Question

A plaintiff sued a defendant for battery. At trial, the plaintiff's witness testified that the defendant had made an unprovoked attack on the plaintiff. On cross examination, the defendant asks the witness about a false claim that the witness had once filed on an insurance policy.
The question is:________

Answer 1

Answer: It is a proper question

Explanation:

The witness is making a claim about what had transpired between the defendant and the plaintiff and in order for their testimony to stand, they need to have integrity such that a reasonable person can believe their testimony in this case.

In asking about the false claim that the witness had once filed, the defendant is trying to establish that the witness has no integrity and so in proving their untruthfulness, the defendant hopes to convince the court that the witness does not have enough integrity to be a witness.