GREGORY CHANDLER--AUDIBILITY OF TAPE RECORDINGS

I was presented an interesting case last week by an attorney in a commercial arbitration matter that I was deciding. 

The case is United States v. Powers, 75 F. 3d 335 (7th Cir. 1996).  In that case the appellate court affirmed a cocaine conspiracy conviction.  The Court held that a recording that contains inaudible or unintelligible parts may be admitted unless the inaudible or unintelligible portions are so substantial that they render the recording as a whole untrustworthy.

The case was offered in the commercial arbitration to establish that a transaction among parties was a valid transaction.    

GREGORY CHANDLER, Attorney at Law