Opinion ID: 1130816
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Physical and Psychological Examination

Text: Prior to trial, Keeney filed a motion to have the child-victims examined psychologically and physically. The motion was motivated by defense counsel's belief that such a motion was required under Warner v. State, 102 Nev. 635, 729 P.2d 1359 (1986). The district court denied the motion, reasoning that Warner did not require defense counsel to move for physical and psychological examinations in all cases involving minor victims of sexual assault. The trial court also concluded that a physical examination occurring almost one and one-half years after the assaults would accomplish nothing, and that a psychological examination was unnecessary given the extent of the medical evidence. Defense counsel made no argument to the contrary at the time. On appeal, Keeney advances a different reason for having sought a psychiatric expert. He now asserts that his primary basis for seeking the examinations concerned the method by which the testimony of the complaining witnesses was elicited by the Henderson Police Department and the Deputy District Attorney. Keeney contends that the denial of his motion to subject the victims to psychological and physical examinations deprived him of a fair trial since he was therefore unable to examine the victims for truthfulness and veracity and for any evidence of the alleged sexual assaults. Generally, on appeal defendant may not change the theory of his or her position from that asserted in the trial court. McCall v. State, 97 Nev. 514, 516, 634 P.2d 1210, 1212 (1981). Given the importance of the issue in this case and future cases, however, we elect to consider the issue. Generally, a psychological examination of a sexual assault victim should be permitted if the defendant has presented a compelling reason therefor. Washington v. State, 96 Nev. 305, 307, 608 P.2d 1101, 1102 (1980). A compelling reason exists where the corroborating evidence is de minimus or nonexistent, and the defense has a reasonable basis for questioning the effect of the victim's mental state on his or her veracity. Washington, 96 Nev. at 307, 608 P.2d at 1103; see also Warner, 102 Nev. at 637, 729 P.2d at 1360-61 (no evidence existed to corroborate the victim's allegations, leaving the outcome to depend primarily upon whether the jury believed the victim or the defendant), and Colley v. State, 98 Nev. 14, 17, 639 P.2d 530, 532 (1982) (motion for a psychiatric examination of victim correctly denied where her testimony was amply corroborated and her mental state not subject to serious attack). Conversely, where an issue is reasonably raised regarding the effect of the victim's emotional state on his or her veracity, and there is an absence of corroborating evidence, it is error to deny the defense a psychiatric expert witness. Lickey v. State, 108 Nev. 191, 827 P.2d 824 (1992). In Lickey, the defendant was accused of sexually assaulting his granddaughter. No physical evidence of the assault was presented and the victim's accounts of the assaults were largely uncorroborated. This court was especially concerned about the child's description of an alleged vaginal digital assault by her grandfather while she was in the front seat of an automobile, sitting between the alleged perpetrator and her grandmother, who was driving the vehicle. The child, who was age seven at the time of the alleged assaults and age eight at the time of the trial, testified that her grandmother became very angry, pulled the car to the side of the road and began slugging her grandfather. Thereafter, stated the child, a police car arrived on the scene and a police officer engaged both of her grandparents in conversation in front of the grandparent's vehicle. The grandmother (wife of Lickey, the alleged perpetrator) testified that no such event ever occurred, and that she did not scold or hit Lickey or talk to a police officer. The State did not produce the alleged percipient officer at trial. Moreover, the defense contended that the child's mother had a long-standing enmity toward her father, Lickey. We were persuaded that since the prosecution had raised the issue of the relationship between the victim's mental state and her veracity, Lickey should have been permitted to present expert testimony to the contrary. 108 Nev. at 194, 827 P.2d at 825. Thus, we concluded that: [U]nless competent evidence presents a compelling reason to protect the victim, it is error to deny a defendant the assistance of a defense psychologist or psychiatrist to examine the child-victim and testify at trial when the State is provided such assistance. 108 Nev. at 195, 827 P.2d at 826. In so concluding, we were convinced that Lickey had satisfied the mandates of Washington, and presented a compelling reason why a psychological examination of the victim should be permitted. Therefore, we held that the district court should have afforded Lickey an opportunity to have the child examined, absent a showing by the State that a compelling reason existed to protect the child-victim. Id. Our conclusion in Lickey was not intended to place the burden on the State to demonstrate a compelling reason for denying a psychological examination in every sexual assault case. Moreover, Lickey was never intended to create a simple equation (absent a compelling need to protect the child) granting a defendant the automatic right to have an alleged child-victim of sexual abuse examined by a defense psychiatrist or psychologist whenever the State has employed such experts. Such a mechanical balancing of the trial ledger would frequently subject children who are victims of sexual abuse to unfair, unnecessary trauma, and would constitute a needless and time-consuming expense unless the criteria enunciated in Washington exist. The above-quoted language from Lickey is clarified to mean that it would be error to preclude a defendant from having an alleged child-victim examined by an expert in psychiatry or psychology if: (1) the State has employed such an expert; (2) the victim is not shown by compelling reasons to be in need of protection; (3) evidence of the crime has little or no corroboration beyond the testimony of the victim; and (4) there is a reasonable basis for believing that the victim's mental or emotional state may have affected his or her veracity. It remains within the sound discretion of the district court whether to grant a defendant's request for a psychological examination of the victim. The district court should base its decision on the facts and circumstances of each case and the law as reaffirmed herein. In the instant case, the district court did not abuse its discretion in determining that defendant's request for psychiatric examination of the victims was not warranted. Neither of the reasons advanced by Keeney at trial and on appeal for requesting a psychiatric expert demonstrates that the victims' collective or individual veracity was adversely affected by their mental or emotional states. Moreover, the victims' testimony was amply corroborated by the medical evidence. Dr. Charles W. Zumpft, the emergency room physician at University Medical Center, examined the victims within two days of the assaults. His examination of Victim # 2 revealed a discoloration and tenderness in the boy's rectal area, consistent with penetration occurring within four days of the examination. Dr. Zumpft's examination of Victim # 1 revealed recent tears of the hymen and discoloration which goes along with bruising in the area of the labia. The doctor opined that there had been penetration of the twelve-year-old girl's vaginal area within twenty-four hours of his examination that could have been caused by a finger or a penis. Further, Dr. Diane S. Goebel, a pediatrician at Children's Clinic in Las Vegas, testified that she conducted a more extensive physical examination of the victims on December 15, 1989. Dr. Goebel testified that upon examining Victim # 3, she found a large hymenal tear of her hymenal ring consistent with an attempted penetration by a finger or a penis. Dr. Goebel's examination of Victim # 2 revealed rectal fissures consistent with penetration by a penis. Finally, Dr. Goebel testified that her examination of Victim # 1 revealed a fully dilated vaginal opening with no hymen much at all left ... consistent with full penetration of the vagina. In addition to the physical evidence, the testimony of two mental health providers was presented. Marjorie Di Orio, a family therapist at Bridge Counseling, testified that her interviews with the children led her to conclude that they were victims of sexual assault. Dr. Paul G. Webb, then a psychiatric assistant, testified that he administered tests and interviewed the children and their parents to determine whether the children had been victimized. Based on his evaluation, he concluded that all three children were victims of recent sexual assaults. Additionally, unlike the court in Lickey, the district court here admonished the witnesses to refrain from testifying regarding the children's veracity. In short, Keeney offered no compelling reason for requiring the children to undergo further mental or physical examinations. This case does not present a situation where the jury's decision depended solely on which side it believed. The medical evidence corroborated the children's allegations of sexual assault and there has been no suggestion that the children were suffering from some emotional or mental state that would affect their veracity. Therefore, we conclude that the district court acted within its discretion in denying Keeney's motion for psychiatric and physical examinations.