Court Opinion

ID: 9588782
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:38:43.871714+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:00.340667
License: Public Domain

Hunstein, Justice,
concurring.
I concur fully in the majority’s opinion and write in regard to Division 3 in order to state that a document prepared by a third party can be used to refresh the recollection of a witness but if counsel wishes to use such a document to impeach the witness, the document must be authenticated by the proper party before it can be so used. In this case, counsel wanted to refresh Golphin’s recollection of making a statement to a police officer by offering Golphin a copy of the officer’s written report setting forth that statement. Use of the police report for this purpose was allowable under OCGA § 24-9-69 and the trial court’s refusal to allow the recollection testimony was error. However, defense counsel’s actual purpose for refreshing Golphin’s recollection was to impeach Golphin with the prior inconsistent statement contained in the police report. Use of the report to impeach the witness was not allowable because Golphin did not create or sign the report and thus could not authenticate it. Further, the officer who created the police report subsequently testified so that the evidence was available to impeach Golphin’s trial testimony. Accordingly, I agree with the majority that the trial court’s error in refusing to allow the witness to refresh his recollection with the *65police report was rendered harmless.
Decided February 9, 1998.
Davis Cohen, for appellant.
Spencer Lawton, Jr., District Attorney, Christine S. Barker, Assistant District Attorney, Thurbert E. Baker, Attorney General, Paula K. Smith, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Deborah L. Gale, Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Justice Fletcher and Justice Sears join in this concurrence.