State v. Cain’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

6 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 6 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “[The expert]'s testimony proves it was theoretically possible to manufacture 17.67 grams of methamphetamine from 19.2 grams of pseudoephedrine if the process was conducted at one hundred percent efficiency. However, [the expert] specifically acknowledged the quantity of 17.67 grams was calculated on the assumptions of "ideal laboratory conditions" with "pure products" used by a "trained chemist." [The expert] admitted [the defendant] did not have ideal laboratory conditions, and the State offered no evidence [the defendant] even knew how to manufacture methamphetamine. There is no other evidence in the record to support the validity of [the expert]'s assumptions. [The expert]'s testimony also proves the quantity of methamphetamine [the defendant] could have manufactured at various lower levels of efficiency. However, [the expert]'s testimony provides no basis for calculating the level of efficiency [the defendant] could actually have reached under the circumstances that existed in the house. In fact, [the defendant]'s counsel specifically asked [the expert] on cross[-]examination, "There's no way to tell, from what you had there, how much [the defendants] were actually getting from their work?" [The expert] replied, "No, sir."”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Mealor

2. “In Eide , after rejecting the government's evidence of theoretical maximum yield, the Eighth Circuit focused on the expert's explanation of 'the particular methamphetamine manufacturing processes' the defendant used, and her testimony 'that his lithium ammonia reduction process was capable of producing a 40 to 50 percent yield.' " Cain , 419 S.C. at 32 , 795 S.E.2d at 850 -51 (quoting Eide , 297 F.3d at 705 ). The Eide court stated, "This yield would have resulted in producing 10.1 to 12.6 grams of actual methamphetamine.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Mealor

3. “described the equipment and ingredients found at the scene, and how [the defendant] would have used them in the 'one pot' [ 15 ] method of manufacturing methamphetamine. ... [The expert] testified [the defendant]'s method did not take place under laboratory conditions, and admitted that calling his operation a 'meth lab' was a 'misuse of the word lab.'”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. Mealor