Opinion ID: 1169864
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: admissibility of the experimental evidence

Text: There are no Alaska cases dealing directly with the admissibility of the results of an experiment. [5] But there is little quarrel about the general outlines of the rule. It is stated almost universally that for such evidence to be admissible, it should have been developed under conditions substantially similar to those surrounding the event in issue. [6] The rule of substantial similarity of conditions does not require an identity of conditions but only that degree of similarity which will insure that the results of the experiment are probative. In some cases a high degree of similarity may not be attainable, yet the evidence nevertheless may be enlightening to the jury. [7] As with other forms of circumstantial evidence, the trial judge may, in his discretion, exclude the experimental evidence after a determination that the probative value of the experimental evidence is outweighed by the possibility of prejudice, confusion of the issues or undue consumption of time. [8] This discretion is, however, dependent upon a showing of substantial similarity of conditions by the proponent of the evidence. As the court observed in Tuite v. Union Pac. Stages, Inc., 204 Or. 565, 284 P.2d 333 (1955), quoting from Leonard v. Southern Pac. Co., 21 Or. 555, 28 P. 887 (1892): The principle is that at best it is within the discretion of the court to admit any testimony whatever about experiments or similar occurrences. But in any event the conditions must appear to be substantially the same. It is not within the discretion of the court to admit evidence about experiments, unless the conditions are substantially alike. 284 P.2d, at 345. Another statement of this rule is found in Ft. Worth & Denver Ry. v. Williams, 375 S.W.2d 279 (Tex. 1964): Before it can be said that dissimilarity of conditions merely goes to the weight and hence presents a jury question, the judge must be able to say with some degree of certainty, that confusion will not occur and such dissimilarities as are disclosed are capable of explanation so as to be readily understood. 375 S.W.2d, at 282. In other words, if the differences of condition can be explained, so that the effect of those differences upon the experiment can be evaluated rationally, the judge may exercise his discretion and admit the evidence, for it can be helpful to the jury. But the judge cannot use his discretion to decide that despite a plain lack of substantial similarity in conditions he will, nevertheless, admit the evidence. In cases concerning the admissibility of experimental evidence, the foundation for admissibility should be scrutinized closely to determine whether the conditions surrounding the experiment were substantially similar to those of the alleged occurrence. In applying the test of substantial similarity, the trial court should be guided by the following principles: Are the dissimilarities likely to distort the results of the experiment to the degree that the evidence is not relevant? Can the dissimilarities be adjusted for or explained so that their effect on the results of the experiment can be understood by the jury? In this connection the court must consider the purpose of the experiment and the degree to which the matter under experiment is a subject of precise science. Absolute certainty is not required if the experiment would be considered valid by persons skilled or knowledgeable in the field which the experiment concerns. This determination of whether substantial differences exist may not always be capable of a mechanical solution, but the same may be said about most trial court evidentiary determinations that employ notions of relevance or materiality. Frequently common sense provides a good guide to whether a factor entering into an evidentiary determination is substantial or merely unimportant. Applying the test to the present case, it is apparent that the district court committed error in admitting the testimony about the experiment. The differences between the conditions of the experiment and those surrounding the occurrences on the night in question are so great that the offered testimony did not fulfill the requirement of basic relevancy. [9] The similarity of tide levels and wind direction are not enough to meet the test. The failure of the experiment to test the current below the surface, the effect of the wind on the hoisted seine, the effect of the possibly stronger wind, and particularly the effect of the large number of fish in the submerged portion of the seine render the results too speculative to be useful in a court of law. It is no help that there was prosecution testimony that the wind conditions were similar on both occasions. The record reveals only controversy on this point. Moreover, it is noteworthy that no expert testimony was offered which would explain or evaluate the dissimilarities between the experiment and the actual event. Nor is the rule of substantial similarity any less demanding because the evidence is claimed by its proponent to have been introduced only for the purpose of rebutting the anticipated testimony of the other side. The reason it is unacceptable is given in Sewell v. MacRae, 52 Wash.2d 103, 323 P.2d 236 (1958), in which the court said: The experiment did not enlighten the jury as to whose testimony was more reliable, in that it disregarded the evidence adduced by the appellant. The result of an experiment which rests upon the testimony of the party offering it, and disregards the conflicting evidence adduced by the opposing party, has no more probative value than the oral testimony upon which it is based. 323 P.2d, at 239. In the present case the evidence of the experiment was materially relevant only to rebut the appellants' testimony which stated that certain natural elements combined to cause them to drift into the closed area of the bay. This gave the prosecution an additional benefit because it could argue, under the maxim falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus, that the testimony of appellants should be disbelieved in its entirety. It does not matter whether the prosecution did in fact so argue, or to what degree. The jury itself could apply the same reasoning, unaided by the prosecutor. But neither the experiment nor the testimony about it accounted for the critical, missing elements. Accordingly, it had no probative value and could only mislead the jury.