Opinion ID: 1158206
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State v. Alberico

Text: The complainant was a fifteen-year-old acquaintance of Alberico, and she claimed that he raped her. Alberico did not dispute that he had intercourse with the complainant, but he claimed that she consented. During its case in chief, the State introduced testimony from a clinical psychologist, Dr. Barbara Lenssen. The prosecution stated that the purpose of Lenssen's testimony was to prove that a crime was committed. Dr. Lenssen's qualifications as an expert were not contested; it is the content of her testimony that is the issue. During voir dire outside the presence of the jury, Dr. Lenssen testified that PTSD is a diagnosis for a psychological condition that may result from an incident that is beyond the normal range of experience and which would be distressing to anyone. The American Psychiatric Association published a list of diagnostic criteria for PTSD in its manual entitled Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3d Rev. ed. 1987) (DSM III-R), and Dr. Lenssen patterned her evaluation of the complainant after the DSM III-R. One of the traumatic experiences that may cause PTSD, she stated, is rape. PTSD that is induced by rape is sometimes referred to as rape trauma syndrome or RTS. She stated that PTSD and RTS as diagnoses are generally accepted by national organizations of both psychiatrists and psychologists. She also stated, however, that while RTS is generally accepted in the research community by clinical psychologists, it is not listed in the DSM III-R manual like PTSD. In addition, Dr. Lenssen testified that in evaluating an alleged victim, a psychologist will try to verify or validate her credibility, but that such an evaluation falls short of being able to determine whether or not the alleged victim is telling the truth. Apparently, psychologists make no attempt at a final determination of truthfulness in the legal sense, but rather check the victim's story for inherent reliability, what they refer to as internal consistency. Over the objection of defense counsel, the trial judge ruled that the State laid a proper foundation for the PTSD testimony and that such testimony was inherently reliable. As to relevancy, the trial judge ruled that PTSD testimony was admissible and would help the jury determine whether a crime had been committed, but was not admissible to bolster the credibility of the complainant. The judge concluded that PTSD testimony was based on well-recognized scientific principle and that its probative value outweighed its potential prejudicial effect. Before the jury, Dr. Lenssen stated that she interviewed the complainant twice and her mother once. She also administered two psychological tests to the complainant. From her evaluation of the complainant's symptoms, Dr. Lenssen diagnosed her as suffering from PTSD consistent with someone who suffered from sexual abuse or rape. She did not identify Alberico as the probable perpetrator or inculpate him in any way. On cross-examination, Dr. Lenssen was asked if she could determine if the complainant was lying, and she responded that she could not. She testified that the validation or verification process tries to determine whether a complainant's story is consistent with symptoms of sexual abuse. Dr. Lenssen stated that she assumes that a complainant's reports are true. Also in response to cross-examination, she testified that no other factors appeared to have contributed to the complainant's symptoms. Dr. Lenssen did not employ the term rape trauma syndrome during her testimony before the jury.