Opinion ID: 1145330
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: teacher's testimony regarding specific instances of conduct relating to victim's credibility

Text: Petitioner's next claimed error relates to testimony by the victim's teacher during the State's rebuttal. Petitioner and other witnesses testified that the victim habitually lied and stole, did not comprehend what was going on, was emotionally disturbed and that her mental age was approximately 2 years behind her chronological age. During rebuttal the teacher testified on direct examination to the effect that the victim stopped stealing things when the teacher made an agreement with her and that the victim's lying at school related to her stealing or her merely agreeing with the other children's wild stories. Petitioner argues that credibility of a witness may be supported only by evidence of reputation of truthfulness, ER 608(a), and this testimony was not reputation testimony. He further argues that the testimony is not admissible under ER 608(b) which allows evidence of specific instances of conduct to support a witness' credibility. ER 608(b)(2) allows testimony relating to the truthfulness of another witness to be elicited on cross examination only. The testimony at issue here was during direct examination. [5] The testimony was not admissible pursuant to ER 608. [1] We now consider whether that evidentiary ruling constitutes reversible error. The error is not of constitutional magnitude and thus we do not apply the harmless beyond a reasonable doubt test. Rather, we apply the rule that the error is not prejudicial unless, within reasonable probabilities, had the error not occurred, the outcome of the trial would have been materially affected. State v. Tharp, 96 Wn.2d 591, 637 P.2d 961 (1981); State v. Cunningham, 93 Wn.2d 823, 613 P.2d 1139 (1980). After a review of the entire record, we are convinced the outcome of the trial would not have been affected had the challenged testimony been excluded. Other evidence, supporting the victim's credibility, corroborated her testimony. Furthermore, examining the testimony itself, the claimed prejudice is not apparent. The teacher actually supported petitioner's claim that the victim had lied and stolen objects. She did not testify as to any specific instances when the victim told the truth nor did she testify that the victim stopped lying and stealing entirely.