Opinion ID: 2508560
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admissibility of written reports

Text: Appellant argues the trial court erred in allowing the State to introduce the forensic interviewer's written reports from her interviews with the children. Specifically, appellant argues the reports contained inadmissible hearsay that improperly bolstered the children's testimony, that they impermissibly allowed the forensic interviewer to vouch for the credibility of the children, and that their admission was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. We agree.
Appellant first argues the trial court erred in allowing the State to introduce the reports because they constituted impermissible hearsay, which improperly bolstered the children's testimony. Hearsay is defined as a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Rule 801(c), SCRE. Hearsay is inadmissible except as provided by the South Carolina Rules of Evidence, by other court rule, or by statute. Rule 802, SCRE. Improper admission of hearsay testimony constitutes reversible error only when the admission causes prejudice. State v. Garner, 389 S.C. 61, 67, 697 S.E.2d 615, 618 (Ct.App. 2010). Such error is deemed harmless when it could not have reasonably affected the result of trial, and an appellate court will not set aside a conviction for such insubstantial errors. Id. Improperly admitted hearsay which is merely cumulative to other evidence may be viewed as harmless. State v. Blackburn, 271 S.C. 324, 329, 247 S.E.2d 334, 337 (1978). Improper corroboration testimony that is merely cumulative to the victim's testimony, however, cannot be harmless, because it is precisely this cumulative effect which enhances the devastating impact of improper corroboration. Jolly v. State, 314 S.C. 17, 21, 443 S.E.2d 566, 569 (1994) (emphasis in original); see also Smith v. State, 386 S.C. 562, 689 S.E.2d 629 (2010) (forensic interviewer's hearsay testimony impermissibly corroborated the victim's testimony because the outcome of the case hinged on the victim's credibility regarding the identification of the perpetrator); Dawkins v. State, 346 S.C. 151, 154, 551 S.E.2d 260, 261 (2001) (defendant was entitled to post-conviction relief where four witnesses testified without objection regarding the victim's out-of-court conversations with them concerning the alleged abuse). Appellant specifically challenges the portions of the report where the mother related to Williams that the middle child told her appellant molested her and specific things the victims told the forensic interviewer during the interviews. We find these portions of the written reports constitute inadmissible hearsay as they were out-of-court statements offered to prove that appellant did in fact inappropriately touch the girls in the way that they claimed. We also find the trial court's error in allowing the State to introduce this evidence was not harmless. This trial hinged on the children's credibility, and the written reports were cumulative to the children's testimony. As this Court has held before, where credibility is the ultimate issue in a case, improper corroboration evidence that is merely cumulative to the victim's testimony is not harmless. Jolly, supra ; Dawkins, supra ; Smith, supra . Because the children's credibility was the ultimate determination for the jury to make in deciding appellant's guilt, the trial court's error in admitting the reports could not have been harmless. Id.
Appellant also argues the trial court erred in allowing the State to introduce the written reports because they improperly vouched for the victims' credibility. Specifically, appellant challenges the conclusion section of the reports where the forensic interviewer states the children provided a compelling disclosure of abuse and provided details consistent with the background information received from mother, the police report, and the other two children. For an expert to comment on the veracity of a child's accusations of sexual abuse is improper. See State v. Dawkins, 297 S.C. 386, 393-94, 377 S.E.2d 298, 302 (1989) (finding therapist indicating he believed victim's allegations were genuine was improper); see also State v. Dempsey, 340 S.C. 565, 571, 532 S.E.2d 306, 309 (Ct.App.2000) (finding therapist's testimony children were being truthful in ninety-five percent of instances in which sexual abuse was alleged was improper vouching for child); but see State v. Douglas, 380 S.C. 499, 671 S.E.2d 606 (2009) (forensic interviewer did not vouch for the victim's veracity where she never stated she believed the victim and gave no other indication concerning the victim's veracity). We find the trial court abused its discretion in allowing the State to introduce the reports because they allowed the forensic interviewer to improperly vouch for the children's veracity. In each report, the forensic interviewer stated that during the interviews, each child had provide[d] a compelling disclosure of abuse by [appellant]. The forensic interviewer further concluded that each of the children provided details consistent with the background information received from their mother, the police report, and the other children. There is no other way to interpret the language used in the reports other than to mean the forensic interviewer believed the children were being truthful. We therefore find the trial court erred in allowing the State to introduce the reports. Dawkins, supra ; Dempsey, supra . We further find the trial court's admission of the reports did not amount to harmless error. There was no physical evidence presented in this case. The only evidence presented by the State was the children's accounts of what occurred and other hearsay evidence of the children's accounts. Because the children's credibility was the most critical determination of this case, we find the admission of the written reports was not harmless. See State v. Ellis, 345 S.C. 175, 178, 547 S.E.2d 490, 492 (2001) (An officer's improper opinion which goes to the heart of the case is not harmless.).