Question

The defendant is charged with the battery of a bouncer at a local tavern. At the trial, the prosecutor introduces evidence that while the bouncer was attempting to question the defendant about her intoxicated demeanor, the defendant committed a battery on the bouncer. The defendant attempts to defend against the charge on the basis of self-defense, insisting that the bouncer used excessive force in stopping her from entering the tavern. The defendant attempts to introduce into evidence an authenticated copy of the tavern records that show that three patrons had written complaints against the bouncer within the past six months for the use of excessive force. The prosecutor objects on the grounds that the records are inadmissible character evidence.
Should the court sustain the objection?
A. Yes, because the character of a victim can be established only by reputation or opinion evidence.
B. Yes, because there is no evidence that the incidents involving the three patrons were based on the same facts as the defendant's claim.
C. No, because the records were authenticated.
D. No, because the character trait of a victim may be established by opinion evidence, reputation evidence, or specific acts of misconduct.

Answer 1

Answer: Yes, because the character of a victim can be established only by reputation or opinion evidence

Explanation:

Character evidence is a testimony that's submitted in order to price that an individual acted in a certain way regarding a particular situation based on the person's character.

Based on the information given in the question, if the prosecutor objects on the grounds that the records are inadmissible character evidence, then the court would sustain the objection because the character of a victim can be established only by reputation or opinion evidence.

Character evidence is typically not admissible especially when it's offered to show that there is conformity of trait of the character.

Therefore, the correct option is A.