Opinion ID: 1968365
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admissibility of Witnesses' Statements.

Text: During the course of the trial appellant Transport Company called as its witnesses, Jerome Kiefert and Violet Krause. Upon cross-examination of these witnesses by opposing counsel it was brought out that they had given the Transport Company written statements about the facts surrounding the accident observed by them. Opposing counsel then asked for production of these statements and they were handed to them by appellant's counsel. [2] These statements were then used by opposing counsel in cross-examining these two witnesses, but no parts of the statements were read into the record. Thereafter, appellant's counsel offered the two statements in evidence, plaintiff's counsel objected, and the trial court sustained the objection and excluded the statements. Appellant contends that this ruling constitutes prejudicial error. There is a division of authority in this country on the point at issue. 20 Am. Jur., Evidence, p. 775, sec. 920; Anno. 151 A. L. R. 1006. The so-called English rule, which is apparently followed by a majority of American jurisdictions, is that where a document is produced in response to a call therefor by the adverse party, and the adverse party examines it, the party producing it has the right to have it introduced in evidence. Leonard v. Taylor (1944), 315 Mass. 580, 53 N. E. (2d) 705, 151 A. L. R. 1002. Wigmore severely criticizes this rule. 7 Wigmore, Evidence (3d ed.), p. 557 et seq., sec. 2125. He points out that this rule was in keeping with the sportsmen's rules of the common-law system. The underlying theory was that a party was not entitled to know or inspect the documentary evidence of the opposing party and, if he took the chance of asking that documents be produced without knowing what they contained, then he should be penalized, if he examined the produced documents, by having them admitted in evidence. This is hardly in keeping with modern trends that a lawsuit is not to be conducted as a contest of skill but rather a search for truth and justice, and discovery of evidence in possession of the opposing party is to be encouraged. Therefore, we refuse to adopt the English rule. If opposing counsel had used certain portions of these statements for impeachment purposes, then appellant would have been entitled to have admitted into evidence such other parts thereof that concerned the same subject and were explanatory of the part previously admitted or read by opposing counsel. 7 Wigmore, Evidence (3d ed.), pp. 523, 525, sec. 2113; Zimmerman v. Zimmerman (1950), 12 N. J. Super. 61, 79 Atl. (2d) 59. Appellant cites Dillenberg v. Carroll (1951), 259 Wis. 417, 49 N. W. (2d) 444. That case is not in point on the issue here being considered. In Dillenberg a statement of a deceased party in interest was admitted because a portion thereof was against the interest of the person making the statement. It was held that this factor imported an aura of truth to the entire statement. The rule of the Dillenberg Case has been subsequently limited so as to require admission of only such other parts of the statement, in addition to the portion which constitutes a declaration against interest, as the trial judge finds to be so closely connected therewith as to be equally trustworthy. Meyer v. Mutual Service Casualty Ins. Co. (1961), 13 Wis. (2d) 156, 164, 165, 108 N. W. (2d) 278. In the present case we are not concerned with statements in the nature of declarations against interest. It is our conclusion that the trial court properly excluded the Kiefert and Krause statements.