Opinion ID: 692067
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Exclusion of Dowling's Testimony

Text: 33 A judge has broad discretion to exclude expert testimony, and his action will be upheld unless it is manifestly erroneous. United States v. Sans, 731 F.2d 1521, 1530 (1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1111, 105 S.Ct. 791, 83 L.Ed.2d 785 (1985). Expert testimony is properly excluded when it is not needed to clarify facts and issues of common understanding which jurors are able to comprehend for themselves. Salem v. U.S. Lines Co., 370 U.S. 31, 35, 82 S.Ct. 1119, 1122, 8 L.Ed.2d 313 (1962); Evans v. Mathis Funeral Home, Inc., 996 F.2d 266 (11th Cir.1993). The Fund offered Dowling as an expert in financing, development, operation and management of real estate projects. During trial the Fund proffered that Dowling would express his opinion that a final unconditional certificate of occupancy was not received and, therefore, under the terms of the loan, it had not converted from a construction to a permanent loan. Witnesses for both the Fund and the Guarantors had already testified to the existence of various certificates of completion and occupancy. There was no explanation at the proffer during trial that Dowling's testimony would be that an unconditional certificate of occupancy was different from those certificates already offered into evidence. Thus, the district court reasonably concluded that Dowling's testimony would be cumulative, and unnecessary to elucidate the simple factual issue of whether the unconditional certificate of occupancy was obtained. Therefore, the court did not err in excluding Dowling's testimony during trial. 34 After the parties had rested, the Fund again requested that the court admit Dowling's testimony. A judge has broad discretion to reopen a case to accept additional evidence, and his decision will not be overturned absent an abuse of that discretion. Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc., 401 U.S. 321, 331, 91 S.Ct. 795, 802-03, 28 L.Ed.2d 77 (1971). It wasn't until this second request, after the close of evidence, that the Fund explained that Dowling was to testify that an unconditional certificate of completion was distinct from those certificates which witnesses testified had already been acquired. Even at this late stage, this additional information did not explain why the existence of an unconditional certificate of occupancy was more than a simple factual matter. The Fund did not need expert testimony to prove that an unconditional certificate of occupancy had not been obtained. Instead, if the Fund had desired to prove that such a certificate was not received, it could have evoked testimony from one of the participants in the loan transaction. Therefore, it was not an abuse of discretion to refuse to reopen the evidence to receive expert testimony on the matter.