Opinion ID: 1631067
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ephraim Woolf

Text: ś 12. The trial court denied Carla's motion in limine to exclude Woolf's testimony. The trial court determined that Woolf's testimony was not hearsay, because it was his personal observation and knowledge. See Miss. R. Evid. 801 and 602. While the trial court acknowledged that the testimony was likely to be prejudicial, the test, pursuant to Rule 403 is whether the probative value of the evidence is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Under that test, the trial court determined that the probative value of the testimony concerning activities involving methamphetamine prior to the crash did not outweigh the danger of unfair prejudice. The trial court stated, in part: As concerns the claim that the prejudicial effect of such evidence would outweigh the probative value and confuse the jury as to the facts of this case, the court can quickly conclude that the evidence will most likely have a prejudicial effect upon the jury's view of the plaintiff. However, that is not the test. The test is whether under MRE 403 the probative value of the evidence is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Again, there appears to be no attack as to the veracity of such evidence. The defendants assert that at the time of the accident, the deceased was coming down from a crystal methamphetamine high, a process known as crashing. According to at least one defense expert, when an individual crashes following a crystal methamphetamine high, such an individual would be prone to dozing off and/or not be highly reactive. Despite the plaintiff's argument to the contrary, the court finds that the probative value of evidence that the deceased engaged in activities involving methamphetamines prior to the accident is not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. ś 13. Woolf testified, that prior to the wreck, Preston had been staying at his house on and off. On Saturday, the day before the collision, Woolf stated that Preston was with him and a girl named Sabrina (Ashmore). The group planned to cook crystal meth. During the day, they all helped to gather the ingredients for the crystal meth. They all met at Steve Brooks's house before going to Beulah Lake to cook the crystal meth. Woolf testified that Brooks was at his house when they arrived, and Brooks knew what they were going to do. Woolf, Preston, and Ashmore arrived at the lake around midnight, started cooking the meth about 1:00 a.m., and about three hours later, the first pull, or batch, was ready to smoke. Woolf stated that he, Preston, and Ashmore all smoked the drugs and got high. According to Woolf, they cooked the drugs all night and into the next day until about lunchtime, that being 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Because of the ether that is used in the process of making the drugs, Woolf stated that eventually, a crystal meth user will fall asleep. They returned to Cleveland around 6:00 p.m. and went to Brooks's house to split the drugs. Woolf, Preston, Ashmore, and Brooks all took a share of the drugs. Then, they all got high again and hung around for a while at Brooks's house. Preston drove Ashmore home to Clarksdale, leaving Brooks's house at about 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. Woolf stated that he would not have wanted to travel with Preston at that time because they had been smoking and awake for days. ś 14. The trial court did not err by admitting Woolf's testimony. Woolf testified about events that were within his personal observation and knowledge. See Miss. R. Evid. 601 and 602. His testimony was not hearsay, which is defined as a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Miss. R. Evid. 801. Woolf testified about his actions and Preston's actions prior to Preston leaving Brooks's house to bring Ashmore home and the fatal collision. Woolf did not testify to any statements made by Preston. Woolf testified only about events that were within his personal knowledge, as he was with Preston on the day before and day of the accident until Preston departed from Brooks's house. Therefore, Woolf's testimony was not hearsay. ś 15. The trial court determined that the evidence was relevant and conducted a balancing test pursuant to Rule 403, finding that the probative value outweighed the prejudicial effect. The testimony was relevant because it concerned the type of activity that Preston was involved in prior to the accident and what impact that activity may have had on his alertness at the time of the accident. The evidence was relevant, and the probative value outweighed the prejudicial effect because it concerned the issue of proximate cause and potential fault.