Kansas Statutes Annotated

K.S.A. § 60-446 (2026)

Manner of proof of character or character trait

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section KS-LEGkslegislature.org JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

60-446. Manner of proof of character or character trait. When a person's character or a trait of his or her character is in issue, it may be proved by testimony in the form of opinion, evidence of reputation, or evidence of specific instances of the person's conduct, subject, however, to the limitations of K.S.A. 60-447 and 60-448.

History: L. 1963, ch. 303, 60-446; January 1, 1964.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 46 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1967–2026 · leading case: State v. Price, 61 P.3d 676 (Kan. 2003).
State v. Price, 61 P.3d 676 (Kan. 2003). · cites it 8× “Counsel asked Ferreira whether she has seen any specific instances of behavior which support her opinion that the defendant is honest and kind.”
State v. Kuone, 757 P.2d 289 (Kan. 1988). · cites it 8× “60-448 when a trait of a person's character is relevant as tending to prove conduct on a specified occasion, such trait may be proved in the same manner as provided by K.S.A. 60-446, except that... (b) in a criminal action evidence of a trait of an accused's character as tending…”
State v. Sampson, 301 P.3d 276 (Kan. 2013). · cites it 5× “But we do not reach Sampson’s claim that evidence of the accomplice’s prior conviction was admissible under K.S.A. 60-446 or K.S.A. 60-447 because Sampson failed to preserve those arguments for review.”
State v. Walters, 159 P.3d 174 (Kan. 2007). · cites it 4× “He proffered that Walters had read newspaper articles and watched television news accounts describing the incident, asserting, “If he believed that [the stand-off was] . . . true and that had some influence on his thought process or his state of mind at the time of this…”
State v. Pabst, 996 P.2d 321 (Kan. 2000). · cites it 3× “60-446, except that (a) evidence of specific instances of conduct other than evidence of conviction of a crime which tends to prove the trait to be bad shall be inadmissible, and (b) in a criminal action evidence of a trait of an accused’s character as tending to prove guilt or…”
State v. Penn, 201 P.3d 752 (Kan. Ct. App. 2009). · cites it 8× “’s general reputation for untruthfulness in the community where she lived under K.S.A. 60-446, the trial court properly excluded the evidence at trial.”
State v. Thurber, 420 P.3d 389 (Kan. 2018). · cites it 2× “60-448 when a trait of a person's character is relevant as tending to prove conduct on a specified occasion, such trait may be proved in the same manner as provided by K.S.A. 60-446, except that (a) evidence of specific instances of conduct other than evidence of conviction of a…”
State v. Deavers, 843 P.2d 695 (Kan. 1992). · cites it 4× “60-446, except that evidence of specific instances of conduct other than evidence of conviction of a crime which tends to prove the trait to be bad shall be inadmissible.”
State v. Frantz, 521 P.3d 1113 (Kan. 2022). · cites it 4× “The court stated the evidence was also likely inadmissible under K.S.A. 60-446 because Patrick's character was not in issue.”
State v. Olsman, 473 P.3d 937 (Kan. Ct. App. 2020). · cites it 4× “See K.S.A. 60-446. "Thus, a witness's credibility may be attacked by showing the witness has character traits for dishonesty or lack of veracity, but those traits may only be proven by opinion testimony or evidence of reputation.”
State v. Lowery, 427 P.3d 865 (Kan. 2018). “Lowery's complaint about the direct examination of the Carrolls involves his pretrial motion in limine, granted by the district court, prohibiting the prosecutor from "mentioning, referring to, or attempt[ing] to elicit in any manner, any evidence of prior convictions of the…”
State v. Sweat, 48 P.3d 8 (Kan. Ct. App. 2002). · cites it 4× “Sweat contends her son should have been permitted to testify under K.S.A. 60-446, K.S.A. 60-447, and State v.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.