These rules govern formal adversarial adjudications of the United States
Department of Labor conducted before a presiding officer.
(a) Which are required by Act of Congress to be determined on the record
after opportunity for an administrative agency hearing in accordance with the
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 554, 556 and 557, or
(b) Which by United States Department of Labor regulation are conducted in
conformance with the foregoing provisions, to the extent and with the exceptions
stated in § 18.1101.
Presiding officer, referred to in these rules as the judge, means an
Administrative Law Judge, an agency head, or other officer who presides at the
reception of evidence at a hearing in such an adjudication.
These rules shall be construed to secure fairness in administration,
elimination of unjustifiable expense and delay, and promotion of growth and
development of the law of evidence to the end that the truth may be ascertained
and proceedings justly determined.
(a) Effect of erroneous ruling. Error may not be predicated upon a
ruling which admits or excludes evidence unless a substantial right of the party
is affected, and
(1) Objection. In case the ruling is one admitting evidence, a
timely objection or motion to strike appears of record, stating the specific
ground of objection, if the specific ground was not apparent from the context;
or
(2) Offer of proof. In case the ruling is one excluding evidence,
the substance of the evidence was made known to the judge by offer or was
apparent from the context within which questions were asked. A substantial right
of the party is affected unless it is more probably true than not true that the
error did not materially contribute to the decision or order of the judge.
Properly objected to evidence admitted in error does not affect a substantial
right if explicitly not relied upon by the judge in support of the decision or
order.
(b) Record of offer and ruling. The judge may add any other or
further statement which shows the character of the evidence, the form in which
it was offered, the objection made, and the ruling thereon. The judge may direct
the making of an offer in question and answer form.
(c) Plain error. Nothing in this rule precludes taking notice of
plain errors affecting substantial rights although they were not brought to the
attention of the judge.
(a) Questions of admissibility generally. Preliminary questions
concerning the qualification of a person to be a witness, the existence of a
privilege, or the admissibility of evidence shall be determined by the judge,
subject to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section. In making such
determination the judge is not bound by the rules of evidence except those with
respect to privileges.
(b) Relevance conditioned on fact. When the relevancy of evidence
depends upon the fulfillment of a condition of fact, the judge shall admit it
upon, or subject to, the introduction of evidence sufficient to support a
finding of the fulfillment of the condition.
(c) Weight and credibility. This rule does not limit the right of a
party to introduce evidence relevant to weight or credibility.
When evidence which is admissible as to one party or for one purpose but not
admissible as to another party or for another purpose is admitted, the judge,
upon request, shall restrict the evidence to its proper scope.
When a writing or recorded statement or part thereof is introduced by a
party, an adverse party may require the introduction at that time of any other
part or any other writing or recorded statement which ought in fairness to be
considered contemporaneously with it.
(a) Scope of rule. This rule governs only official notice of
adjudicative facts.
(b) Kinds of facts. An officially noticed fact must be one not
subject to reasonable dispute in that it is either:
(1) Generally known within the local area,
(2) Capable of accurate and ready determination by resort to sources whose
accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned, or
(3) Derived from a not reasonably questioned scientific, medical or other
technical process, technique, principle, or explanatory theory within the
administrative agency's specialized field of knowledge.
(c) When discretionary. A judge may take official notice, whether
requested or not.
(d) When mandatory. A judge shall take official notice if requested
by a party and supplied with the necessary information.
(e) Opportunity to be heard. A party is entitled, upon timely
request, to an opportunity to be heard as to the propriety of taking official
notice and the tenor of the matter noticed. In the absence of prior
notification, the request may be made after official notice has been taken.
(f) Time of taking notice. Official notice may be taken at any stage
of the proceeding.
(g) Effect of official notice. An officially noticed fact is
accepted as conclusive.
Except as otherwise provided by Act of Congress, or by rules or regulations
prescribed by the administrative agency pursuant to statutory authority, or
pursuant to executive order, a presumption imposes on the party against whom it
is directed the burden of going forward with evidence to rebut or meet the
presumption, but does not shift to such party the burden of proof in the sense
of the risk of nonpersuasion, which remains throughout the trial upon the party
on whom it was originally cast.
The effect of a presumption respecting a fact which is an element of a claim
or defense as to which State law supplies the rule of decision is determined in
accordance with State law.
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