Opinion ID: 8414555
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Government’s Motion In Limine Seeking Admission of the Four Videos

Text: The government moved in limine to admit as evidence at trial fifteen minutes’ worth of clips from the four videos showing Schaffer’s prior sexual assaults. 15 Schaffer opposed the admission of the videos on grounds that (1) they were unfairly prejudicial under Rule 403, and that (2) Rule 413, which permits a court to admit evidence of a defendant’s prior sexual assaults, violated the Due Process Clause. After viewing the selected excerpts in camera, 16 the District Court permitted the government to introduce the edited videos at trial. 17 In its order granting the motion in limine, the District Court stated three supporting conclusions. First, the District Court agreed that the videos showed conduct qualifying as “sexual assault” within the meaning of Rule 413. 18 Second, it concluded that the videos were “highly relevant to the charges against Schaffer” because his intent to commit sexual acts with minors was at issue, and the videos showed that Schaffer had a pattern of “enticing girls into situations in which they are alone with him and making them try on swimsuits before forcing them to engage in sexual conduct.” 19 Third, it concluded that the videos were not unfairly prejudicial because they did not show conduct more inflammatory than the conduct alleged in the indictment and because the jury could not discern that the other girls were significantly younger than Sierra. 20