State v. Brown
State v. Brown, 2025 UT App 52 (Mortensen, J.)
Criminal Law
The Utah Court of Appeals held:
- The district court abused its discretion in allowing Detective’s improper testimony about legal conclusions.
- Practice tip: Witnesses give improper legal conclusions when they couch their opinions as legal conclusions, tie their opinions to the requirements of Utah law, or otherwise tell the jury what conclusion to reach.
- Practice tip: Regardless of the admissibility of any testimony, once the court has allowed a witness to testify, that testimony can be challenged in cross-examination.