Opinion ID: 792290
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Trina's Testimony Concerning the Five-Day Ultimatum

Text: 31 The Wisconsin trial court also prohibited Trina Horton from testifying that, upon learning of Jessica's pregnancy, she threatened to disclose this information to Jessica's mother if Jessica did not do so within five days. The trial court held that this evidence was not relevant to whether Mr. Horton sexually assaulted Jessica; the state appellate court concluded that the evidence was probative of Jessica's state of mind when making the accusations of sexual assault. It determined, however, that there was no constitutional error because the defense was permitted to present evidence that Jessica was motivated by a desire to minimize the negative consequences of her pregnancy and it was apparent that Jessica faced time pressure in disclosing her pregnancy. Id. 14 32 Mr. Horton presents a strong argument that at no other time during the trial did he have the opportunity to demonstrate the effect of the ultimatum on Jessica's decision to accuse him of sexual assault. To be sure, the timing of the accusation is quite suspicious: on the fourth day of the five-day ultimatum period, Jessica told her mother of the pregnancy. Moreover, the admission was hesitant: after broaching the subject with her mother in the school counselor's office, she faltered, only coming forward with the information when her mother told her that they could talk after they returned from visiting Trina. 33 Nevertheless, we must affirm the district court's decision not to grant the writ. Although the excluded testimony is relevant and probative, its exclusion did not deprive Mr. Horton of the right to present a defense. Trina's proffered testimony about the ultimatum certainly would not have been cumulative in the same sense as the testimony about the number of times Randy and Jessica had had sexual intercourse. However, there was substantial evidence before the court that Jessica had a motive to lie to her mother. For example, on cross-examination, Jessica admitted that she knew that there was a possibility that Randy was the father of the child, but still did not tell her mother about her relationship with Randy until after the paternity test results were returned. R.44 at 191-92, 200. She admitted not disclosing this same information to the police in early March, even though she was asked explicitly by the interviewing officers whether she had had sex with anyone besides Mr. Horton. Id. at 208. She admitted not telling TaShea about the possibility that Mr. Horton was the father of the baby when she first took the pregnancy test, an omission that the defense later argued undermined the credibility of her allegations of sexual abuse. Id. at 189-90; R.46 at 28. The defense also attempted to bring out on cross-examination and during its closing statement that, in an effort to protect Randy, Jessica lied when she testified that she did not know Randy's last name or address. R.44 at 193; R.46 at 29. 15 Lastly, as the Wisconsin Court of Appeals noted, it was apparent to the jury that, at a certain point, Jessica would be forced to reveal to her mother that she was pregnant. 34 Therefore, although Trina's testimony that Jessica was given a five-day deadline by which to tell her mother of her pregnancy, and therefore reveal her relationship with Mr. Horton in order to avoid revealing her relationship with Randy, would have helped the defense's case, the matter of Jessica's motive to lie to her mother was sufficiently developed by the defense through other means. At the very least, it is apparent that the Wisconsin appellate court assessed the probative value of the evidence and concluded that, because of its cumulative nature, its exclusion did not warrant retrial. See also Rice v. McCann, 339 F.3d 546, 550 (7th Cir.2003) (holding that, because reasonable courts could differ on the exclusion of the evidence, the state court's approach could not be considered improper). In light of the broad latitude given such decisions under § 2254(d)(1), the Wisconsin appellate court's conclusion that the exclusion did not violate Mr. Horton's right to present a defense is not an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.