📄 Motion: EDTA evidence exclusion — Wednesday, December 18, 1996
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CIVIL\1996\DEC\18\MOTION-EDTA-EVIDENCE-EXCLUSION.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 34 of 57

Motion: EDTA evidence exclusion

Date: Wednesday, December 18, 1996 • Utterances: 11
Judge Fujisaki denied the plaintiffs' motion to preclude Dr. Fredric Rieders from testifying about EDTA presence in evidence samples. The court found that EDTA testing met the Kelly-Frye standard for accepted scientific methodology, and that disputes over what the FBI agent Martz's testing proved went to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility.
1 (The following proceedings were held in open court outside the presence of the jury:)
2 THE COURT:

The Court at this time reverses the plaintiffs' motion to preclude testimony of Dr. Fredric Rieders regarding presence of EDTA in the evidence samples.

I read the moving papers, the opposition and the -- I guess this is a responsive pleading by the moving party.

Either side have anything else they wish to add?

3 MR. LAMBERT:

I'll submit on the motion, Your Honor.

4 MR. BLASIER:

I simply add to our papers, I think it's outrageous they would make this motion on December 9.

5 THE COURT:

Besides your outrage, do you have anything you want to add with regard to the merits?

KEY QUOTE
6 MR. BLASIER:

There's no testimony offered by any expert in the case to the effect this is new technology, that this is not acceptable technology. All the experts that testified in the criminal case and by deposition say this is an accepted method.

Submit on that.

KEY QUOTE
7 THE COURT:

Okay.

The Court having read the transcripts that have been submitted together with the moving and opposing papers, notes that the plaintiffs' expert, Dr. Terry D. Lee is, as well as the other documentation submitted, tend to support the position that the -- the testing procedure and the experiment itself in terms of science is a valid and accepted science and a valid and accepted technique.

So I think from the standpoint of the Kelly Frye requirements, the objection of plaintiff is not well taken.

With regards to the remainder of plaintiffs' objection with respect to whether or not the testing done by the FBI agent --

8 MR. BAKER:

Martz, Your Honor.

9 THE COURT:

-- Martz, may or may not support one conclusion or the other, I think each expert has their opinion with regards to what it is capable of or what it does or does not establish. I think that goes to the weight of the evidence.

So the motion to preclude is denied.

10 MR. BLASIER:

Thank you, Your Honor.

11 MR. BAKER:

Thank you, Your Honor.

Temperature

procedural

Key Quotes (3)

Hiroshi Fujisaki
Besides your outrage, do you have anything you want to add with regard to the merits?
Dry judicial rebuke of Blasier's complaint about the motion's timing, redirecting to substance.
Robert Blasier
There's no testimony offered by any expert in the case to the effect this is new technology, that this is not acceptable technology. All the experts that testified in the criminal case and by deposition say this is an accepted method.
Core defense argument that EDTA testing was scientifically established and had already survived scrutiny in the criminal trial.
Hiroshi Fujisaki
I think each expert has their opinion with regards to what it is capable of or what it does or does not establish. I think that goes to the weight of the evidence.
The decisive ruling — disagreements between experts about what Martz's results mean are for the jury, not grounds for exclusion.

Evidence (2)

Informal
EDTA testing results on evidence samples, conducted by FBI agent Martz
discussed, admissibility challenged and upheld
Informal
Expert report and supporting documentation from plaintiffs' expert Dr. Terry D. Lee
considered by court, ultimately supported defense position on scientific validity

Notable Exchanges (2)

Hiroshi FujisakiRobert Blasier
Blasier complained the motion was 'outrageous' given its December 9 filing date; Fujisaki curtly redirected him to address the merits instead.
terse
Robert BakerHiroshi Fujisaki
Baker corrected the judge when he couldn't recall the FBI agent's name, supplying 'Martz' mid-ruling.
routine

Light Moments (1)

Robert Baker
Judge Fujisaki forgot FBI agent Martz's name mid-ruling; Baker supplied it without ceremony.

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 8706 • 11 utterances
Civil Trial
Department 103
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📂 DEC 18, 1996 📄 Motion: EDTA evidence exclusio
DEC 18, 1996 KRT DvH TD