Court Opinion

ID: 9615721
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:40:03.722231+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:51.087147
License: Public Domain

Tayeor, Justice
(dissenting).
The appellant was tried at the September 1950 term of General Sessions Court for Greenwood County and convicted of the charge of murder, with the jury recommending mercy.
Appellant on February 4, 1950, married Hazel Pauline Arnold, who died on April 3, 1950, in Hodges, South Caro*255lina. On the day prior to her death Dr. John Harrison, a practicing physician of Greenwood, South Carolina, was called to minister to Mrs. Smith; not being alarmed over her condition, he prescribed mild sedatives. The next day he was again requested by appellant to visit his wife and upon arrival at the home found her dead. Dr. Harrison asked for and obtained permission to perform an autopsy, which he did, and removed certain fluids from the colon, which he turned over to Clemson College for chemical analysis. Approximately twelve days later a second specimen was removed from the body and turned over to the same persons for the purpose of making further tests. This last specimen was reported to contain arsenic sufficient to cause death.
Upon trial of the case the State was forced to rely upon circumstantial evidence and undertook to prove as a motive the existence of $7,000.00 life insurance carried upon the life of the deceased with the husband as beneficiary. The insurance companies refused to honor appellant’s claims under the policies, as a result of which he directed that these policies be turned over to his attorneys and executed an assignment of same to Mr. N. A. Harrison, a Greenwood attorney, as trustee, and directed him as such to institute civil action for the collection of the amounts set forth in the policies, which was done prior to trial.
During the noon recess of the first day of the trial the Solicitor caused to be served on appellants counsel and trustee a subpoena duces tecum, directing that they appear and produce the original policies of insurance in order that they might be introduced into evidence by the State. The Solicitor then demanded of appellant’s counsel the policies in open court. This counsel refused and they were, over their objection and in the absence of the jury, placed on the stand by the prosecution and examined concerning the contents of the policies and their whereabouts. Counsel strongly objected to this procedure on the grounds generally that it was highly prejudicial to the appellant in that it compelled *256his own counsel to give evidence against him in violation’ of his constitutional rights, in effect forcing him to give evidence against himself; further that such information as counsel had thereabouts was privileged communication.
The Trial Court sustained defense counsel’s objection and refused to permit their examination for this purpose in the presence of the jury, ruling that counsel could not be compelled to produce the policies but permitted, over counsel’s objections, the calling of them as witnesses for the State in that they were examined concerning the pleadings in the civil cases which had been served and filed in the Clerk of Court’s office for the purpose of collecting the amount of insurance set forth in the policies. Counsel, being compelled to testify as to these pleadings, identify them and state their nature, and such pleadings were introduced into the evidence. Later, near the close of the State’s testimony, the Solicitor announced to the court that he was of the opinion that the pleadings served in the civil suits were inadmissible under Section 475 of the 1942 Code and moved that such pleadings be withdrawn. This motion was granted with instructions to the jury that the evidence was inadmissible and that they should disregard it. Whereupon, counsel for appellant moved for a mistrial on the grounds that this evidence was highly prejudicial to the appellant, that the State had derived all the benefit therefrom, that the question of insurance was so instilled in the jury’s mind that instructions from the Trial Judge could not at that time serve to cure the harm done. This motion was denied.
The prosecution then offered testimony of district managers and agents of various insurance companies as the next best evidence as to the existence and contents of the policies, all of which was objected to on the grounds that such testimony was not the best evidence and therefore incompetent.The insurance companies’ field agents were permitted to testify as to the existence of the insurance and of its being *257in force. This too was objected to as a violation of the best evidence rule.
Appellant now comes to this Court upon a number of exceptions which present several questions. However, in my view it is necessary to discuss only exception 12 which purports error in overruling appellant’s objection to testimony of insurance agents and managers as to contents of insurance policies on life of deceased as being in violation of the best evidence rule.
“According to the great weight of authority in this country, where primary evidence is not available so that a fact may be proved by secondary evidence, the proponent of the secondary evidence is required to produce the best secondary evidence which exists and which is in his power to produce. In other words, the secondary evidence which is admissible is the best secondary evidence obtainable. If it appears that there is in existence secondary evidence of a more satisfactory kind than the secondary evidence which a party offers, he will, be required to produce the better evidence if he can do so; he will not be permitted to introduce the inferior secondary evidence offered unless he can show that the better secondary evidence, as well as the original primary evidence, is unavailable. Thus, it is conceded that a copy of a copy is not admissible. A true copy is better than parol evidence of the contents of an instrument in writing; and where it can be produced, its production upon the trial will be required. But if the true copy is unobtainable, parol testimony is properly admissible. Whenever a copy of a record or document is itself made original or primary evidence, the rule is clear and well settled that it must be a copy made directly from, or compared with, the original.” 20 Am. Jur., Sec. 404, page 365. See also Sec. 405.
It is difficult to see how field agents or even branch managers could testify accurately and in detail as to the contents and status of individual life insurance policies. They may well be cognizant of the general provisions in such policies *258and may have personal knowledge of the status of applications, but, handling so many varied accounts, it is difficult to see how they might have personal knowledge of each individual policy and its status. Applications are sent to the home office and the policies issued therefrom. Sometimes such policies are permitted to lapse or are cancelled by the home office. Ofttimes applications are taken and premiums collected by these agents, only to have the home office refuse to issue the contract of insurance and return applicant’s premium. Whether or not these policies were in effect at the time of death was a vital question, in that, should it develop that the policies had lapsed, the State’s contention that appellant killed for insurance would fail as a motive. Under the testimony, the premiums were past due on all of the policies; therefore, the date on which the grace period would expire was most vital. To permit employees of the insurance companies to testify to the detailed contents of written contracts and on such vital questions allows too much room for error, the memory of man being fickle at best, and such is not within the concepts of the best evidence rule.
The prosecution made no showing that a copy or duplicate could not be produced, which in my opinion would have been the next best evidence. In Bank v. North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, 186 S. C. 394, 195 S. E. 649, 650, the Court stated: “It was admitted by all parties to the action that the original policy, No. 713795, was lost or destroyed. In an abundance of caution, appellant had given respondent notice to produce, and in the event of her failure so to do, secondary evidence of the contents thereof would be offered. Of curse, under the circumstances, the best evidence of the contents of the policy, was (1) a duplicate; (2) a copy.”
I have gone rather fully into the proceedings in order to show the important aspect these insurance policies and their contents assumed in the trial of this case.
*259I am of the opinion that such proof of the existence of insurance contracts, and their contents, on the life of the deceased by district managers and field agents was a violation of the best evidence rule, the best evidence being a duplicate or a copy, and that exception 12 should bb sustained and a new trial ordered.