Corroborating Evidence: Credibility Enhancers
Corroborating evidence are those exhibits that validate or corroborate the testimony of your witnesses. For example, the issue is whether to believe Defendant Mr. Jones’ testimony about who was present at a meeting in Chicago, Illinois on December 4, 2004. The Plaintiff testified that Mr. Jones lived in Dallas and was not present at the December 4 meeting in Chicago. In contrast, Mr. Jones took the stand and testified that he woke up in Dallas on December 3, 2004, caught a 3:00 p.m. flight on American Airlines to Chicago, participated in the meeting on December 4 and flew home that evening. Mr. Jones’ lawyer went one step further and offered both an American Airlines Boarding Pass bearing Mr. Jones name and dated December 3, 2004, plus a credit card bill showing a $232.00 room rental at the Hilton City Center in Chicago for the night of December 3, 2004 and his cell phone bill showing all his calls on December 3 and 4 originated from Chicago and there were no calls made during the alleged meeting time. Now, who’s testimony is more credible and why? Clearly, Mr. Jones wins and he wins for two reasons. First, the level of detail he provided is far more credible than his adversary’s unsupported denial. Second, his attorney corroborated Mr. Jones’ testimony with documents. Although we did not witness Mr. Jones’ actions, the jurors have concrete details and hard evidence in the form of documents to support his testimony. Objective third-party documents American Airlines and his cell phone provider, corroborate that Mr. Jones was at the meeting, flew to Chicago, woke up in Chicago the day of the meeting and made phone calls originating in Chicago. Looks to me like Mr. Jones was in Chicago and in that meeting. Here, the exhibits support and corroborate Mr. Jones’ testimony and make the jury more likely to believe Mr. Jones.
About the Author
Trey Cox specializes in courtroom fights between businesses. His jury trial experience and courtroom success have earned him the distinction of being Board Certified as a Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Trey represents Fortune 500 corporations, entrepreneurs, and leading firms in a wide array of industries. His dedication to his clients and winning track record have repeatedly earned him recognition as one of the top trial lawyers in the country.
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