Opinion ID: 1946688
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Third-Person Exception

Text: Even though all requirements of the Dead Man's Statute are met, the statute may be inapplicable to certain persons because of the so-called third-person exception. This exception is set out in C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence, § 102.01(8) (3d ed. 1977) (footnotes omitted): Where it appears that a third person was present during the transaction or communication of the deceased with the adverse party, and that he is not a party to the suit against the representative of the deceased or affected by the results of the lawsuit, the courts hold such third person to be competent to testify to such transaction or communication even against an objection based upon the dead man's statute. Recognition of competency has been given to such third persons even though they are related to the interested party; however, this is customarily with the stipulation that such third party shall not have participated actively in the transaction. The fact that a third person overheard the conversation does not, of course, authorize the adverse party to testify. Two third persons apparently witnessed the transaction between J.R. Richardson and Defendant Jesse Parker: T.E. Houston, Jr., a real estate agent, and Leo Waters, a friend of Defendant Jesse Parker and Andrew Richardson. The trial judge allowed both of them to testify as to the events of the transaction. Both of these third persons were competent to testify according to the third-person exception requirements set out above. Thus, they were properly allowed to testify. The Parkers, however, argue that the presence of these two third persons made the Dead Man's Statute inapplicable even as to Jesse Parker, the adverse witness. As already noted, it is a well settled general rule that [t]he fact that a third person overheard the conversation does not... authorize the adverse party to testify. Id. But, in some circumstances (an additional exception), just the opposite is true the presence of certain third persons does make the adverse witness competent and renders the Dead Man's Statute rule of exclusion inapplicable.