Court Opinion

ID: 9585858
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:04:31.353983+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:24:15.745798
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
On motion for rehearing appellee asserts that the exclusion by the trial court of an answer to the hypothetical question asked by appellant on cross-examination of Dr. Turk, appellee’s expert witness, if error, was harmless. However, contrary to appellee’s contentions, we find that the subject matter of the hypothetical question, namely the causation of the injuries sustained by Mrs. Martin, was a highly contested and vital issue at trial, and that “the exclusion of competent testimony in respect thereto is a substantial error, and not a mere technical one.” The Augusta & Summerville R. Co. v. Dorsey, 68 Ga. 228, 229 (1881). Furthermore, we are not persuaded that the hypothetical question would have resulted in an answer which was merely cumulative of testimony given by other witnesses. The hypothetical question at issue was posed to the witness on cross-examination, and, therefore, no proffer was made. This court can not speculate as to what may have been the witness’ answer to the question or its effect on the jury. Barker v. Crum Trucking Co., 137 Ga. App. 435, 436 (2) (224 SE2d 53) (1976). It necessarily follows that it cannot be said that the witness’ response to the specific question posed would have been cumulative of the testimony by other experts who testified only generally on the same subject matter. Compare Warmack v. Mini-Skools Ltd., 164 Ga. App. 737 (1) (297 SE2d 365) (1982), wherein the answers sought to be elicited by the hypothetical questions actually reached the jury by other testimony of the same witness. Also compaxe Firestone Tire &c. Co. v. Pinyan, 155 Ga. App. 343, 351 (6) (270 SE2d 883) (1980), where “[tjestimony identical to that excluded, as demonstrated by the proffer, was given by at least one other witness and substantially the same evidence was given by at least two other witnesses. [Cit.]” (Emphasis supplied.)
We find that appellant’s right to a thorough and sifting cross-examination was abridged. “A material abridgement or denial of the substantial right of cross-examination of opposing witnesses is material error and requires the grant of a new trial. [Cits.] ‘As a general rule it is better that cross-examination should be too free than too much restricted.’ [Cit.]” Smith v. Davis, 76 Ga. App. 154, 158 (45 SE2d 237) (1947). Therefore, refusal to allow an answer to the hypothetical question was harmful, as the error affected the substantial right of appellant to a thorough and sifting cross-*141examination.

Motion for rehearing denied.