Court Opinion

ID: 9862149
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 01:02:32.558854+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:30:29.058172
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE MYERSCOUGH, specially concurring: I specially concur. The Supreme Court of Illinois has found use of the mere-fact method of impeachment to be plain error. People v. Atkinson, 186 Ill. 2d 450, 463-64, 713 N.E.2d 532, 538 (1999). However, in this case, defendant’s counsel made an oral motion in limine to preclude the State from impeaching defendant with two previous felony convictions, specifically a March 1998 aggravated battery conviction and an October 1995 obstruction of justice conviction. Defendant’s motion in limine only sought to preclude the State from producing the nature of the felonies. In essence, defendant’s motion in limine was a request for the trial court to utilize the mere-fact method. Because defendant chose the mere-fact approach, she forfeited any error arising from the use of such method. Moreover, this error was harmless given the overwhelming weight of the evidence.