Shinn v. Iowa Mutual Insurance Co.

610 N.W.2d 538, 2000 Iowa App. LEXIS 3, 2000 WL 210249
CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedFebruary 23, 2000
Docket99-0107
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 610 N.W.2d 538 (Shinn v. Iowa Mutual Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shinn v. Iowa Mutual Insurance Co., 610 N.W.2d 538, 2000 Iowa App. LEXIS 3, 2000 WL 210249 (iowactapp 2000).

Opinion

SACKETT, C.J.

Plaintiff-Appellant Carl Shinn, purchased a policy from Defendant-Appellee Iowa Mutual.Insurance Company insuring his home in Udell, Iowa, for fire damage. The house burned. Plaintiff filed a timely claim for coverage. Defendant denied plaintiffs claim for coverage contending plaintiff made false representations and he conspired with another, Ernest Stetter, to burn the house down. Plaintiff sued defendant contending it breached his contract of insurance. A jury denied plaintiffs claim for coverage on the fire. Plaintiff contends the district court erred (1) in admitting hearsay evidence; and (2) in instructing the jury. We affirm in part, we reverse in part and remand for new trial.

The fire loss occurred on November 13, 1996. At the time of the fire plaintiff was in Kansas. The theory advanced after the fire investigation was George Byers in conspiracy with plaintiff paid Ernest Stetter to start the fire. Stetter was arrested and charged with arson. Following his arrest, Stetter gave a video taped confession to the Appanoose County Sheriff. Stetter’s confession came after an agreement was made between Stetter and the state that Stetter would give testimony in return for a reduction of the charges against him and he would not be held financially responsible for the fire loss. The arson charge against Stetter was dismissed. Stetter then left the state and could not be found. He was not available at trial time.

The defendant sought to introduce evidence of Stetter’s statements through the testimony of Deputy Sheriff Gary Anderson. Anderson testified over objection Stetter told him George Byers, a neighbor and friend of plaintiff, offered Stetter $500 to burn down plaintiffs house. Stetter also said Byers said Stetter would get $500 more from plaintiffs insurance proceeds. Anderson testified Stetter described the interior of the house and told him plaintiff put gasoline in plastic antifreeze containers in the house and left the back door unlocked. Anderson related Stetter said he spread the gasoline through the home and lit it. A charred plastic antifreeze container containing gasoline was found on the premises.

Plaintiff contends it was error for the district court to allow Anderson’s testimony of statements made by Stetter and statements Stetter made as to what Byers said. Defendant admits error was preserved in that plaintiff filed a motion under Iowa Rule of Evidence 104(b) and objected to Anderson’s testimony as to statements made by Stetter.

Anderson’s testimony was based on alleged out-of-court statements made to him by a non-testifying declarant, Stetter. It was offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted, that is, that plaintiff paid to have the fire started. See Iowa R.Evid. 801(c), and Iowa R.Evid. 802. Such rulings should be reviewed for correction of errors of law. State v. Ross, 573 N.W.2d 906, 910 (Iowa 1998). Admission of hearsay evidence over a proper objection is presumed to be prejudicial error unless the contrary is affirmatively established. See State v. Rice, 543 N.W.2d 884, 887 (Iowa 1996); State v. McKettrick, 480 N.W.2d 52, 60 (Iowa 1992); accord State v. Nims, mi N.W.2d 608, 609 (Iowa 1984); State v. Wixom, 599 N.W.2d, 481, 484 (Iowa App.1999).

Plaintiff contends Stetter’s statements were hearsay. A first question is whether the statements ai*e hearsay. Defendant, *540 relying on Rule 801(d)(2)(E) contends they are not.

801(d)(2)(E) provides in relevant part: Statements Which Are Not Hearsay. A statement is not hearsay if ... (2) The statement is offered against a party and is ... (E) a statement by a co-conspirator of a party during the course and in furtherance of the conspiracy.

(emphasis added).

In order for the rule to apply to Stetter’s statements to Deputy Anderson two conditions must be met. First, the statement .must have been made during the pendency of the conspiracy. Second, it must have been made in promotion of the object or design of the conspiracy. State v. Ross, 573 N.W.2d 906, 915 (Iowa 1998); State v. Wedelstedt, 263 N.W.2d 894, 899 (Iowa 1978). We find that the statement was not made either during the alleged conspiracy or in promotion of its object.

In State v. Puffinbarger, 540 N.W.2d 452, 456 (Iowa App.1995), we held the 801(d)(2)(E) exception did not apply to written statements made by a codefendant to the police after the codefendant had been arrested. The court reasoned a conspiracy ends when the central criminal purposes have been attained, when the last objective sought is achieved or when all co-conspirators have been arrested. Id. Accordingly, a co-conspirator’s incriminating statement following an arrest does not qualify under the co-conspirator definition because the statement was not in furtherance of the criminal act; rather, the conspiracy has terminated. Id.

The same holds true in the present case. Stetter’s statement was made to Deputy Anderson after the house had burned and after Stetter was arrested. Consequently, the object of the alleged conspiracy had already been achieved. The statement was made after the alleged conspiracy had terminated. Also, since it was made to a police officer after Stetter’s arrest, it would not have been made in furtherance of the alleged conspiracy even if its purpose had not already been attained. Thus, these statements were hearsay.

The second question is, are the hearsay statements admissible as an exception to the general ban on hearsay evidence. Defendant contends they are admissible under Iowa Rule of Evidence 804(b)(3) which provides:

Statement against interest. A statement which was at the time of its making so far contrary to the declarant’s pecuniary or proprietary interest or so far tended to subject him to civil or criminal liability, ... that a reasonable man in his position would not have made the statement unless he believed it to be true. A statement tending to expose the declarant to criminal liability and offered to exculpate the accused is not admissible unless corroborating circumstances clearly indicate the trustworthiness of the statement.

This exception requires that the declarant be unavailable. No one disputes that Stet-ter was not available. Plaintiff contends Stetter had a motive to give false testimony and the circumstances under which the testimony was given indicate the statement was not trustworthy. We agree..

The question is whether the evidence admitted by the trial court “so far tended to subject [Stetter] to ... criminal liability ... that a reasonable man in his position would not have made statements unless he believed they were true.” Iowa R.Evid. 804(b)(3).

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618 N.W.2d 117 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2000)

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Bluebook (online)
610 N.W.2d 538, 2000 Iowa App. LEXIS 3, 2000 WL 210249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shinn-v-iowa-mutual-insurance-co-iowactapp-2000.