GRAVES v. AMERICAN EXPRESS (1997)

Judgment unanimously reversed, without costs, and matter remanded to the court below for a new trial.

 Cross examination of an adverse witness is a matter of right in every trial of a disputed issue of fact (Friedel v. Board of Regents, 296 N.Y. 347, 352, 73 N.E.2d 545;  Hill v. Arnold, 226 A.D.2d 232, 640 N.Y.S.2d 892).   Also, cross-examination is the principal means by which the believability of a witness and the truth of testimony is tested (Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 315-316, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 1109-1110, 39 L.Ed.2d 347).

 A review of the record on appeal indicates that the court below prohibited defendant from cross-examining plaintiff since it did not have witnesses available for plaintiff to cross-examine.   We find that the court below erred in its determination that defendant's ability to cross-examine plaintiff was contingent upon defendant presenting witnesses for plaintiff to cross examination.   Although the procedures in small claims court are relaxed, the rules of substantive law must be followed and a person's constitutional right to due process of law includes the basic right to cross-examine witnesses (CCA 1804;  Friedel v. Board of Regents, supra ).

MEMORANDUM.