Opinion ID: 2613468
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the district court properly admitted the business records

Text: Evans argues that the district court abused its discretion by admitting the State's exhibit 1, a weekly reconciliation sheet for the period ending August 7, 1994. Evans contends that record keeping employees who were responsible for creating the weekly reconciliation sheets, were not trained in the use or even aware of the proper procedures for balancing the amounts stated and thus, the weekly reconciliation sheets were not prepared in the ordinary course of business and should not have been admitted pursuant to I.R.E. 803(6). The district court has within its broad discretion the decision of whether to admit hearsay under one of the exceptions to the hearsay rule. Henderson v. Smith, 128 Idaho 444, 450, 915 P.2d 6, 12 (1996). This Court will not overturn the district court's decision to admit business records absent a clear showing of abuse. City of Idaho Falls v. Beco Constr. Co., 123 Idaho 516, 522, 850 P.2d 165, 171 (1993). Evans does not challenge Wardian's testimony that employees who were responsible for producing the weekly reconciliation sheets understood how to record the number of cycles and coins indicated on the cycle counters and the actual amount of dollars taken from each top-load machine. Wardian testified that the weekly reconciliation sheets were created in the regular course of Wardian's laundromat business by Wardian's record keeping employees. Wardian was the custodian of the weekly reconciliation sheets. During the August 17, 1995 trial, the State moved to admit exhibit 1 as a business document. Evans's counsel objected to the admission of exhibit 1 on the basis that the State failed to establish foundation. The district court admitted exhibit 1 under the business records exception to the hearsay rule, (I.R.E.803(6)), noting that Wardian identified exhibit 1 as a regularly kept record of his business and that Wardian was the custodian of exhibit 1. Exhibit 1 was hearsay, an out of court statement made by someone other than the person testifying that was offered for the truth of the matter asserted. I.R.E. 801. Idaho Rule of Evidence 802 provides that [h]earsay is not admissible except as provided by these rules.... Idaho Rule of Evidence 803 excludes certain hearsay from the hearsay rule. Idaho Rule of Evidence 803(6) states that [t]he following are not excluded by the hearsay rule, even though the declarant is available as a witness, and goes on to state: Records of regularly conducted activity. A memorandum, report, record, or data compilation, in any form, of acts, events conditions, opinions, or diagnoses, made at or near the time by, or from information transmitted by, a person with knowledge, if kept in the course of a regularly conducted business activity, and if it was the regular practice of that business activity to make the memorandum, report, record, or data compilation, all as shown by the testimony of the custodian or other qualified witness, unless the source of information or the method or circumstances of preparation indicate lack of trustworthiness.