Court Opinion

ID: 9774750
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 18:32:33.889243+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:50:28.583699
License: Public Domain

OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
On motion for rehearing, the State argues that this Court erred in sustaining appellant’s first three grounds of error. The State argues that appellant failed to preserve error by not obtaining an adverse ruling on his attempt to question Mrs. Barrera about the civil claim against the City of Mission. We disagree. The record indicates that appellant’s counsel asked Mrs. Barrera about the claim. State’s counsel objected to the question, a bench discussion was held, and the trial court gave defense counsel “an opportunity to go into this problem at the recess time.”
Later, out of the presence of the jury, the issue was presented to the court. Defense counsel argued that he should be able to cross-examine Mrs. Barrera in front of the jury about any civil claim against the city because the civil claim gave her a financial interest in fabricating a story against the officer. During the argument, defense counsel presented to the court a letter from Mrs. Barrera’s attorney concerning the possible claim. Out of the presence of the jury, the trial court repeatedly ruled that evidence of the claim was inadmissible. At one place in the record, the trial court said, “I’m going to rule that this is not admissible.” Later, the court said, “(M)y ruling is that the notice of intention to the City of Mission, whatever it amounts to, or the written instrument itself is not admissible. You have your objection and you have your bill and I think a full record of it.” And again, the court said, “I’m going to rule it’s inadmissible and give you a complete bill on it.” Finally, the Court reiterated:
“(M)y final ruling as far as a suit against the city is concerned and that letter is concerned, is that it will be excluded and you can have your objections and exceptions and if you want to expand on it later after this case goes to the jury, you can do so. Now, let’s go to the next question.”
The State is correct in pointing out that the letter was never offered as evidence in front of the jury. The State is wrong in arguing here that the appellant never received an adverse ruling from the court with regard to whether Mrs. Barrera had filed a claim against the city of Mission. As noted above, the “final ruling as far as a suit against the city is concerned and that letter is concerned, is that it will be excluded.”
The State also argues in its motion for rehearing that defense exhibit no. 4 (the letter) was a duplicated copy and, because of that, was inadmissible. We again disagree. Art. 38.01 TEX.CODE CRIM. PRO.ANN (Vernon 1979) provides that the common law rules of evidence apply in criminal cases, “except where they are in *372conflict with the provisions of this code or of some other statute of the State.” See also Art. 38.02 TEX.CODE CRIM.PRO. ANN. (Vernon 1979).
TEX.REV.CIV.STAT.ANN. art. 3731c provides that a photocopy or reproduction shall be permitted in any judicial or administrative proceeding “where there is no bona fide dispute as to its being an accurate reproduction of the original.” In this case, there was no dispute that the copy of the letter from Mrs. Barrera’s attorney was an accurate reproduction of the original. The State’s argument on rehearing is without merit. Although the letter was not offered before the jury, it is apparent that the trial court had ruled the letter inadmissible.
We have carefully considered all of the State’s grounds of error in its motion for rehearing, and they are overruled.