Q: Opening the door
There is a trial in Florida where a woman shot through a door and killed her neighbor in what she claims in slf defense.
After the event someone in the community wrote negative things on the doo.
The door was brought into evidence at the trial today. But the door was painted over to cover the negative things written on it. There was discussion on court about ehat coulldbe preseneted in trial.
Can anyone cite another case where there was a discussion about "opening the door" with respect to an actual door?
A:
First, you are asking about a Florida case, and that state's law would apply as to rules of evidence.
It seems like you are asking a question out of curiosity, rather than having a legal issue that needs some guidance by the lawyers that volunteer thier time. Please respect that the attorneyes that take their time to respond value their time, and it has worth to them.
The door was admissible no doubt as it had a bullet hole in it. What was writen after the fact on the door is inadmissible, and likley to be prejudicial to the defendant. The jury doesn't need to know whether the occupant of the home was called names or what they were. Their job is to determine if she did it or not. That said, in criminal or other proceedings a witness can 'open the door', usually accidentally, to admissibility which would then allow excluded information to be admissible to disprove some fact or another.
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