Opinion ID: 777337
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: USWA's Right to Cross Examine King

Text: 38 USWA claims the district court improperly denied it the right of cross-examination of one of its witnesses. Ron King, an auditor for USWA, was called by the Plaintiffs in their case in chief. The district judge did not allow USWA to cross-examine King after Plaintiffs' direct examination because the court concluded he was essentially a USWA witness. Instead the court required USWA to call King in its case in chief a week later. USWA argues it has a right to cross-examine witnesses directly after direct examination and the delay in this case created jury confusion. 39 Cross-examination is a trial right. Alford v. United States, 282 U.S. 687, 691, 51 S.Ct. 218, 219, 75 L.Ed. 624 (1931). A court must permit a party to substantially and fairly exercise its right to cross-examination. Francis v. Clark Equip. Co., 993 F.2d 545, 551 (6th Cir.1993). However, [sometimes] cross-examination is cross-examination in form only and not in fact, as for example the `cross-examination' of a party by his own counsel after being called by the opponent. Fed.R.Evid. 611, Advisory Committee Notes. The district court determined King was a party where cross examination would only be in form and not in fact. Accordingly, the district court decided to require USWA to examine King in its case in chief as opposed to during the Plaintiffs' case. 40 The Federal Rules of Evidence give discretion to the trial judge as to the order witnesses are called. Fed.R.Evid. 611(a). Further, a trial court's control over the order of the evidence will not be disturbed absent an abuse of discretion. Geders v. United States, 425 U.S. 80, 86, 96 S.Ct. 1330, 1334, 47 L.Ed.2d 592 (1976). We cannot conclude it was an abuse of discretion for the district court to require King's examination in USWA's case in chief.