Opinion ID: 2380623
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Recent Overt Act Petition Evidence Is Relevant

Text: ¶ 27 In his answer to the State's petition for review, Post raised the additional issue of the trial court's exclusion of evidence that Post could be subject to a new SVP commitment petition if he committed a recent overt act. A `[r]ecent overt act' is any act, threat, or combination thereof that has either caused harm of a sexually violent nature or creates a reasonable apprehension of such harm in the mind of an objective person who knows of the history and mental condition of the person engaging in the act or behaviors. RCW 71.09.020(12). The Court of Appeals, bound by its earlier decision in State v. Harris, 141 Wash.App. 673, 174 P.3d 1171 (2007), affirmed the trial court's exclusion of this evidence. In Harris, which addressed an identical issue, the respondent in an SVP determination trial sought to introduce evidence that the State could file a new petition if he were released and committed a recent overt act. Id. at 679, 174 P.3d 1171. The Harris court held that such hypothetical evidence was not evidence of conditions that would exist upon the respondent's release and affirmed the trial court's exclusion of the evidence. Id. at 680, 174 P.3d 1171. We disagree and disapprove of both the reasoning on the issue in Harris and the Court of Appeals' reliance upon it in this case. ¶ 28 Evidence that a respondent in an SVP proceeding who is subsequently released could be subject to another SVP proceeding if he commits a recent overt act is relevant and is a condition that would exist upon placement in the community. The legislature has provided that a prosecuting attorney may bring a petition to civilly commit a person who at any time previously has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and has since been released from total confinement and has committed a recent overt act. RCW 71.09.030(1)(e). By its plain terms, this would apply to Post if he were released and committed a recent overt act. [3] Post's knowledge of the consequences for engaging in such conduct may well serve as a deterrent to such conduct and, therefore, has some tendency to diminish the likelihood of his committing another predatory act of sexual violence. This likelihood, of course, is an element that the jury must address. See RCW 71.09.020(18). The possibility of a recent overt act petition is therefore relevant to the determination of whether Post is an SVP. Moreover, it is, in a literal sense, a condition to which Post would be subject if released and does not run afoul of RCW 71.09.060(1). That the filing of a new petition is not certain to occur does not make the possibility irrelevant. ¶ 29 We do not decide whether the evidence was admissible, we merely correct the Court of Appeals' misapprehension and hold that the evidence is relevant and does not violate RCW 71.09.060(1). ER 403 issues of unfair prejudice and confusion of the issues are best addressed in the first instance by the trial court, subject to review for abuse of discretion.