Opinion ID: 164559
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admission of Mr. Ure's Testimony

Text: 48 Mr. Lang argues that the district court erroneously admitted Galen Ure's testimony. We review evidentiary rulings under an abuse of discretion standard and reverse district court rulings only for a clearly erroneous finding of fact or an erroneous conclusion of law or ... a clear error in judgment. United States v. Jenkins, 313 F.3d 549, 559 (10th Cir.2002). 49 We find Mr. Lang's argument without merit. The district court admitted Mr. Ure's testimony as non-hearsay under Fed R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(E). We do not determine the applicability of Fed R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(E), however, because Fed R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(A) permits Mr. Ure's testimony regarding Mr. Lang's statements as a non-hearsay admission by party-opponent. See In re Slack-Horner Foundries Co., 971 F.2d 577, 579-80 (10th Cir.1992) (holding we may affirm on any grounds supported by the record, even those not relied upon by the district court). 50 A statement is not hearsay if .... [t]he statement is offered against a party and is ... the party's own statement, in either an individual or a representative capacity.... Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(A). Under this rule, the government need only prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Lang made the statements in question to Mr. Ure. See United States v. Harrison, 296 F.3d 994, 1001 (10th Cir.2002) (The Court determines ... [Rule 801(d)(2)] under a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard). Though Harrison pertains to Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(B), we find no law, and Mr. Lang presents none, stating that we apply any different standard to statements under Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(A). See id. (citing Bourjaily v. United States, 483 U.S. 171, 175-76, 107 S.Ct. 2775, 97 L.Ed.2d 144 (1987), for the proposition that the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard applies to Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(B) even though Bourjaily addresses Fed.R.Evid. 801(d)(2)(E)). 51 The government satisfied this standard by presenting evidence that Mr. Lang both spoke with Mr. Ure regarding the FBI investigation and gave him a copy of the stolen affidavit. While Mr. Ure could not identify Mr. Lang definitively in court as the person with whom he spoke about the affidavit, all other evidence indicated that the individual in question was Mr. Lang. 52 First, Mr. Ure's physical description of the man with whom he spoke greatly resembled Mr. Lang. Second, the substance of the alleged conversation strongly suggests that the speaker was Mr. Lang. The individual spoke of having a conversation with German Perez about the affidavit on the previous day, the same day that Mr. Lang admits to having discussed the affidavit with Mr. Perez. Also, the individual spoke of receiving the affidavit from a friend ... that works down at the federal courthouse. Mr. Lang's wife worked in the federal courthouse and took the affidavit. Third, the individual gave Mr. Ure a copy of the affidavit. It is uncontroverted that Mr. Lang had access to the affidavit and to a copy machine. This evidence indicates by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Lang spoke to Mr. Ure. Mr. Ure's testimony was, therefore, admissible as a non-hearsay admission by party-opponent. 53