{
  "id": 2851995,
  "name": "Barbara J. Patmon, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. William Coffey, Jr., Defendant-Appellant",
  "name_abbreviation": "Patmon v. Coffey",
  "decision_date": "1973-05-23",
  "docket_number": "No. 56643",
  "first_page": "117",
  "last_page": "118",
  "citations": [
    {
      "type": "official",
      "cite": "12 Ill. App. 3d 117"
    }
  ],
  "court": {
    "name_abbreviation": "Ill. App. Ct.",
    "id": 8837,
    "name": "Illinois Appellate Court"
  },
  "jurisdiction": {
    "id": 29,
    "name_long": "Illinois",
    "name": "Ill."
  },
  "cites_to": [
    {
      "cite": "55 Ill.App.2d 220",
      "category": "reporters:state",
      "reporter": "Ill. App. 2d",
      "case_ids": [
        5284280
      ],
      "opinion_index": 0,
      "case_paths": [
        "/ill-app-2d/55/0220-01"
      ]
    },
    {
      "cite": "17 Ill.2d 502",
      "category": "reporters:state",
      "reporter": "Ill. 2d",
      "case_ids": [
        5333890
      ],
      "year": 1965,
      "opinion_index": 0,
      "case_paths": [
        "/ill-2d/17/0502-01"
      ]
    }
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  "analysis": {
    "cardinality": 208,
    "char_count": 2464,
    "ocr_confidence": 0.766,
    "pagerank": {
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      "percentile": 0.29109843855761475
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    "sha256": "279ef82501fca77199f7252d9574624ca13b9ba3fd08b9295ea03a5235d7d9ae",
    "simhash": "1:9450f72778de5155",
    "word_count": 411
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  "last_updated": "2023-07-14T15:56:16.526311+00:00",
  "provenance": {
    "date_added": "2019-08-29",
    "source": "Harvard",
    "batch": "2018"
  },
  "casebody": {
    "judges": [],
    "parties": [
      "Barbara J. Patmon, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. William Coffey, Jr., Defendant-Appellant."
    ],
    "opinions": [
      {
        "text": "Mr. JUSTICE DIERINGER\ndelivered the opinion of the court:\nThis action for declaration of paternity and for an order of support was tried without a jury in the Circuit Court of Cook County, and the defendant was adjudged to be the father of the complainant\u2019s child and ordered to pay $150 per month for support.\nThe issue on appeal is whether the court erred in not allowing the defendant to introduce evidence which would impeach the credibility of the plaintiff.\nThe plaintiff, Barbara J. Patmon, filed a complaint on October 16, 1970, alleging the defendant, William Coffey, was the father of her child bom out of wedlock. She testified she had sexual relations with no one but the defendant between October of 1967 and February of 1968, and her child was born on October 30, 1968. After the birth of the child she testified the defendant gave her nine checks and some cash.\nThe defendant testified he did not have sexual relations with Barbara Patmon after November of 1967, and gave her the money as loans even though he was aware she had charged him with being the father of the child.\nThe defendant\u2019s sole basis of appeal is the court precluded him from impeaching the complainant\u2019s credibility. Although he made no offer of proof at trial, he states on appeal he wanted to introduce prior inconsistent statements to show Barbara Patmon was not married to one James Green between the years of 1958 and 1962, as she stated on her discovery deposition.\nThe law is clear that prior inconsistent statements as to material matters are admissible to impeach a witness. (People v. Mathews (1959), 17 Ill.2d 502; Black v. DeWitt (1965), 55 Ill.App.2d 220.) This is especially important in paternity cases where the plaintiff and the defendant are likely to be the only witnesses. However, in the instant case, the proposed impeachment with respect to the plaintiff\u2019s marital status between 1958 and 1962 had no reference to a material element of the case, and the rulings of the trial court were entirely correct.\nFor these reasons, the judgment of the Circuit Court of Cook County is affirmed.\nAffirmed.\nBURMAN, P. J., and ADESKO, J., concur.",
        "type": "majority",
        "author": "Mr. JUSTICE DIERINGER"
      }
    ],
    "attorneys": [
      "Foos and Sexner, Ltd., of Chicago, (William L. Meyers, of counsel,) for appellant.",
      "Raymond E. Harth, of Chicago, (Rogers, Garnett, Harth, Vital & Stroger, of counsel,) for appellee."
    ],
    "corrections": "",
    "head_matter": "Barbara J. Patmon, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. William Coffey, Jr., Defendant-Appellant.\n(No. 56643;\nFirst District (4th Division)\nMay 23, 1973.\nFoos and Sexner, Ltd., of Chicago, (William L. Meyers, of counsel,) for appellant.\nRaymond E. Harth, of Chicago, (Rogers, Garnett, Harth, Vital & Stroger, of counsel,) for appellee."
  },
  "file_name": "0117-01",
  "first_page_order": 137,
  "last_page_order": 138
}