Calderon v. Sharkey
This text of 436 N.E.2d 1008 (Calderon v. Sharkey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
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The question presented in this appeal is whether the trial court abused its discretion in limiting cross-examination on appellant’s medical expert’s bias and pecuniary interest. In reviewing this issue, we must keep in mind that “[t]he term ‘abuse of discretion’ connotes more than an error of law or of judgment; it implies that the court’s attitude is [220]*220unreasonable, arbitrary or unconscionable. Steiner v. Custer (1940), 137 Ohio St. 448; Conner v. Conner (1959), 170 Ohio St. 85; Chester Township v. Geauga Co. Budget Comm. (1976), 48 Ohio St. 2d 372.” State v. Adams (1980), 62 Ohio St. 2d 151, at pages 157-158.
Appellant contends that “Ohio Rules of Evidence 103(A) and 403(B) grant a trial court broad discretion in limiting the cross-examination of a medical expert on issues of bias and pecuniary interest,” and that “this discretion is not abused where the court permits a general inquiry on issues of bias and prejudice but limits its scope on the grounds of undue delay or needless presentation of cumulative evidence.” In the case at bar, the trial court sustained objections to two questions in a series of questions relating to the expert’s alleged bias. The two questions ruled inadmissible went to the ongoing business relationship between defense counsel and the expert and the number of times the expert had testified for defendants in the previous year. The court allowed questions going to the expert’s fees, the frequency of his testimony in the then current year, and his exclusive appearances for defendants.3
[221]*221The record indicates that the court permitted appellee to inquire into the expert’s financial interest at some length, and the [222]*222jury was made abundantly aware that Dr. Hanley would be paid by appellant’s counsel for the services he performed in connection with the instant litigation. Thus, notwithstanding the two excluded questions appellee had a sufficient evidentiary basis to argue on the issues of bias and pecuniary interest, which issues were squarely before the jury by virtue of the testimony that the court deemed admissible on these matters.4
Evid. R. 403(B) grants the trial court discretion to limit questioning if the “probative value is substantially outweighed by considerations of undue delay, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence.” The trial court apparently was of the view that the excluded questions would delay the proceedings or be cumulative. We are not prepared to say that in ruling these questions inadmissible the trial court’s attitude was unreasonable, arbitrary, or unconscionable. It is important to remember that the question before this court is not whether the trial court ruled as we would have ruled if confronted with these questions, but whether the court abused its discretion so as to prejudice appellee. We stated that general rule in O’Brien v. Angley (1980), 63 Ohio St. 2d 159, 163:
“The scope of cross-examination and the admissibility of evidence during cross-examination are matters which rest in the sound discretion of the trial judge. Thus, when the trial court determines that certain evidence will be admitted or excluded from trial, it is well established that the order or ruling of the court will not be reversed unless there has been a clear and prejudicial abuse of discretion.”
Although the O’Brien case was not decided under the rules, [223]*223the principle enunciated therein remains applicable pursuant to Evid. R. 102.5 Thus O’Brien and now the rules stand for the proposition that close evidentiary questions are within the domain of the trial court.6
The Court of Appeals majority seemed to assume the bias of medical experts. The opinion below cast somewhat sinister aspersions on doctors who forsake clinical practice to testify in court. In accordance with this view, the majority would have allowed extensive questioning on all matters touching upon the expert’s business practices and his relationship with defense counsel irrespective of cumulativeness and collaterally. The court below has apparently established a double standard for expert witnesses whereby “a healer of the sick” is ipso facto more credible than “a professional witness.” It is this characterization of medical experts that has prompted the amicus, Ohio State Medical Association, to file its brief in this cause.
The amicus argues that the dichotomy developed by the court below is faulty because “[t]he rules regarding discovery and cross-examination of treating physicians who appear as witnesses, and examining physicians who appear as expert witnesses, are essentially the same, and the participation at trial of both types of witnesses is necessary to the proper disposition of medically-related litigation in this state.” We agree with the amicus that the rules do not support the distinction drawn by the Court of Appeals’ majority.7 Evidence of bias and pecuniary interest is a legitimate subject of inquiry of [224]*224all expert witnesses within the limits imposed by the trial court in the reasonable exercise of its discretion. One category of otherwise competent experts, however, is not to be singled out as a matter of law to be questioned more extensively and to be required to produce more detailed records than other experts on matters relating to bias and prejudice. If in a particular case it appears to the trial judge that a medical expert, or for that matter, a treating physician, should be cross-examined in considerable detail on bias and interest, then we are confident that the court will permit a party to pursue this line of questioning. If, on the other hand, it appears that digressive excursions into the expert’s past dealings serve no useful purpose in demonstrating bias and interest, then the court may properly limit the scope of the inquiry pursuant to Evid. R. 403(B).
We should stress the salient point that we do not hereby create any per se rule with respect to the scope of cross-examination on the subject of an expert witness’ bias and financial interest. To the contrary, we hold, consistent with O’Brien and Evid. R. 403(B), that the scope of cross-examination of a medical expert on the question of the expert’s bias and pecuniary interest and the admissibility of evidence relating thereto are matters that rest in the sound discretion of the trial court. Accordingly, the trial judge did not err either in excluding the disputed questions or in sustaining appellant’s motion in limine.8
For the reasons hereinbefore stated the judgment of the Court of Appeals is reversed.
Judgment reversed.
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack
436 N.E.2d 1008, 70 Ohio St. 2d 218, 24 Ohio Op. 3d 322, 1982 Ohio LEXIS 667, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/calderon-v-sharkey-ohio-1982.