Calling for Narrative Response

• Library: Objections Guidebook (2022 Ed.)

Calling for Narrative Response

Form of Objection

· Question calls for overly narrative answer/response (if overruled, focus on objections as to relevance and hearsay).

General Rule

· Questions calling for narrative answer may be improper, but there is no ironclad rule against such testimony; therefore, the trial court has broad discretion to permit narrative responses. If permitted, the focus of the objection should be to relevance or other admissibility objections. But leading questions are not encouraged.

· Note: Narrative answers threaten the loss of control of a presentation through the...