d 1322, 1329 (11th Cir.1999)). The trial judge is given broad discretion in ruling on the admissibility of character testimony. United States v. Solomon, 686 F.2d 863, 874 (11th Cir.1982). 79 After a careful review of the pertinent exchanges between the government's counsel and Drury, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the proffered testimony. In general, [t]he credibility of a witness may be attacked or supported by evidence in the form of opinion or reputation, but evidence of a witnesses' [ sic ] truthful character is admissible only after character for truthfulness has been attacked. United States v. Hilton, 772 F.2d 783, 786 (11th Cir.1985) (citing Fed. R.Evid. 608(a)) (emphases supplied). An attack that consists of Government counsel pointing out inconsistencies in testimony and arguing that the accused's testimony is not credible does not constitute an attack on the accused's reputation for truthfulness within the meaning of Rule 608. United States v. Danehy, 680 F.2d 1311, 1314 (11th Cir.1982). This is precisely what occurred during the government's cross-examination of Drury and, therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the desired reputation for truthfulness testimony.