Opinion ID: 2330170
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Alcohol consumption

Text: FGA argues that the district court erred by excluding evidence that Giglio and Schrefel consumed alcohol prior to Giglio's fall. Giglio contends that the district court properly excluded the evidence because of lack of foundation, danger of confusion, misleading the jury, and the interjection of collateral issues. Evidence of a party's possible intoxication may be probative of the issues of causation and comparative negligence. See VanHercke v. Eastvold, 405 N.W.2d 902, 906 (Minn.App.1987). Evidence of intoxication, however, should not be admitted if there is no support for finding a causal link between the alleged impairment and the injury. Holderer v. Aetna Cas. and Sur. Co., 114 Nev. 845, 852-53, 963 P.2d 459, 464 (1998). In addition to causation, evidence of intoxication is also relevant to a person's ability to perceive and, thus, may be admissible to attack a witness on [his or] her ability to perceive and remember. See State v. Orantez, 183 Ariz. 218, 902 P.2d 824, 828 (1995). In this case, the parties offered conflicting testimony as to whether Giglio's fall could have been caused by intoxication. FGA offered testimony that one witness who interacted with Giglio observed that he smelled alcohol on her breath and that she had slurred speech. Schrefel, Giglio's key witness, testified that Giglio had two beers within 45 minutes of the fall. However, there is no indication that Giglio showed any signs of intoxication in the accident report filled out at the time of the accident or in the medical records from when Giglio was taken to the hospital after the fall. The transcript of the motion in limine hearing shows that the district court concluded that there was insufficient evidence to show that Giglio was intoxicated. In particular, the court noted that if there was an issue of intoxication, it would have been reported by the emergency medical team that responded. We detect no abuse of discretion in the district court's decision to exclude evidence of Giglio's alcohol consumption. However, we conclude that the district court abused its discretion by excluding evidence that Giglio's key witness, Schrefel, consumed alcohol. Evidence regarding Schrefel's alcohol consumption is relevant to his ability to perceive whether there was a foreign substance on the floor. Additionally, we can see no prejudice that would result from allowing evidence that a man of legal drinking age had consumed alcohol. Accordingly, evidence of Schrefel's alcohol consumption should be admitted at any new trial to assist the jury in determining whether Schrefel was a reliable eyewitness.