Cook v. State, Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Office of State Police

928 So. 2d 589, 2006 La. App. LEXIS 242, 2006 WL 305853
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 10, 2006
DocketNo. 2005 CA 0475
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 928 So. 2d 589 (Cook v. State, Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Office of State Police) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cook v. State, Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Office of State Police, 928 So. 2d 589, 2006 La. App. LEXIS 242, 2006 WL 305853 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinions

DOWNING, J.

|?This matter arises from a lawsuit against a Louisiana State Police trooper for allegedly using excessive force when arresting a driver suspected of driving while intoxicated. The Louisiana State Police, the trooper’s employer, was also sued. For the following reasons we affirm the judgment rendered in accordance with the jury verdict that dismissed plaintiffs action.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Plaintiff-appellant, Ernest L. Cook, was stopped1 for suspicion of driving while intoxicated as he and his wife were returning from the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in Morgan City. Louisiana State Trooper Michael Arton conducted the stop. After Cook failed a field sobriety test, Arton arrested him. Cook was handcuffed behind his back and transported to the Ber-wick Police Station. After parking at the station, but before going inside the building, an altercation arose. Arton subdued Cook with a technique known as an “arm bar takedown.” Cook was injured in the process. He was taken by ambulance to a Morgan City hospital where he was treated and kept overnight.

Cook made a formal complaint to the Louisiana State Police about Arton’s conduct. The Internal Affairs section investigated the complaint but concluded there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the accusations.

Subsequently, Arton was arrested for criminal misconduct, unrelated to Cook’s incident. Arton later pleaded guilty to two felony charges. His employment with the state police was terminated.2

Cook filed suit for damages against Ar-ton and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of State Police laCcollectively, Arton) asserting that excessive force was used in his arrest and detention in violation of his civil rights and rights to due process.

[591]*591A jury trial ensued from April 5 — April 9, 2004. The jury found that Arton did not intentionally or recklessly use excessive force against Cook. Judgment was signed April 19, 2004. From that judgment Cook appealed alleging the following assignments of error:

1. The trial court erred in not allowing plaintiff, to introduce evidence that Michael Arton was not credible; specifically, that Arton failed a polygraph test administered to him as part of an investigation into the theft of Governor Mike Foster’s fishing rods, and then lied in his deposition denying he ever failed a polygraph test.
2. The trial court erred in not allowing plaintiff to question defendant’s expert, Sergeant Charles Dupuy, with regard to Arton’s character for truthfulness when Sgt. Dupuy admitted he considered the credibility of both Arton and Cook when giving his opinions at the trial.
3. The jury erred in finding that plaintiff did not prove his case in proving that Arton used excessive force in arresting/detaining Cook.

DISCUSSION

Admissibility of Evidence Regarding Polygraph Results

Arton was terminated from his employment with the State Police. During discovery, Cook learned that several months before his DWI arrest, Arton was reprimanded regarding some missing fishing tackle belonging to Governor Murphy “Mike” Foster to whom he was assigned at the time. Further inquiries into the personnel records disclosed that Arton failed a polygraph, tested positive for marijuana, and had been convicted on two felony counts. Cook also discovered that Arton denied in deposition that he failed the polygraph.

During a motion in limine hearing, the trial court ruled that Arton’s convictions would be admissible but the results of the polygraph test and testimony concerning the criminal incidents were inadmissible. The trial |4court reasoned that evidence concerning the thefts was inadmissible because the thefts were unrelated to Cook’s lawsuit. The court also stated that the drug test results would not be admitted unless there was some evidence that Arton smoked marijuana immediately prior to Cook’s arrest.

Cook contends that the trial court erred in not allowing this evidence to be presented to the jury. Specifically, Cook wanted the trial court to admit evidence that Ar-ton failed the polygraph test and later lied under oath by claiming to have passed it. Cook first argues that LSA-C.E. art. 618 authorizes the admissibility of extrinsic evidence of prior inconsistent statements after the witness has been given the opportunity to admit the fact and has failed to do so. Cook next argues that LSA-C.E. art. 607(C) authorizes impeachment by questioning a witness concerning the prior inconsistent statements, in this case, saying that he passed the polygraph.

Polygraph evidence is not admissible in civil trials.3 It is well settled that the results of polygraph examinations are [592]*592inadmissible in criminal trials. Hines v. Arkansas Louisiana Gas Company, 613 So.2d 646 (La.App. 2 Cir.1993). The exclusion of polygraph evidence in civil trials has consistently been upheld in both state and federal jurisdictions, and we find no authority to allow this evidence to be admitted. See Rebouche v. Anderson, 505 So.2d 808 (La.2 Cir.1987); Manale v. Department of Police, 376 So.2d 607 (La.App. 4 Cir.1979); Barrel of Fun, Inc. v. State Farm Fire & Casualty, 739 F.2d 1028, 1031 (5th Cir.1984).

State v. Catanese, 368 So.2d 975 (La. 1979), is a landmark decision regarding the introduction of polygraph evidence. The Catanese court’s fundamental concern was that the trier of fact is apt to give almost Inconclusive weight to the polygraph expert’s opinion. Id. at 981. The court warned that the use of polygraph evidence is generally outweighed heavily by its accompanying dangers, such as possible prejudice. Id. at 983. Because of the potentially decisive character of polygraph evidence, the court set forth a number of factors that must first be met before it will consider whether the results may be admitted. The court did not specifically rule on the admission of polygraph evidence in civil cases because that issue was not before them.

Here, we are directly confronted with the admissibility of polygraph evidence in this civil litigation, although in an indirect context. And for the same reasons that the Catanese court excluded polygraph results in criminal trials, we rule that they are also inadmissible civil trials. Therefore, the trial court did not err in excluding all evidence regarding Arton’s polygraph results, including whether he took the test and whether he passed or failed it.

We recognize that Cook is not requesting that Arton’s polygraph test results be admitted as evidence. Rather, under the guise of a prior inconsistent statement, Cook seeks to introduce evidence that Ar-ton took the test, did not pass it, and then said that he did. Cook cannot get through the back door what he cannot properly get through the front door. ' However, as stated above the evidence is inadmissible and the trial court did not err in excluding it.

Further, Cook apparently believes that Arton’s disciplinary record will show Ar-ton’s propensity for untruthfulness and general lack of character. However, pursuant to LSA-C.E.

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Bluebook (online)
928 So. 2d 589, 2006 La. App. LEXIS 242, 2006 WL 305853, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cook-v-state-department-of-public-safety-corrections-office-of-state-lactapp-2006.