State v. Wilson, 197 N.C. App. 154 (May. 19, 2009)

Once a witness denies having made a prior inconsistent statement, a party may not introduce the prior statement in an attempt to discredit the witness because the prior statement concerns only a collateral matter, i.e., whether the statement was ever made. Here, the defendant cross-examined a witness named Morgan regarding statements Morgan supposedly made to a person named Daughtridge. Morgan admitted making some statements to Daughtridge but denied telling Daughtridge, among other things that the victim had a gun on the day of the shooting. The defendant argued that he should have been allowed to impeach Morgan by introducing a tape recording of a statement Daughtridge gave to the police in which she said that Morgan told her that the victim had a gun on the day of the shooting. Under Rule 608(b), the defendant was limited to Morgan’s answers on cross-examination.