Opinion ID: 883897
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Whether the District Court erred in limiting cross-examination regarding the settlement agreement.

Text: On April 8, 1994, Robert, James, Gary and Marlene entered into a settlement agreement. Joyce was not a party to this agreement. Prior to trial, James and Robert filed a motion to prevent Joyce from admitting the settlement agreement into evidence at trial. The District Court granted the motion and ruled that the contents of the settlement agreement would not be admissible. However, the court ordered that any witness that was a party to the agreement could be questioned as to the existence of the agreement and as to the fact that the witness might receive a greater share of the estate if one party prevailed over the other in order to attack the credibility of the witness by showing a motive for bias or prejudice. On appeal, Joyce contends that the District Court erred in limiting cross-examination regarding the settlement agreement. This Court will review the evidentiary decisions of a trial court to determine whether the trial court abused its discretion and will not overrule a trial court's decisions as to admissibility of evidence unless there was manifest abuse. Jim's Excavating Service v. HKM Assoc. (1994), 265 Mont. 494, 506, 878 P.2d 248, 255 (citing Mason v. Ditzel (1992), 255 Mont. 364, 370-71, 842 P.2d 707, 712). Rule 408, M.R.Evid., forbids the introduction at trial of offers to compromise and settlement agreements. However, the Rule does permit the use of settlement agreements for limited purposes, such as proving bias or prejudice of a witness in accordance with Rule 607, M.R.Evid. At trial, Joyce's counsel questioned Gary, one of the settling parties, extensively regarding the settlement agreement and whether Gary would gain under the agreement if Robert and James prevailed at trial. Gary admitted that he would gain. From this cross-examination, Gary's bias was adequately brought out and the jury had sufficient evidence of the nature and effect of the settlement agreement to judge the credibility of Gary's testimony. Accordingly, we hold that the District Court did not abuse its discretion in limiting the admission of the settlement agreement to show bias or prejudice of a witness. Affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. TURNAGE, C.J., and GRAY, HUNT and TRIEWEILER, JJ., concur.