Opinion ID: 1292887
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Daubert Objection

Text: In his first assignment of error, King argues that the trial court erred in admitting the testimony of Schulte, Martinez, and Gasko with respect to their opinions that H.W. was not under the influence of crack cocaine on the night of her assault. King maintains that the trial court failed to conduct a proceeding to determine whether these witnesses were qualified to testify as experts and that therefore, the witnesses should not have been permitted to testify regarding H.W.'s alleged drug use. During the testimony of Schulte, Martinez, and Gasko, King's trial attorney objected generally on the basis of foundation. [5,6] An expert's opinion is ordinarily admissible under Neb. Evid. R. 702, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 27-702 (Reissue 1995), if the witness (1) qualifies as an expert, (2) has an opinion that will assist the trier of fact, (3) states his or her opinion, and (4) is prepared to disclose the basis of that opinion on cross-examination. Robb v. Robb, 268 Neb. 694, 687 N.W.2d 195 (2004); Heistand v. Heistand, 267 Neb. 300, 673 N.W.2d 541 (2004). When the opinion involves scientific or specialized knowledge, this court held in Schafersman v. Agland Coop, 262 Neb. 215, 631 N.W.2d 862 (2001), that we will apply the principles of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S. Ct. 2786, 125 L. Ed. 2d 469 (1993) ( Daubert / Schafersman ). Under our recent Daubert / Schafersman jurisprudence, the trial court acts as a gatekeeper to ensure the evidentiary relevance and reliability of an expert's opinion. This gatekeeping function entails a preliminary assessment whether the reasoning or methodology underlying the testimony is valid and whether that reasoning or methodology properly can be applied to the facts in issue. Zimmerman v. Powell, 268 Neb. 422, 684 N.W.2d 1 (2004); Carlson v. Okerstrom, 267 Neb. 397, 675 N.W.2d 89 (2004). [7] We recently stated in State v. Tolliver, 268 Neb. 920, 927-28, 689 N.W.2d 567, 575 (2004): A trial court's evaluation of the admissibility of expert opinion testimony is essentially a four-step process. The court must first determine whether the witness is qualified to testify as an expert. It must examine whether the witness is qualified as an expert by his or her knowledge, skill, experience, training, and education. If it is necessary for the court to conduct a Daubert analysis, then the court must determine whether the reasoning or methodology underlying the expert testimony is scientifically valid and reliable. To aid the court in its evaluation, the judge may consider several factors, including but not limited to whether the reasoning or methodology has been tested and has general acceptance within the relevant scientific community. Once the reasoning or methodology has been found to be reliable, the court must determine whether the methodology can properly be applied to the facts in issue. In making this determination, the court may examine the evidence to determine whether the methodology was properly applied and whether the protocols were followed to ensure that the tests were performed properly. Finally, the court determines whether the expert evidence and the opinions related thereto are more probative than prejudicial, as required under Neb. Evid. R. 403, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 27-403 (Reissue 1995). We recently discussed our standard for the admissibility of expert testimony in Carlson v. Okerstrom, 267 Neb. 397, 410, 675 N.W.2d 89, 103 (2004): Under rule 702, it is not enough that a witness is qualified as an expert. The trial court must also act as a gatekeeper to ensure the evidentiary relevance and reliability of the expert's opinion. In Schafersman v. Agland Coop, 262 Neb. 215, 232, 631 N.W.2d 862, 876-77 (2001), we stated: [I]n those limited situations in which a court is faced with a decision regarding the admissibility of expert opinion evidence, the trial judge must determine at the outset, pursuant to [rule] 702 whether the expert is proposing to testify to (1) scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge that (2) will assist the trier of fact to understand or determine a fact in issue. [8,9] A trial court, however, is not required, sua sponte, to make explicit on-the-record rulings regarding the admissibility of expert testimony. Hoult v. Hoult, 57 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 1995). Nor is a trial court required to always hold a hearing prior to qualifying an expert pursuant to Daubert / Schafersman. U.S. v. Solorio-Tafolla, 324 F.3d 964 (8th Cir. 2003). We conclude that in order to preserve a challenge on appeal to the admissibility of evidence on the basis of Daubert / Schafersman, a litigant must object on that basis and the objection should alert the trial judge and opposing counsel as to the reasons for the objections to the evidence. [10-12] In the present case, King's objections to the opinion testimony of Schulte, Martinez, and Gasko were based on foundation and that the State had not complied with § 29-1912(e). An objection on the basis of insufficient foundation is a general objection. Ford v. Estate of Clinton, 265 Neb. 285, 656 N.W.2d 606 (2003); State v. Davlin, 263 Neb. 283, 639 N.W.2d 631 (2002). Such an objection fails to alert the trial court, or opposing counsel, to any Daubert / Schafersman issue. See U.S. v. Barker, 27 F.3d 1287 (7th Cir. 1994). Consequently, an objection on the basis of foundation alone fails to preserve for appellate review a Daubert / Schafersman issue. [13] Because King's foundational objection was not sufficient to preserve a Daubert / Schafersman issue for appellate review, we look to whether the foundational objection was properly overruled. If a general objection on the basis of insufficient foundation is overruled, the objecting party may not complain on appeal unless (1) the ground for exclusion was obvious without stating it or (2) the evidence was not admissible for any other purpose. State v. Davlin, supra ; State v. Baker, 245 Neb. 153, 511 N.W.2d 757 (1994). Neither of those criteria is met in the present case. Thus, King's first assignment of error is without merit.