Court Opinion

ID: 9542955
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:40:38.203775+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:09:21.689362
License: Public Domain

THOMAS, Justice,
concurring.
I certainly agree that the judgment in this case should be affirmed. I am not so critical of the evidentiary ruling of the district judge with respect to the effort to cross-examine the wife and introduce the testimony of the neighbor. The record discloses rather clearly that the wife advised the court that she had considered a plan to move the children with her out of the state. To the extent that her testimony contradicted her deposition testimony, she was impeached, and the court was aware of that. Given the tenor of her answer, i.e., that she had considered such a plan but had abandoned it, the additional relevancy is minimal indeed. The court was advised of her consideration of the plan and the inconsistency with her deposition, and that was adequate under the circumstances. Consequently, I would not find the ruling excluding this testimony to be erroneous either with respect to impeachment or its independent relevancy. It need not be justified as harmless error because there was no error.