Opinion ID: 2275253
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: H.'s HIV Status

Text: Fells next argues that the trial court erred in refusing to allow him to present evidence that the rape victim, S.H., was HIV-positive. He contends that this evidence was admissible because it showed that S.H. had a motive to lie about being raped. According to Fells, because it is a crime for a person to knowingly expose another to HIV, S.H. knew that if she did not say she was raped, it would be consensual sex and she'd be charged with a crime. Under Arkansas's rape-shield statute, Ark.Code Ann. § 16-42-101 (Repl.1999), evidence of a victim's prior sexual conduct may be introduced at trial only after the proponent of the evidence has first filed a written motion explaining its relevance, and after the court has held a hearing and determined that the evidence is more probative than prejudicial. Although Fells admits that he did not comply with the required procedures, he argues that the information was not subject to the rape-shield law because it did not address any prior sexual activity, merely the fact that S.H. was HIV-positive. The issue of whether a victim's HIV status falls under the purview of the rape-shield statute is one of first impression. We hold that the HIV status of a rape victim is protected under Arkansas's rape-shield statute. The statute prohibits the use of past sexual behavior to embarrass and degrade victims; its purpose is to shield rape victims from public humiliation. Short v. State, 349 Ark. 492, 79 S.W.3d 313 (2002). While it is possible to contract HIV through blood transfusions or other means, the public generally views it as a sexually-transmitted disease. In the minds of the jurors, evidence that S.H. was HIV-positive would be tantamount to evidence of her prior sexual behavior. One should not conclude, as the dissent suggests, that a defendant can never present evidence of a rape victim's HIV status when that evidence is relevant to a defense at trial. On the contrary, the rape-shield statute specifically contemplates the admission of such evidence, once the required procedures have been followed and the trial court has determined that the evidence is more probative than prejudicial. Fells did not comply with the rape-shield statute's procedures: he never filed the required motion, and he never gave the trial court the opportunity to hold a hearing and determine if the probative value of the HIV evidence was outweighed by its highly prejudicial effect. Had he done so, it is possible that the trial court would have allowed the evidence to be admitted. Because HIV status is protected under the rape-shield statute, however, Fells's failure to follow the required procedures means that the evidence was properly excluded.