Opinion ID: 1583758
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: jury instruction on altered document

Text: In her second assignment of error, Sonja argues that the district court committed plain error in failing to instruct the jurors, sua sponte, that they could infer that the altered medical record document was unfavorable to Kolbeck. [31] Sonja admits that she did not request an adverse inference instruction. Nonetheless, Sonja contends that the trial court has a duty, whether requested or not, to instruct the jury on issues presented by the pleadings and evidence. That contention is correct, [32] but here, the record is insufficient to review an assignment of plain error. Plain error may be asserted for the first time on appeal or be noted by an appellate court on its own motion. [33] Plain error exists where there is an error, plainly evident from the record but not complained of at trial, which prejudicially affects a substantial right of a litigant and is of such a nature that to leave it uncorrected would cause a miscarriage of justice or result in damage to the integrity, reputation, and fairness of the judicial process. [34] Sonja argues that [t]he Court was obligated to instruct the jury that had such an alteration not occurred, the office chart would have supported the testimony of both Sonja and Mark Worth as to the time of day that they contacted the Physician's office. [35] This argument concerns the testimony of Rauscher, the document expert who testified that two different listed times on a medical record document had been altered. Rauscher did not, however, identify the document he believed had been altered. Sonja's counsel stated that the document was part of exhibit 36, but we do not have exhibit 36 or testimony regarding exhibit 36 in the record. Even the document from exhibit 36 about which Rauscher was testifying was not admitted into evidence. Finally, we do not have Mark or Sonja's testimony and do not know whether Kolbeck used the document to rebut their purported testimony about the times they contacted a physician. Sonja's argument requires a factual inquiry into this record, which is wholly insufficient for this court to evaluate whether the absence of an adverse inference instruction prejudiced Sonja's case or led to a miscarriage of justice. It is incumbent on the party appealing to present a record which supports the errors assigned, and absent such a record, the decision of the lower court will be affirmed. [36] Because we cannot determine that the court's failure to give this instruction was error, the district court's ruling is affirmed.