Opinion ID: 556408
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Post-Trial Trustworthiness Hearing

Text: 19 After the verdict, defendants requested and were granted a post-trial hearing on the admissibility of the Report. They called four witnesses to support their claim that excerpts from the Report should not have been admitted. Plaintiffs called no witnesses. After a three-day hearing, Judge Weinstein concluded that defendants failed to introduce credible proof establishing that the factual findings read to the jury were unreliable. The judge's ruling is incorporated in an opinion issued in February 1990. See note 1 supra. The judge found that the Report was relevant and trustworthy and that its probative force far outweighed any unfair prejudice resulting from its admission. Accordingly, Judge Weinstein denied defendants' motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and affirmed the jury verdict awarding a total of $300,000 in damages to plaintiffs against the County. This appeal by defendants and cross-appeal by plaintiffs followed.