Vermont Statutes Title 3 Sec. 810
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 3 Sec. 810
- Agency: means a State board, commission, department, agency, or other entity or officer of State government, other than the Legislature, the courts, the Commander in Chief, and the Military Department, authorized by law to make rules or to determine contested cases. See
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Party: means each person or agency named or admitted as a party, or properly seeking and entitled as of right to be admitted as a party. See
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
§ 810. Rules of Evidence; official notice
In contested cases:
(1) Irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious evidence shall be excluded. The Rules of Evidence as applied in civil cases in the Superior Courts of this State shall be followed. When necessary to ascertain facts not reasonably susceptible of proof under those rules, evidence not admissible thereunder may be admitted (except where precluded by statute) if it is of a type commonly relied upon by reasonably prudent persons in the conduct of their affairs. Agencies shall give effect to the rules of privilege recognized by law. Objections to evidentiary offers may be made and shall be noted in the record. Subject to these requirements, when a hearing will be expedited and the interests of the parties will not be prejudiced substantially, any part of the evidence may be received in written form.
(2) Documentary evidence may be received in the form of copies or excerpts, if the original is not readily available. Upon request, parties shall be given an opportunity to compare the copy with the original.
(3) A party may conduct cross-examinations required for a full and true disclosure of the facts.
(4) Notice may be taken of judicially cognizable facts. In addition, notice may be taken of generally recognized technical or scientific facts within the agency‘s specialized knowledge. Parties shall be notified either before or during the hearing, or by reference in preliminary reports or otherwise, of the material noticed, including any staff memoranda or data, and they shall be afforded an opportunity to contest the material so noticed. The agency’s experience, technical competence, and specialized knowledge may be utilized in the evaluation of the evidence. (Added 1967, No. 360 (Adj. Sess.), § 10, eff. July 1, 1969; amended 1973, No. 193 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 9, 1974; 2023, No. 33, § 10, eff. July 1, 2023.)