Opinion ID: 661484
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Rebecca Morgan's Testimony

Text: 37 Finally, Wisenbaker alleges that the district court erred in denying his motion for a mistrial after Rebecca Morgan, Wisenbaker's employee, testified on direct examination that Wisenbaker had been in some trouble in Louisiana. 40 Wisenbaker challenges that statement under Fed.R.Evid. 404(b), contending that it constituted inadmissible evidence of his bad character. We agree that the statement was not relevant to any issue other than Wisenbaker's bad character and was for that reason inadmissible. The district court's error in admitting it, however, was harmless. Although the district judge didn't hear anything that made me think she was talking about criminal trouble, she offered to give a curative jury instruction nonetheless. Wisenbaker refused. The government's counsel stated that he had not intentionally elicited the statement. 41 The government did not elaborate on the comment, and made no further mention of trouble in Louisiana. We find no abuse of the district court's discretion in denying a mistrial. 38 We AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.