📄 Sidebar: Nicole's diary admissibility (2) — Friday, November 22, 1996
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TRIAL
▲ Day 21 of 57

Sidebar: Nicole's diary admissibility (2)

Date: Friday, November 22, 1996 • Utterances: 16
Baker moves to exclude Nicole Brown Simpson's diary entries from May 2 and June 3, 1994, arguing double hearsay, lack of trustworthiness, and that the volatile language's prejudicial effect outweighs its probative value. Petrocelli counters that the entries are admissions and directly relevant to Nicole's state of mind — a door Baker himself opened in his opening statement. Judge Fujisaki rules the diary is admissible for state-of-mind purposes and finds Evidence Code Section 1370 constitutional.
1 THE COURT:

Can I see counsel at the bench.

THE COURT REPORTER: With the reporter?:

2 THE COURT:

Yes.

3 (The following proceedings were held at the bench, with the reporter.)
4 THE COURT:

The Court has a memorandum that's been filed. I don't see any motion filed, however.

5 MR. BAKER:

Well, the motion is to exclude the diaries and exclude the diaries that he's just gone into, any further excludes the diary of May 2, 1994 and June 3, 1994 under the points and authorities set forth therein.

The fact that this is double hearsay that under the new Evidence Code Section 1370, there isn't a threat of physical violence, and under 352 the language contained herein is quite volatile, it has virtually no probative value.

He can ask him anything he wants relative to the IRS, but the probative value of this relative to the prejudicial effect, in my opinion, far outweighs the prejudicial -- far outweighs the probative value, in addition to the hearsay upon hearsay, and they have not demonstrated that these statements were made to indicate trustworthiness under Evidence Code Section 1252.

We don't know when they were made. I mean, I suppose you can say by innuendo they were made on the date that she says they were made. But Mr. Simpson will deny that any of this was ever said on June 3 and will deny that he has ever called her these kinds of names. So ...

6 MR. PETROCELLI:

Your Honor, we've been through this several times. The statements or admissions and they're -- the statements are admissions and they're also relevant to -- directly relevant to her state of mind. It's her handwriting. If he wants to deny them, fine.

In addition, Mr. Baker directly argued in his opening statement on numerous occasions about Nicole's state of mind, indicating it was Simpson who broke up the relationship, indicating there's no anger, no hostility between the parties.

Now, if he wanted to keep something like this out, he had to stay away from all those points, and he specifically referenced it over and over in his opening statement.

7 MR. BAKER:

I didn't reference --

8 MR. PETROCELLI:

Excuse me.

9 MR. BAKER:

I'm sorry.

10 MR. PETROCELLI:

Page references. And he said that Nicole Simpson was her confidante and is basically trying to convince the jury that there was no reason for a motive at all, nothing was happening between these parties that would suggest a motive. He affirmatively put that on in his opening statement. He directly made the state of mind of both parties relevant. And this goes exactly to showing what was happening in the relationship days before she was killed.

11 THE COURT:

The Court rules as follows:

First, the Court rules that there is a constitutional issue raised as to 1370 of the Evidence Code in the memorandum.

The Court finds that the statute is constitutional.

Number 2, the Court will allow the use of those documents for the purposes of showing the decedent's state of mind.

3, with regards to any specific threats, unless counsel shows me a threat, insofar as a threat exception is concerned, I don't see how that would apply.

12 MR. PETROCELLI:

Well, she does say --

13 THE COURT:

Threat of physical injury.

14 MR. PETROCELLI:

It's ambiguous.

15 MR. BAKER:

It is not ambiguous. What is coming in?

16 THE COURT:

Her state of mind is coming in. Her state of mind with regards to the relationship is coming in.

Okay.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (4)

Robert Baker
The probative value of this relative to the prejudicial effect, in my opinion, far outweighs the prejudicial -- far outweighs the probative value, in addition to the hearsay upon hearsay.
Core of Baker's exclusion argument — and he noticeably misspeaks, reversing 'probative' and 'prejudicial,' revealing the difficulty of his position.
Daniel Petrocelli
If he wanted to keep something like this out, he had to stay away from all those points, and he specifically referenced it over and over in his opening statement.
The 'opening the door' argument — Baker's own opening statement about Nicole's state of mind now makes her diary directly responsive.
Hiroshi Fujisaki
The Court will allow the use of those documents for the purposes of showing the decedent's state of mind.
The ruling — diary entries come in, giving the jury direct access to Nicole's documented feelings in the weeks before her death.
Robert Baker
Mr. Simpson will deny that any of this was ever said on June 3 and will deny that he has ever called her these kinds of names.
Baker telegraphs Simpson's anticipated testimony, acknowledging the diary's damaging content while previewing the defense's denial strategy.

Evidence (2)

Informal
Nicole Brown Simpson's diary entry dated May 2, 1994
challenged by defense, admitted by court for state-of-mind purposes
Informal
Nicole Brown Simpson's diary entry dated June 3, 1994
challenged by defense, admitted by court for state-of-mind purposes

Notable Exchanges (2)

Daniel PetrocelliRobert Baker
Baker interrupts Petrocelli mid-argument ('I didn't reference --'); Petrocelli cuts him off ('Excuse me'); Baker backs down ('I'm sorry'). Petrocelli then details the specific page references from Baker's opening statement.
heated
Hiroshi FujisakiDaniel Petrocelli
After the ruling, Petrocelli tries to press for a threat exception; Fujisaki cuts him off specifying 'threat of physical injury'; Petrocelli calls it ambiguous and the judge moves on.
procedural

Objections

None recorded
Proceeding 8388 • 16 utterances
Civil Trial
Department 103
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