Opinion ID: 1129352
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: witness confrontation

Text: Schoenwetter argues that the trial court erred in allowing a medical examiner who did not perform the autopsies to testify regarding his opinion as to cause and manner of death. He contends this testimony violated his right to confront the witness pursuant to Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36, 124 S.Ct. 1354, 158 L.Ed.2d 177 (2004). Schoenwetter also contends that the trial court erred in relying on Geralds v. State, 674 So.2d 96 (Fla. 1996), to allow the medical examiner to testify, because Dr. Qaiser admitted that he had only reviewed the records, photos, and other documents and talked to the medical examiner who actually performed the autopsy. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing Dr. Qaiser to testify about the autopsies performed by Dr. Vasallo, where Dr. Vasallo was unavailable to testify, and Dr. Qaiser was a qualified expert who had reviewed the autopsy reports, photos, and notes and had spoken with Dr. Vasallo. This Court said in Ramirez v. State, 542 So.2d 352, 355 (Fla.1989), that the determination of a witness's qualifications to express an expert opinion is peculiarly within the discretion of the trial judge, and the trial judge's decision will not be reversed absent a clear showing of error. Section 90.704, Florida Statutes (2000), provides that an expert is permitted to express an opinion on matters in which the witness has expertise when the opinion is in response to facts disclosed to the expert at or before the trial. See also Capehart v. State, 583 So.2d 1009, 1012-13 (Fla.1991). Additionally, in Geralds v. State, 674 So.2d 96 (Fla.1996), this Court held it was proper to permit a medical expert to testify as to the cause of death, despite the fact that the expert did not perform the autopsy. In this case, Dr. Qaiser reviewed the medical files, the autopsy reports, and the whole chart, and discussed the case with Dr. Vasallo, who conducted the autopsies. Dr. Qaiser formed his opinion on the manner and cause of death on the basis of what he reviewed. The defense did not object to Dr. Qaiser's qualifications as an expert, and the court noted that Dr. Qaiser had testified as an expert in previous cases. This case is similar to the situation we addressed in Capehart v. State, 583 So.2d 1009 (Fla.1991). In Capehart, the defendant objected to a medical examiner testifying at trial regarding the cause of death and the condition of the victim's body. However, this Court held that under section 90.704, a medical examiner may testify relying on facts or data not in evidence because such information was of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the subject. This Court found the expert testimony was proper where the expert formed her opinion based upon the autopsy report, the toxicology report, the evidence receipts, the photographs of the body, and all other paperwork filed in the case. Capehart, 583 So.2d at 1013. Schoenwetter's reliance on Crawford in arguing that the medical examiner's reports, notes, and statements were testimonial hearsay is misplaced. The record does not reflect any specific objection by counsel based on Dr. Qaiser's reliance on actual conversations with Dr. Vasallo (the medical examiner who did the autopsy) or based on Dr. Qaiser's quoting or testifying to anything specific that Dr. Vasallo related to him. There was no specific objection by defense counsel based on a confrontation violation; therefore, this issue has not been preserved for review.