Opinion ID: 2620359
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State Court Conviction

Text: In Florida state court, Petitioner Ivy was charged with 2 counts of sexual battery on a person less than 12 years’ old, in violation of Fla. Stat. § 794.011(2)(a). The victim was Ivy’s daughter, who was seven years’ old when the incidents occurred. At Ivy’s trial in 2006, the State represented that its only witness in the case was the victim, who was now eight years’ old. On direct examination, the victim testified that Ivy committed sexual acts on her on multiple occasions. The victim gave details. On cross-examination, Ivy’s counsel sought to ask the victim, (1) “Did you ever go to the beach with your mom?”; (2) “Who did you go to the beach with?”; and (3) “Have you ever swam [sic] with the dolphins and sharks?” The State objected to these questions on the basis that they were irrelevant and beyond the scope of direct examination. At side bar, Ivy’s counsel stated that, during his first pretrial forensic interview of the victim, the victim stated that she visited the beach and swam with 2 Case: 13-11740 Date Filed: 10/30/2013 Page: 3 of 16 dolphins and sharks. However, later in that interview, the victim stated that she never visited the beach nor swam with dolphins and sharks. The state court determined that the victim’s testimony as to the beach and swimming with sea creatures was inadmissible because it was outside of the scope of direct examination and irrelevant. The state court commented that Ivy’s counsel was improperly “attempting to . . . impeach on a collateral matter.” Following the victim’s testimony, the State rested. The jury found Ivy guilty of two counts of sexual battery. The state court sentenced Ivy to two concurrent sentences of life imprisonment.