Title: State v. Leggett

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

State v. Leggett  (93-202); 164 Vt 599; 664 A.2d 271

[Filed 28-Jun-1995]

                               ENTRY ORDER

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 93-202

                              MAY TERM, 1995


State of Vermont                     }          APPEALED FROM:
                                     }
                                     }
     v.                              }          District Court of Vermont,
                                     }          Unit No. 2, Chittenden Circuit
                                     }
Darryl Leggett                       }          DOCKET NO. 4338-9-91CnCr


                    In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

         Defendant Darryl Leggett appeals his jury conviction of sexual
assault of his fourteen-year- old stepniece in violation of 13 V.S.A. 
3252(a)(3).  On appeal, defendant claims that the trial court erred by
permitting expert testimony regarding the delayed reporting of sexual abuse
by child victims.  Defendant also claims that the trial court erred by
precluding him from introducing extrinsic evidence of the victim's alleged 
prior false accusations.  We affirm.

         It is well-settled in Vermont that experts in child sexual abuse
cases are not permitted to comment directly on their personal perceptions or
beliefs regarding the credibility of the child victim.  See, e.g., State v.
Weeks, 160 Vt. 393, 399-400,