Opinion ID: 1841421
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Partial Exclusion of Expert Testimony

Text: Deaton contends that the trial court abused its discretion in partially excluding the testimony of its expert witness at trial. Although Deaton admits that it never formally answered the plaintiff's interrogatories requesting the name of any person whom Deaton expected to call as an expert witness at trial, Deaton argues that the trial court should have allowed its expert, John Sims, to testify as to the issue of the load shift on the Deaton trailer because 1) Deaton says that three months prior to trial, defense counsel informed one of the attorneys for the plaintiff that Sims would be used as an expert witness at trial; 2) Sims's testimony as to the load shift provided critical rebuttal testimony as to one of the plaintiff's primary theories of liability; and 3) the plaintiff's failure to supplement her answers to Deaton's interrogatories requesting the identity of all witnesses the plaintiff expected to call at trial vitiated any duty to answer on the part of Deaton. It is undisputed that on October 29, 1981, plaintiff filed interrogatories, requesting that the defendants provide the name of any person whom they expected to call as an expert witness at trial. Approximately seven months later, Tate answered this interrogatory by stating that he did not know whether such an expert would testify at trial. Tate never supplemented this response. Although Deaton and Tate were represented by the same attorney in this action, Deaton never filed any answers to these interrogatories, despite an order compelling such responses. The trial commenced on May 2, 1983. On the second day of trial, defense counsel informed one of the plaintiff's attorneys that Deaton would call John Sims as an expert witness. When plaintiff's counsel evidenced surprise, counsel for Deaton contended that three months before, he had informed plaintiff's counsel of the identity of this expert. Plaintiff's counsel, however, stated that he had no recollection of this disclosure. He further stated that it was his custom and practice in a case of this magnitude 1) to depose the opposing party's expert to acquire the facts upon which he based his opinion; 2) to locate and employ a properly qualified rebuttal expert witness; 3) to allow the rebuttal expert to conduct necessary studies; and 4) to prepare such rebuttal expert for trial. Counsel for plaintiff concluded that consenting to a continuance during the middle of the trial to obtain this information would not only disrupt the trial but also impede his effective representation of his client. Instead of objecting to Deaton's use of this expert at trial, plaintiff's counsel proposed the following compromise: plaintiff would pose no formal objections to Deaton's use of this expert if the expert would testify only to the issue of whether there was adequate lighting on the Deaton truck and not to the issue of whether the steel beams shifted back only after impact. Defense counsel would not agree to this compromise, however, and plaintiff's counsel renewed his objection to the use of the witness at trial. The trial court ordered that Sims be allowed to testify only with regard to the lighting issue. Defense counsel objected to this partial exclusion but at no time made a formal offer of proof detailing the matters to which Sims was expected to testify. Under Rule 26(b)(4)(A)(i), A.R.Civ.P., the plaintiff properly filed an interrogatory requesting the identity of any person whom Deaton expected to call as an expert witness at trial. It is undisputed that this interrogatory was properly served upon Deaton; yet Deaton failed to answer, despite a court order, made pursuant to Rule 37(a), compelling Deaton to answer within 30 days. Where a party fails to provide or permit discovery ordered under Rule 37(a) (see Rule 37(b)(2)), or fails to serve answers to interrogatories after proper service (see Rule 37(d)), the court in which the action is pending may, under Rule 37(b)(2), make such orders in regard to the failure as are just, including the following: (A) An order that the matters regarding which the order was made or any other designated facts shall be taken to be established for the purposes of the action in accordance with the claim of the party obtaining the order; (B) An order refusing to allow the disobedient party to support or oppose designated claims or defenses, or prohibiting him from introducing designated matters in evidence; (C) An order striking out pleadings or parts thereof, or staying further proceedings until the order is obeyed, or dismissing the action or proceedings or any part thereof, or rendering a judgment by default against the disobedient party.... Rule 37(b)(2), A.R.Civ.P. The choice of sanctions to be imposed is largely within the discretion of the trial court, and this choice will not be disturbed on appeal absent a gross abuse of discretion. See Tucker v. Tucker, 416 So.2d 1053 (Ala.Civ.App.1982). We cannot say that the trial court's partial exclusion of the testimony of Deaton's expert witness constituted an abuse of discretion. When faced with the possible Rule 37(b)(2) sanctions of dismissal, entry of default judgment, or total exclusion of this expert's testimony, the trial court's choice of sanctions, in actuality, represented a fair and equitable compromise where the trial court could have found that the expert was unveiled, much to the opposing party's surprise, midway through the trial. On the other hand, under the trial court's implicit finding that the plaintiff was surprised by this witness, to allow complete testimony from this expert would have necessitated the grant of a prolonged continuance to allow the plaintiff the opportunity to prepare rebuttal testimony, inevitably resulting in a substantial disruption of the trial. Deaton's contention that the plaintiff's failure to supplement her answers to interrogatories requesting the names of all trial witnesses somehow vitiated its own failure to respond to the plaintiff's interrogatories is without merit. Deaton already knew the identity of the witnesses plaintiff called but had not named by supplementing her list, so no surprise or prejudice is shown. The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed. AFFIRMED. TORBERT, C.J., and FAULKNER, EMBRY and ADAMS, JJ., concur.