Opinion ID: 2630590
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: exclusion of testimony regarding use of false identification card

Text: ¶ 31 Gomez next argues that the trial court abused its discretion when it prohibited him from cross-examining Gallegos regarding her alleged use of a false identification card in an attempt to impeach Gallegos' credibility. ¶ 32 Rule 608(b) of the Utah Rules of Evidence provides: Specific instances of the conduct of a witness, for the purpose of attacking or supporting the witness' credibility, other than conviction of a crime as provided in Rule 609, may not be proved by extrinsic evidence. They may, however, in the discretion of the court, if probative of truthfulness or untruthfulness, be inquired into on cross-examination of the witness (1) concerning the witness' character for truthfulness or untruthfulness . . . . Utah R. Evid. 608(b) (emphasis added). ¶ 33 A line of questioning on cross-examination regarding a witness's specific instances of past conduct that is probative of the witness's character for truthfulness or untruthfulness, and therefore admissible under rule 608(b), may still be limited or prohibited by the trial court in its sound discretion under rule 403. See State v. Rammel, 721 P.2d 498, 501 (Utah 1986) (excluding impeachment testimony where potential for prejudice substantially outweighed its probative value under substantially similar predecessor rule to modern rule 403); see also United States v. Leake, 642 F.2d 715, 718 (4th Cir.1981) ([Rule 608(b)] recognizes that the trial court must have discretion to apply the overriding safeguards of rule 403....); [5] State v. Hall, 946 P.2d 712, 722-23 (Utah Ct.App.1997); 28 Charles Alan Wright & Victor James Gold, Federal Practice and Procedure: Evidence § 6118, at 94 (1993) ([T]he courts recognize that Rule[] 403. . . identif[ies] the principles controlling the exercise of discretion under Rule 608(b).) [hereinafter Wright & Gold]. Rule 403 of the Utah Rules of Evidence provides in relevant part that [a]lthough relevant, evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice . . . . Utah R. Evid. 403. ¶ 34 Therefore, in the interplay of rules 608(b) and 403, the court's job is to balance the probative value of specific-instances evidence against the potential dangers and costs of that evidence. Wright & Gold, § 6118, at 94. The trial court must (1) evaluate and consider the probative value of the proffered testimony, that is, the extent to which the proposed testimony is probative of truthfulness or untruthfulness, (2) determine the degree to which the proffered testimony may tend to inflame or prejudice the jury, and (3) balance the first two concerns to determine whether the danger of unfair prejudice substantially outweighs the testimony's probative value. ¶ 35 The degree of probative value can be a function of several factors, including the relative importance of the credibility of the witness, the extent to which the evidence is probative of other relevant matters, the extent to which the circumstances surrounding the specific instances of conduct are similar to the circumstances surrounding the giving of the witness's testimony, the remoteness in time of the specific instances to trial, and the likelihood that the alleged specific instances of conduct in fact occurred. See id. at 94-96; see also Hall, 946 P.2d at 722. ¶ 36 In the case at hand, the record reflects that the trial court, in rendering its decision to preclude the cross-examination of Gallegos concerning her alleged use of a false identification card, considered the relevant factors in determining the probative value of the proffered testimony. Having determined that the relative probative value of the testimony was fairly low, the trial court then balanced that low value against the potential of the testimony to inflame the jury and distract them from the real issue in the case, that is, the rape charge against Gomez, and the credibility of Gallegos for truthfulness or untruthfulness. In exercising its discretion in this manner, the trial court did not abuse its discretion such that it is manifest that the trial court so abused its discretion that there is a likelihood that injustice resulted, Gentry, 747 P.2d at 1035, and therefore, we will not reweigh and reevaluate the relevant factors and balance for ourselves the probative value of the testimony versus its potential prejudice in this case.