Opinion ID: 148835
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dr. Tebo's Records and Testimony Rebutting Those Records

Text: Martínez next argues that the district court should not have permitted the defense to cross-examine her by using records from Dr. Tebo's office. Tebo himself did not take the stand, but his records showed that Martínez received treatment at Tebo's office eighteen times in 2003 starting two days after her ED visit. They were used to impeach Martínez's testimony that the alleged attack by Cui left her unable to see male practitioners. Martínez argues this impeachment by contradiction was improper because the Tebo records, used for the impeachment, were collateral. See United States v. Lipscomb, 539 F.3d 32, 39 (1st Cir.2008). A topic is collateral if it is being introduced merely to contradict a witness and does not bear upon a substantive point at issue in trial. See id.; 1 K.S. Broun, McCormick on Evidence § 45, at 215 (6th ed.2006); see also 27 Wright & Gold, Federal Practice & Procedure § 6096, at 659-62 (2d ed.2007). The district court could conclude in its discretion that Tebo's records should not have been excluded as collateral. The heart of Martínez's lawsuit was Cui's alleged sexual assault. Her claim that she feared being treated by male practitioners went to both the credibility of her story and the extent of her damages. Showing that Martínez had visited Tebo's office eighteen times, including two days after the alleged assault, undermined these parts of Martínez's claim. The district court also did not abuse its discretion excluding testimony from a Tebo patient who had no knowledge of Martínez's treatment but would have testified that Tebo often had other staff members treat patients. Nor did it improperly exclude testimony from an expert that Tebo's care and record-keeping was improper. The district court allowed Martínez to testify that she did not see Tebo. The testimony from these witnesses would not have enhanced her testimony; the witnesses merely would have challenged Tebo's general practices, an issue collateral to those at trial.