Opinion ID: 1096207
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the trial court erred allowing the child-abuse expert witnesses to testify to the alleged child-abuse victim's out-of-court statements.

Text: The defendant asserts that the trial court improperly allowed as inadmissible hearsay Welfare Department employees, Anita Reginelli and Terri Haltom, psychometrist [3] , Lisa Lilly, and psychologist, Dr. Timothy Sisemore, to relate out-of-court statements Daley had made to them. Baine urges that, because the complaining witness herself, testified, her hearsay declarations cannot have a sufficiently probative value to be admitted under evidence rule 803(24), the residual hearsay exception. Baine contends that the state introduced the hearsay declarations in order to bolster Daley's testimony, thus violating evidence rule 613. Baine asserts that, regarding the testimony of a psychometrist, Lilly, and psychologist, Sisemore, the trial court did not make a finding of trustworthiness before admitting the testimony. Baine also urges that the testimony cannot be considered admissible under 803(4), regarding medical diagnoses and treatment. On July 19, 1988, the defense moved to suppress all of Susie's out-of-court statements as inadmissible hearsay. On July 22, 1988, the trial court held a hearing in order to establish the reliability of the child victim's hearsay declarations. Ms. Lilly, a psychometrist who performs therapy and psychological testing with special emphasis on child abuse, testified that she believed Susie's statements of abuse to be true. Lilly stated that she arrived at this conclusion based upon the details provided by Susie, the manner in which Susie recalled more memorable incidents, the consistency of Susie's account over several recitations, Susie's accompanying display of emotions, Susie's ability to easily recall without delivering a rote, fixed-sequence narrative, and the child-like terms Susie used to describe the incidents. In addition to the manner in which Susie described the abuse, Lilly remarked that Susie's self-image and behavior represented the classic characteristics of a sexually abused child. Terry Haltom, a social-work supervisor with the Welfare Department and an expert in child sexual abuse, testified that she considered Susie's account truthful, based on the child's language, emotion, tone of voice, and provision of details. Haltom stated, All of the various indicators made me believe that she fit this sexual-abuse syndrome and that she was, in fact, telling us the truth and that she had been sexually abused. Anita Reginelli, who works under the supervision of Haltom, also stated that she believed Susie. She stated that Susie appeared embarrassed but, through the use of general, non-leading questions, gave a believable account. The court ruled that the child victim's out-of-court statements, basically the ones that have been disclosed to the defense and made under the statutory requirements, (Miss. Code Ann. § 13-1-403 (1972) would be admissible. The court reserved ruling on the admissibility of Dr. Timothy Sisemore's testimony. In chambers, the trial court reviewed the testimony of Dr. Timothy Sisemore, a clinical psychologist specializing in child psychology of abused children. The court found Sisemore's testimony in compliance with section 13-1-403 of the Mississippi code. In court, Dr. Sisemore discussed the indicia by which he assesses the reliability of a child's complaint. He then described how Susie's statements met these indicia. Dr. Sisemore saw Susie eight times and formed the confident opinion that she had been sexually abused. He related Susie's detailed descriptions of her abuse. The current, relevant Mississippi rule appears in evidence rule 803(25), the tender years hearsay exception: A statement made by a child of tender years describing any act of sexual contact performed with or on the child by another is admissible in evidence if: (a) the court finds, in a hearing conducted outside the presence of the jury, that the time, content, and circumstances of the statement provide substantial indicia of reliability; and (b) the child either (1) testifies at the proceedings; or (2) is unavailable as a witness: provided, that when the child is unavailable as a witness, such statement may be admitted only if there is corroborative evidence of the act. Miss.R.Evid. 803(25) (1991); see also Griffith v. State, 584 So.2d 383, 386 (Miss. 1991). Also relevant is Rule 803(4) of the 1991 Mississippi Rules of Evidence, which governs statements made for the purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment: Statements made for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment and describing medical history, or past or present symptoms, pain, or sensations, or the inception or general character of the cause or external source thereof insofar as reasonably pertinent to diagnosis or treatment, regardless of to whom the statements are made, or when the statements are made, if the court, in its discretion, affirmatively finds that the proffered statements were made under circumstances substantially indicating their trustworthiness. For purposes of this rule, the term medical refers to emotional and mental health as well as physical health. (emphasis reflects 1991 amendment); see Baine v. State, 604 So.2d 249, 253-254 (Miss. 1992) Baine I; See also United States v. Renville, 779 F.2d 430 (8th Cir.1985). As was noted in a companion case, Baine v. State, 604 So.2d 249, the trial court in 1988 did not have the benefit of the 1991 amendment to Rule 803(4) or the 1989 cases decided by this Court on this issue. Hall v. State, 539 So.2d 1338 (1989); Mitchell v. State, 539 So.2d 1366 (Miss. 1989); Leatherwood v. State, 548 So.2d 389 (Miss. 1989). This Court holds that the instant case is controlled by the same legal analysis and conclusion as in Baine I, i.e., that the trial court did not commit reversible error in admission of this testimony of Reginelli, Haltom, Sisemore, and Lilly. It constituted properly admitted evidence. If this case were remanded, the new 1991 amendment, tender-years exception, 803(25), would support the admission of their testimony. The testimony as admitted in this trial meets the requirements of the rule: the trial court, outside of the jury's presence, found substantial indicia of the declarations' reliability, and Susie testified. Despite the fact that the court reached its conclusions under a now-void statute, [4] the record shows that the court considered criteria which support a conclusion of admissibility under the current amended rules of evidence. In addition to admissibility under 803(25), the 1991 amended medical diagnosis and treatment exception, 803(4), supports the admission of the testimony of Sisemore and Lilly.