A plaintiff in a civil trial offers into evidence a certified copy of a state agency’s report on workplace safety inspections, which concludes that the defendant violated several safety standards. The defendant objects, arguing that the report is hearsay. Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, is the report admissible as an exception to the hearsay rule?
No, public records are typically considered hearsay unless an exception applies in civil trials.
Yes, but admissibility requires consent from the opposing party.
Yes, public records are admissible if they include factual findings from a legally authorized investigation and are deemed trustworthy.
No, public records require the author of the report to testify at trial for admissibility.
The report is admissible because public records fall under an exception to the hearsay rule when they include factual findings from a legally authorized investigation and are deemed trustworthy. In this case, the state agency’s report meets these standards. Option B is incorrect because the Federal Rules of Evidence do not require the author of a public report to testify for the report to be admissible. Option C is flawed because public records are not typically categorized as hearsay without recognizing the relevant exception. Option D is incorrect because the opposing party's consent is not required for public records to be admitted under the hearsay exceptions.
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