Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
May documents be entered into evidence at trial multiple times or entered only once then used multiple times. I have apprx 100 documents to enter as evidence. There are about 7 categories of documents and such categories also delineate order of presentation. some of the documents will be used in multiple categories presented at different times. It would be much easier to have entered multiple copies of specific documents which will be used multiple times in different categories. It would be easier to have multiple copies of same document to avoid scrambling to find the same document among 100 + others when needed. What is practical and acceptable here? Jury trial date 14 days away. Thank you.
3 Answers from Attorneys
The court will be very angry with you if you clutter up the evidence with multiple copies of the same document unless there is some difference between the two copies that is meaningful to the case, such as to show an original and then an altered version of a document to show forgery or fraud. The court clerk, on the other hand, would prefer to kill you. It is up to you to keep your evidence organized and accessible as needed - one copy of each.
You just admit the document once. If the document is properly authenticated and admitted into evidence, you simply refer to it again for later portions of the trial. You are making this way harder than it needs to be.
You will not be allowed to introduce the same exhibit more than once.
As you will know the exhibit numbers, simply put another copy of the exhibit with the correct number in your notebook or witness folder.
For example, let's say your next witness is Jane Doe, you will have a folder or notebook tab, with your questions outline and all the exhibits to be used with this witness pre marked.
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