Opinion ID: 2621432
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence Excluded Pursuant to Washington's Rape Shield Statute

Text: ś 13 Gregory's theory of the case was that R.S. consented to oral and vaginal sex with him in exchange for money, but she demanded more money when she discovered that the condom had broken. When he refused, they argued and he kicked her out of his car; then, she fabricated the rape story to retaliate. Gregory asserts that he should have been allowed to present evidence of R.S.'s prior prostitution activities to support this theory. Washington's rape shield statute provides, in part: Evidence of the victim's past sexual behavior including but not limited to the victim's marital history, divorce history, or general reputation for promiscuity, nonchastity, or sexual mores contrary to community standards is inadmissible on the issue of credibility and is inadmissible to prove the victim's consent except as provided in subsection (3) of this section. . . . RCW 9A.44.020(2) (emphasis added). Subsection (3) provides that evidence of the victim's past sexual behavior (as described above) is admissible on the issue of consent only if specific procedural requirements are met. RCW 9A.44.020(3). The statute requires a written offer of proof that a victim's prior sexual history is relevant to the issue of consent. Then, if the trial judge finds the offer of proof to be sufficient, the court must order a hearing outside of the presence of the jury. RCW 9A.44.020(3)(a). At the conclusion of the hearing, if the court finds that evidence offered is relevant to the issue of the victim's consent, that its probative value is not substantially outweighed by the probability that its admission will create a substantial danger of undue prejudice, and that its exclusion would result in denial of substantial justice to the defendant, the court is required to enter an order stating what evidence may be introduced by the defendant. RCW 9A.44.020(3)(d). This court has read RCW 9A.44.020 to mean that credibility is ruled out altogether as the basis for introducing past sexual conduct and consent is made a suspect justification for the introduction of such evidence. State v. Hudlow, 99 Wash.2d 1, 8, 659 P.2d 514 (1983). Even so, if the State opens the door in its case in chief by presenting evidence tending to prove the nature of the victim's past sexual behavior, then the defense may cross-examine the victim on the subject. RCW 9A.44.020(4). ś 14 In this case, R.S. had prior convictions for sexual misconduct in 1992 and prostitution in 1995. Gregory presented evidence of these convictions to the trial judge in an offer of proof pursuant to RCW 9A.44.020(3). [2] The trial judge determined that Gregory did not meet the threshold relevance requirement necessary to justify a full hearing on admissibility of the evidence. The trial court ruled that the 1992 and 1995 convictions were too remote in time from the 1998 incident to be relevant. Even though the defense offered a declaration from David Moon, a friend of R.S.'s, that R.S. admitted that she was engaging in prostitution in 1998, the evidence offered was based at least in part on hearsay, and the trial court did not find Moon's testimony to be credible. Therefore, there was insufficient evidence to warrant a hearing under the rape shield statute. ś 15 The trial court did allow the defense to interview R.S. again and inquire into whether she had engaged in prostitution activity on the streets of Tacoma between 1995 and 1998. In that interview, R.S. admitted to working as a prostitute through an escort service in 1996 and early 1997 but denied any prostitution activity in 1998. She denied any streetwalking activity after 1995. After the interview, the trial court again refused to admit any evidence of R.S.'s prostitution activity because it was too remote in time and the factual circumstances were not similar enough to this incident to make the history relevant. However, Gregory was permitted to argue that R.S. was acting as a prostitute on the night of her encounter with Gregory. ś 16 Evidence of Prior Acts of Prostitution Generally: Gregory first argues that the trial court erred in excluding evidence of R.S.'s prior acts of prostitution because he claims that prior prostitution activities are not governed by the rape shield statute at all. In a related argument, Gregory contends that even if the rape shield statute applies to prior acts of prostitution, it should be interpreted to always allow admission of those acts. One purpose of the rape shield statute is to promote the reporting and prosecution of rapes. Hudlow, 99 Wash.2d at 16, 659 P.2d 514. According to Gregory, this purpose is not undermined by the revelation at trial of prior prostitution convictions because such convictions are already a matter of public record. Therefore, there is little risk that the victim will be unduly harassed or embarrassed by the introduction of such evidence. ś 17 However, Gregory acknowledges but then ignores a related purpose that is evident from the plain language of RCW 9A.44.020(3)(d) â to eliminate prejudicial evidence that has little, if any, relevance to the issues of credibility or consent. The statute clearly contemplates that where there is a substantial danger of undue prejudice to the truth finding process, such evidence will be excluded. Hudlow, 99 Wash.2d at 16, 659 P.2d 514. Such prejudice might occur if the victim's past sexual conduct confuse[s] the issues, mislead[s] the jury, or cause[s][it] to decide the case on an improper or emotional basis. Id. at 14, 659 P.2d 514. Because the introduction of prior acts of prostitution could create substantial prejudice to the truth finding process, we decline the defendant's invitation to make a sweeping ruling that the rape shield statute does not apply to prior acts of prostitution. [3] ś 18 Gregory next points to other state courts that have allowed evidence of prior prostitution under rape shield laws. However, many of these cases reflect a case by case evaluation of the trial court's exercise of its discretion, rather than a sweeping rule. See, e.g., State ex rel. Pope v. Superior Court, 113 Ariz. 22, 545 P.2d 946, 953 (1976) (contemplating an exception to the rape shield law for prior prostitution activities, but allowing admission only after a hearing shows the evidence is credible and not too remote); State v. Williams, 21 Ohio St.3d 33, 487 N.E.2d 560, 562-63 (1986) (allowing evidence of the victim's prior acts of prostitution to rebut the victim's testimony on direct examination that she never consents to sex with men). Other courts have properly rejected this sweeping argument, noting that a woman who has worked as a prostitute is able to refuse consent to have sexual intercourse. See, e.g., Brewer v. United States, 559 A.2d 317, 321 (1989) (In short, it cannot be assumed that prostitutes will accept every opportunity that comes along to engage in sexual relations. The fact that a woman is a prostitute . . . has nothing to do with whether she consented to sexual intercourse with a particular defendant.). We also decline the defendant's invitation to conclude that prior prostitution activity is always admissible under the rape shield statute. Trial courts must evaluate the admissibility of prior acts of prostitution on a case by case basis under RCW 9A.44.020. ś 19 Application of the Rape Shield Statute in this Case: Gregory argues that even if the rape shield statute applies, and even if prior acts of prostitution may be excluded under the statute in some cases, the trial court erred by excluding evidence of R.S.'s prior prostitution in this case. ś 20 The admissibility of evidence of past sexual conduct is within the sound discretion of the trial court. Hudlow, 99 Wash.2d at 17-18, 659 P.2d 514. As set forth earlier, according to the procedure adopted in RCW 9A.44.020(3), the defendant must provide a written offer of proof to establish the relevance of the prior sexual conduct. If the defendant's offer of proof does not establish relevance, then the trial court is not obligated to set a hearing to determine whether the other two prongs of the rape shield test are met. Id. In this case, the trial court concluded that the defendant's offer of proof was not sufficient to establish relevance, so the trial court did not proceed to a hearing on the issue. ś 21 This court has concluded that the rape shield relevancy inquiry must be whether, under ER 401, the [victim's] consent to sexual activity in the past, without more, makes it more probable or less probable that [he or] she consented to sexual activity on this occasion. Hudlow, 99 Wash.2d at 10, 659 P.2d 514. Factual similarities between prior consensual sex acts and the questioned sex acts claimed by the defendant to be consensual would cause the evidence to meet the minimal relevancy test of ER 401. Id. at 11, 659 P.2d 514. However, the factual similarities must be particularized, not general. Id. For instance, if a [victim] frequently engages in sexual intercourse with men shortly after meeting them in bars, this would have some relevancy if the defendant claims she consented to sexual intercourse with him under similar circumstances. Id. Similarly, in State v. Morley, 46 Wash.App. 156, 730 P.2d 687 (1986), the Court of Appeals did not take issue with the trial court's ruling allowing a witness to testify that, shortly before the incident with the defendant, the victim had offered the witness sex in exchange for $40 in circumstances very similar to the defendant's version of events. Id. at 159-60, 730 P.2d 687. [4] ś 22 In the instant case, the trial court concluded that R.S.'s prior convictions for prostitution and sexual misconduct were too remote in time and too different in character to be relevant and nothing suggested that R.S. was prostituting herself in 1998. In her interview with defense counsel, R.S. admitted to having worked for an escort service in 1996 and early 1997, but such activity is not factually similar to Gregory's account of the incident in question. R.S. denied streetwalking after 1995, but R.S.'s encounter with Gregory did not occur until late August 1998. The Court of Appeals has recognized that in the context of determining the relevance of a victim's prior sexual conduct, questions of remoteness are matters within the sound discretion of the trial court. State v. Kalamarski, 27 Wash.App. 787, 790, 620 P.2d 1017 (1980). [5] The trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding R.S.'s prior convictions where at least two years separate the defendant's prior streetwalking conduct and the incident in question. ś 23 Because all three prongs of the statutory test must be met to justify admission of such evidence, and Gregory has failed to show that the trial court abused its discretion with regard to its ruling on relevance, we need not evaluate whether the second and third prongs of the statutory test are met. See RCW 9A.44.020(3). [6] ś 24 Opened Door: Gregory also asserts that he should have been allowed to cross-examine R.S. regarding her prior prostitution because the State opened the door to admission of that evidence. RCW 9A.44.020(4) provides that Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit cross-examination of the victim on the issue of past sexual behavior when the prosecution presents evidence in its case in chief tending to prove the nature of the victim's past sexual behavior, but the court may require a hearing pursuant to subsection (3) of this section concerning such evidence. In State v. Camara, 113 Wash.2d 631, 642-43, 781 P.2d 483 (1989), this court discussed this subsection of the rape shield statute: To hold that evidence which in any manner concerns a rape victim's past sexual behavior affords an opportunity for cross examination about the victim's sexual past would weaken the statutory shield protecting victims from disclosures of their prior sexual conduct. We do not conceive RCW 9A.44.020(4) to be so broad. Rather, we believe it permits cross examination on a victim's sexual past only when the State's evidence casts the victim's sexual history in a light favorable to the State's case. Id. at 643, 781 P.2d 483. First we note that any claim that the State opened the door during its cross-examination of Gregory necessarily fails because it does not constitute evidence presented during the State's case in chief, as required by the plain language of the statute. RCW 9A.44.020(4). ś 25 In addition, Gregory was properly allowed to argue that R.S. consented to have sex with him on the night in question in exchange for money. Therefore, there was necessarily discussion at trial about whether R.S. was acting as a prostitute on that night. However, this discussion can be distinguished from one of prior acts of prostitution. To open the door to R.S.'s sexual history, the State would have had to present that history in a favorable light. Camara, 113 Wash.2d at 643, 781 P.2d 483. Merely arguing that she was not a prostitute on August 21, 1998 would not open the door to discussion of her sexual history. ś 26 Gregory contends R.S.'s testimony on direct that she was currently in counseling at a sexual assault center cast her sexual history in a favorable light. R.S. revealed that she was in counseling in response to the State's general inquiry into the list of people with whom she had discussed the rape. To justify the admission of the statement, the State argued, outside of the presence of the jury, that [i]t's highly unlikely that a prostitute who is angry about a $20 prostitution deal gone awry will pay out of her own pocket to go to counseling for two years. RRP at 2080. However, the State's argument logically rebuts the consent defense â a consensual sexual encounter would not lead someone to seek sexual assault counseling. R.S.'s testimony does not speak to her sexual history; instead the State merely sought to contradict Gregory's version of the events on the night in question. [7] ś 27 Similarly, the State questioned R.S. about how the incident had affected her. Gregory claims that this evidence was presented to show that R.S. did not react as a prostitute would have reacted to this incident. However, the more logical conclusion is that R.S. did not react as someone who consented to a sexual encounter would act. The State's argument does not seem to implicate prostitution activities at all. ś 28 Finally, Gregory claims that the State opened the door during its closing argument when it belittled Gregory's theory that R.S. was working as a prostitute on the night in question. RRP 2923-24 (He has got to make [R.S.] look like a prostitute, got to make her look bad.); RRP 2967 (Allen Gregory wants you to believe that [R.S.] is a prostitute. . . . He wants you to believe that she is a prostitute who somehow got it into her head that she was angry and wanted to report this rape.). But again, these arguments refer only to the events of August 21, 1998; they do not refer to R.S.'s sexual history. We conclude that in its case in chief, the State did not open the door to evidence of R.S.'s sexual history. ś 29 Admission of Prior Sexual Conduct to Prove a Motive to Lie: Gregory argues the trial court should have allowed him to cross-examine R.S. about her prior acts of prostitution because doing so would allow him to establish that she had a motive to falsely accuse him of rape. According to Gregory, the trial court's refusal to admit evidence of R.S.'s prior sexual conduct violated his state and federal confrontation rights because he could not explore R.S.'s bias. The rape shield statute does not allow evidence of prior sexual conduct to be admitted on the issue of a victim's credibility under any circumstances. Hudlow, 99 Wash.2d at 8, 659 P.2d 514. Gregory acknowledges that [o]n its face the statute strictly prohibits evidence of [R.S.'s] past sexual behavior for any issue other than consent. Appellant's Opening Br. at 61. However, Gregory argues that it is unconstitutional to apply the statute in this way, despite its plain language, if it prevents him from exposing through cross-examination R.S.'s bias or motive to lie. [8] ś 30 Even if we assume for the sake of argument that Gregory is correct on this point, the defense's offer of proof established only remote prostitution activities. The trial court concluded that R.S.'s prior acts of prostitution were too remote to be relevant, a determination that was, as discussed above, well within the discretion of the trial court. If R.S.'s prior prostitution activities were too remote to be relevant to the issue of consent, then certainly they were too remote to be relevant to whether she lied to get revenge for lack of payment. ś 31 Gregory cites to Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974) and Olden v. Kentucky, 488 U.S. 227, 109 S.Ct. 480, 102 L.Ed.2d 513 (1988), to support his theory. While those cases found that the defendants should have been able to cross-examine witnesses on issues pertaining to potential bias, both courts were clear that the evidence in question was relevant. Davis, 415 U.S. at 314, 94 S.Ct. 1105; Olden, 488 U.S. at 232, 109 S.Ct. 480. Gregory has no constitutional right to present irrelevant evidence. Hudlow, 99 Wash.2d at 15, 659 P.2d 514. ś 32 Gregory also cites to cases from other states to support his argument. In one case, the court speculated that evidence of prostitution would have supported the defendant's argument that the rape story was fabricated in retaliation for failure to pay for sex. Yet this statement was dicta, and the prostitution was not remote. Commonwealth v. Davis, 438 Pa.Super. 425, 652 A.2d 885, 889 n. 3, 890 (1995). In other cases, the evidence in question would have been relevant, where here it was not. See Commonwealth v. Joyce, 382 Mass. 222, 415 N.E.2d 181, 183-84 (1981) (police interrupted the encounter between the victim and the defendant and she had recently been charged for prostitution under similar circumstances); see also Lewis v. State, 591 So.2d 922, 923, 925 (Fla.1991); State v. Jalo, 27 Or.App. 845, 557 P.2d 1359, 1360, 1361-62 (1976) (sexual history of young victims was relevant because making a false accusation would have kept the youth from getting in trouble for consensual sexual activity). [9] In another case, the prior exchange of sex for drugs was relevant because it had occurred only one week before the incident in question. See Johnson v. State, 332 Md. 456, 632 A.2d 152, 153-54 (1993). [10] None of these cases stands for the proposition that remote prostitution convictions should be admitted to show motive for the victim to fabricate a rape accusation. We conclude that R.S.'s remote acts of prostitution are not relevant to show a motive to lie, and we reiterate that a defendant has no constitutional right to present irrelevant evidence. In sum, the trial court's evidentiary rulings pursuant to the rape shield statute were proper.