Operating from the Same Copy of the Report - Cross-Examining Psych Doctors, Tip #103

Cross-examining a psych doctor is typically no simple task.  You definitely don’t want to add unnecessary challenges to the cross-examination process.  Therefore, during cross-examination it is imperative that you confirm that the doctor is using the same copy of the report that he/she submitted to the court.  If even one word is different it could mean that a sentence or a whole section might have an entirely different meaning than what was originally produced by the doctor.  Further, allowing the doctor to use a different copy of their report will cause significant confusion during the cross-examination process and result in a delay in the proceedings.  Thus, if it is discovered that the doctor is operating from a different copy of their report than what was originally submitted to the court, despite however minor the differences are portrayed, you should immediately halt the cross-examination and insist that the doctor use the official version of his/her report to testify.  Otherwise you are comparing apples and oranges.