New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 22 - COURTS
Chapter 600 - ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS OFFICE
Part 1 - GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING RULES AND PROCEDURES
Section 22.600.1.18 - BURDEN OF PROOF, PRESENTATION OF CASE, EVIDENCE

A. Unless otherwise specified by statute, the burden of proof in an administrative proceeding before the administrative hearings office is the preponderance of evidence.

B. The party with the burden of proof in the case will ordinarily present their case first, followed by the opposing party, unless the hearing officer makes reasonable exceptions related to the availability of the witnesses and representatives or other scheduling concerns.

C. The hearing officer may require or allow opening statements as the circumstances justify. Opening statements are not ordinarily evidence, but without objection, may be adopted as evidence by sworn oath of the party-witness who made the opening statement.

D. All testimony must be given under oath and will be subject to questioning of the opposing party. The hearing officer may also ask questions of the witness as appropriate. At the hearing officer's discretion, redirect and recross may be allowed.

E. The parties may make closing arguments, either orally at the conclusion of the case or, upon order of the hearing officer, in writing after conclusion of the hearing. The hearing officer may also require the parties to submit further briefing on any issue in the case, and to submit proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. No decision-writing deadline commences until the parties have submitted any ordered post-hearing briefing.

F. The New Mexico rules of evidence and civil procedure shall not apply in any matter before the administrative hearings office unless otherwise expressly and specifically required by statute, regulation, or order of the hearing officer. Relevant and material evidence shall be admissible. Irrelevant, immaterial, unreliable, or unduly repetitious evidence may be excluded. The hearing officer shall consider and give appropriate weight to all relevant and material evidence admitted in rendering a final decision on the merits of a matter.

G. Hearsay evidence may be admitted in the proceeding.

H. The hearing officer may take administrative notice of facts not subject to reasonable dispute that are generally known within the community, capable of accurate and ready determination by resort to sources whose accuracy cannot be reasonably disputed, or as provided by an applicable statute. Administrative notice may be taken at any stage in the proceeding whether or not requested by the parties. A party is entitled to respond as to the propriety of taking administrative notice which shall include the opportunity to refute a noticed fact.

I. Parties objecting to evidence shall timely and briefly state the grounds for the objection. Rulings on evidentiary objections may be addressed on the record at the time of the objection, reserved for ruling in a subsequent written order, or noted as a continuing, ongoing objection for which ruling is reserved to later in the proceeding.

J. Any party wishing to submit a video or audio recording into the record must provide a complete tangible, playable copy that can be retained by the administrative hearings office as part of the administrative record.

K. In general, documentary evidence should be no larger than 8.5 inches by 11 inches unless expressly allowed by the hearing officer. The hearing officer may admit documentary exhibits presented at hearing which exceeds 8.5 inches by 11 inches or which cannot be folded, provided the proponent of such exhibits provide the administrative hearings office with a copy of the exhibit reduced to 8.5 inches by 11 inches. After the hearing at which the exhibit was admitted, the reduced copy shall be substituted for the larger exhibit and made part of the record of the hearing. The administrative hearings office may permit the proponent of a large exhibit to make arrangements to obtain a reduced copy, provided that a failure by the proponent to provide a reduced copy shall be deemed a withdrawal of the exhibit.

L. In lieu of the introduction of tangible objects as exhibits, the hearing officer may require the moving party to submit a photograph, video, or other appropriate substitute such as a verbal description of the pertinent characteristics of the object for the record.