Opinion ID: 2995264
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Various Evidentiary Rulings

Text: The Village’s final challenge is to the district court’s admission of various pieces of evidence, including an appraisal and testimony regarding the decreased value of the house if a rear driveway with a turnabout was constructed, evidence of the reasons behind the enactment of the ordinance, and a memorandum explaining the Director of Public Works’ initial approval of the permit application in 1994. We review challenges to evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion and will not reverse a jury verdict if the error is harmless. Fed. R. Civ. P. 61; Rehling v. City of Chicago, 207 F.3d 1009, 1017 (7th Cir. 2000). We find no abuse of discretion in the admission of this evidence because it was either relevant for impeachment purposes or to establish the necessity element of a reasonable accommodation claim. And, if there was error, it was harmless considering the marginal importance of this evidence in light of the jury’s ability to assess the credibility of the Dadians, to hear from a doctor about the nature of Mrs. Dadian’s impairment, and to view the videotape of the Board’s meeting.