Opinion ID: 1449523
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: cross examination to impeach testimony of prosecuting witnesses

Text: Respondents Hudlow and Harper next contend the trial court's ruling denied them the ability to effectively cross-examine and impeach the prosecuting witnesses in regard to their testimony about the actual rape incident. Specifically, they allege the prosecution introduced evidence of the victims' past sexual behavior in its case in chief and that they should have been permitted to cross-examine the victims as to their past sexual behavior under former RCW 9.79.150(4), which reads: (4) 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. (Italics ours.) Respondents refer to two specific instances of testimony elicited by the prosecution from Tammy Smith as the grounds for their argument. As to the first instance, the prosecutor asked Ms. Smith what respondent Hudlow said to her just before he forced her to perform oral-genital sex on him: Q: What did he say to you? A: He told me to play with myself. Q: And did you, you know, know what he meant by that? A: Yeah. Q: What did you tell him? A: I told him I didn't know how. Q: And what did he say in regard to that response? A: He told me, It's about time you learned. Q: Then what happened? A: Then he told me that I had to give him a blow job. Q: Did you know what he meant by that? A: Yeah.... Q: What did you do when he asked you to give him a blow job? A: I told him I didn't know how. Q: What was his response? A: He just said he was going to  that I had to do it anyways. (Italics ours.) Supplemental Verbatim Report of Proceedings, at 152-53. The only additional direct testimony as to knowledge occurred during Ms. Smith's testimony of what happened to Ms. Strong: A: He made her ... he made her do ... he made her give ... he made her give him a blow job. Q: When you say, give him a blow job, what do you mean, what does that terminology mean? A: He  you mean  it means oral sex. (Italics ours.) Supplemental Verbatim Report of Proceedings, at 158. Ms. Smith's direct testimony was to the effect that she told Hudlow that she did not know how to give a blow job, but at the same time, she testified that she actually did know what the term meant. The defense counsel stated he wanted Ms. Smith to explain this disparity on cross examination. The relevant portion of that cross examination is as follows: Q: Miss [Smith], do you remember, on direct testimony, testifying that you were told that you had to give the driver a blow job? A: Yes. Q: Do you remember what your reply was to that? A: Yes. Q: Was it that you didn't know how? A: No. Q: Do you recall so being asked if you knew what that meant, do you remember being asked that by Mr. Sharpe? A: Yes. Q: Do you remember what your reply was to that question? A: No. Q: Did you reply yes? A: I didn't hear what you said. Q: Was your reply yes to Mr. Sharpe? A: No, before that? Q: I said, do you remember what your reply was? A: To what I said to him? Q: Yes. A: Oh. Yes. Q: How do you know what it means to give a blow job? A: (No response) Q: Can you answer that question? A: It means ... Q: The question is how do you know what it means. A: How do I know what it means? Q: Yes. A: Because we talked about it at school. Q: By We, who do you mean? A: We girls, us girls. Q: What does it mean to you? A: (No response) Q: Does it mean placing your mouth on the penis of a male? A: Yes. Q: That is what you talked about with the girls at school? A: Yes. (Italics ours.) Supplemental Verbatim Report of Proceedings, at 237-38. Our first inquiry must be whether, under former RCW 9.79.150(4), the prosecution presented evidence in its case in chief tending to prove Ms. Smith's past sexual behavior. We think not. The prosecution's line of direct examination was not an inquiry into whether Ms. Smith did or did not know what the term blow job meant from personal experience. Simply stated, the question was whether she understood the meaning of Hudlow's words. She answered that she did. After the question was asked and answered, further inquiry into the source of her knowledge was unnecessary. Neither was Ms. Smith's statement that she told Hudlow she did not know how to give a blow job an attempt to prove Ms. Smith's past sexual behavior. Obviously, she told Hudlow that she did not know how to perform oral sex as an evasive maneuver to escape having to perform the act. We do not think such testimony was intended or interpreted to convey ideas of Ms. Smith's sexual virtuousness. [5] The most obvious infirmity with respondents' argument is that the defense, and not the prosecution, is opening up the area of Ms. Smith's previous sexual experience by asking how she knows what a blow job means. Former RCW 9.79.150(4) permits the defense to attack credibility when the prosecution opens the door to past sexual behavior. That did not occur here. Thus, the statute affords respondents no right to cross-examine her on the source of her knowledge. Further, even if the defense had been successful in eliciting information about whether Ms. Smith did or did not have prior personal experience at oral sex, it simply was not relevant to the credibility of her statement on direct examination. If she had personal experience as well as spoken knowledge of the term, her statements on direct examination would not be contradicted. Since the scope of such cross examination is within the discretion of the trial court and is to be disturbed only upon abuse of discretion, State v. Krausse, 10 Wn. App. 574, 577, 519 P.2d 266 (1974), we find no error because we find no abuse of discretion. The second portion of testimony pointed to by respondents relates to Ms. Smith's testimony that she became sick and vomited as a result of forced oral sex. She made these statements on direct examination and repeated the testimony on cross examination. This evidence, like the previously discussed testimony, does not tend to prove Ms. Smith's prior sexual behavior. Her testimony did not explain that she vomited because it was the first time she had performed oral sex. Such testimony would open up her past experience to cross examination. Ms. Smith's simple statement that she vomited after being forced to perform oral sex at knifepoint had nothing to do with her past experience or familiarity with performing oral sex with other men. Again, the trial court's decision to limit cross examination in this area was discretionary and will not be disturbed. See State v. Krausse, supra .