CALIFORNIA EVIDENCE: CIVIL AND CRIMINAL
...Witness Credibility Evidence
......Limited to Honesty & Veracity
7 Cards On This Topic:
  • Only evidence of honesty or veracity or their opposites admissible to attack witness' credibility.
  • No abuse of discretion in excluding evidence that D's sister-in-law, who testified for the DA, had needed psychiatric care.
  • Harmless error, if any, to exclude evidence to show O's willingness to lie where evidence inconclusive and jurors could judge his credibility for themselves when he testified.
  • Fact that W aware of exculpatory nature of facts but failed to reveal it to authorities before trial is relevant to W's credibility and s/he may properly be impeached thereby.
  • Evidence of character traits to affect credibility of witness limited to traits of honesty, veracity or their opposites.
  • Evidence of witness' homosexuality inadmissible to prove credibility, since it is trait other than honesty and veracity.
  • Evidence of narcotics addiction inadmissible to impeach witness' credibility.