New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 22 - COURTS
Chapter 600 - ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS OFFICE
Part 1 - GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING RULES AND PROCEDURES
Section 22.600.1.19 - WITNESSES, EXPERT WITNESSES, AND INVOCATION OF THE RULE

A. Any person having relevant, material knowledge related to one of the issues in a hearing may testify as a witness under oath in the matter. Upon affirming the oath, the witness may be questioned by both parties and by the hearing officer.

B. Unless a more specific provision applies, witnesses are ordinarily expected to appear in the same manner or by the same method as the parties in a proceeding, absent express preapproval of the assigned hearing officer allowing an appearance by a different method. For example, if the hearing is scheduled to be conducted in person in a specific place, the witnesses are also ordinarily expected to appear in person at that same place; however, if the matter is set to occur by telephone or videoconference, then the witnesses may ordinarily appear by telephone of videoconference.

C. The current or previously assigned hearing officer in a matter shall not be called and shall not be a witness in the proceeding.

D. If either party intends to call and treat a particular witness as an expert witness in the proceeding, the party must provide a written designation at least seven days before the scheduled hearing, or with sufficient time before completion of discovery deadline specified in a scheduling order to allow for deposition, to the opposing party and the administrative hearings office, identifying the purported expert, the scope of that expert's purported testimony relative to the proceeding, the expert's credentials, and listing of any materials the expert reviewed as part of reaching his or her expert opinion. The opposing party may file a response in opposition before the hearing or challenge the designation of the witness as an expert during the course of the hearing.

E. At the hearing, either party can invoke the exclusionary rule, excluding all witnesses other than the real party in interest, their representative, one main case agent, and any designated expert witness from the proceeding until the time of their testimony. If the rule has been invoked, the witnesses shall not discuss their testimony with each other until the conclusion of the proceeding. When the rule has been invoked, any witness who remains in the hearing after conclusion of their testimony may not be recalled as a witness in the proceeding, except that any witness may observe the testimony of an expert witness and be recalled to provide any subsequent rebuttal testimony.