Opinion ID: 1883935
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admitting affidavit testimony.

Text: ¶ 14. Over DuPont's objections, the trial court admitted the affidavits of Strong's treating physicians, Dr. Sergio Giralt and Dr. Donna Weber, several days after the trial already had began. DuPont contends that the introduction of the affidavits from Drs. Giralt and Weber was improper and highly prejudicial to its defense of lack of causation. DuPont asserts these affidavits altered Drs. Giralt's and Weber's prior deposition testimony, which was admitted into evidence. These affidavits also were allowed into evidence and available for review by the jury during its deliberations. ¶ 15. In their depositions, Drs. Giralt and Weber testified that there are no known causes of multiple myeloma. Drs. Giralt and Weber specialized in the treatment of multiple myeloma, devoting half of their practice to its treatment. In the affidavits, Drs. Giralt and Weber altered their testimony to state that they were not experts in the causation of Strong's multiple myeloma, had no opinion as to the cause of multiple myeloma, and specialized only in the treatment of multiple myeloma. ¶ 16. The Strongs argued that the catch-all provision, Mississippi Rule of Evidence 804(b)(5), allows the admission of the affidavits into evidence. First, Mississippi Rule of Evidence 804(b)(5) requires that the declarant be determined to be unavailable as discussed above. Second, Mississippi Rule of Evidence 804(b)(5) further specifically requires: A statement not specifically covered by any of the foregoing exceptions but having equivalent circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness, if the court determines that (A) the statement is offered as evidence of a material fact; (B) the statement is more probative on the point for which it is offered than any other evidence which the proponent can procure through reasonable efforts; and (C) the general purposes of these rules and the interests of justice will best be served by admission of the statement into evidence. However, a statement may not be admitted under this exception unless the proponent of it makes known to the adverse party sufficiently in advance of the trial or hearing to provide the adverse party with a fair opportunity to prepare to meet it, his intention to offer the statement and the particulars of it, including the name and address of the declarant. ¶ 17. The affidavits from Drs. Giralt and Weber, which altered their deposition testimony, clearly were not furnished to DuPont sufficiently in advance of the trial to provide DuPont with a fair opportunity to prepare to meet the affidavits. Nor did they afford DuPont notice of their intention to offer the statement and the particulars of the affidavits. See M.R.E. 804(b)(5). We agree with DuPont's assertion that the introduction of the affidavits from Drs. Giralt and Weber was improper and highly prejudicial to its defense of lack of causation. The affidavits were used by the Strongs to alter the deposition testimony the doctors provided. The assertion that the affidavits were not introduced for that purpose is simply incorrect. ¶ 18. These affidavits were never furnished to DuPont as required in Mississippi Rule of Evidence 804(b)(5). The rules of evidence are clear that the use of affidavits in this context is impermissible. The Strongs attempted, several days into trial, to use affidavits to tailor the doctors' deposition testimony, thereby adversely affecting a substantial right of DuPont to have sufficient advance notice of the information contained in the affidavits before trial. See Fitch v. Valentine, 959 So.2d 1012 (Miss.2007). Accordingly, we find that the trial court erred in admitting the affidavits from Drs. Giralt and Weber.