Opinion ID: 729726
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: other issues of concern

Text: 102 Although the medical evidence was inconclusive and the examiners took no pictures, the district court denied defendants' requests for further medical examinations. This discretionary ruling is not error, but highlights the importance of the children's testimony and the prejudice to defendants caused by the court's refusal to admit Dr. Underwager's testimony. 103 Soon after these children were removed from their homes, the Department arranged for some of them to undergo a medical examination by Dr. Richard Kaplan, a pediatrician at the Yankton Medical Clinic who examines 500 to 600 children per month. Dr. Kaplan testified that the vaginal redness and possible trauma he observed could be consistent with abuse or any number of possible non-abuse causes; the conditions he observed were basically nonspecific as to cause; he could not conduct a thorough examination while the children were awake; and based on his limited examination, he could not positively diagnose any of the children as having been abused. 104 Thereafter, on February 11, 1994, his co-worker, Dr. Robert Ferrell, had the children placed under anesthesia and examined them with a colposcope. Although he had received some training in the sex abuse area seven years earlier while he was a resident, Dr. Ferrell had no special experience in sex abuse investigations. Dr. Ferrell had never testified in a criminal case. He did not take photographs of his colposcopic examinations, although the process would have been easy and helpful in this case. 105 Dr. Ferrell admitted that neovascularization (redness in the vaginal areas), decreased anal tone, and hymenal tags can be common place occurrences resulting from many different everyday occurring causes. He did make a post-operative diagnosis that F.R. indicated evidence of tearing and scarring of the anal mucosa but otherwise a normal anus and vagina; that R.R. had apparent damage to the hymenal ring consistent with vulvovaginal trauma, and possible anal trauma; that L.R. revealed a fusion and evidence of anal trauma; that J.R. had neovascularization, clue cells and a tag or scar on the hymen. On T.R., the anterior portion of the hymenal ring was essentially gone; he diagnosed vaginal and vulva trauma. 106 The defendants' pediatric expert, Dr. Robert Fay of Albany, New York, testified he had prior training and experience with Native American patients, sex abuse diagnosis and treatment, and that he had been previously retained by both defense and prosecution in other cases. In essence, Dr. Fay testified that the reported hymenal fusions in L.R., R.R. and J.R. are suspicious for sexually acquired trauma; that labial injury would be a significant finding in diagnosing sexual abuse, but that most of the conditions observed by the doctors offered by the prosecution -- such as redness, erythema, neovascularization, vaginal furrows and ridges, a gaping hymen, a hymenal notch, clue cells, relaxed anal tone, and anal folds, were of no significance in evaluating whether sex abuse had occurred, and are found in a high percentage of non-abused children. 107 Dr. Fay testified he felt Dr. Ferrell was not qualified based on training or experience to perform a colposcopic examination of a child; his training was outdated; photographic evidence in such cases is frequently dispositive, very helpful, and perhaps essential; and a further physical examination of the children would be very helpful. 108 The literature in this area, see Jan Bays & David Chadwick, Medical Diagnosis of the Sexually Abused Child, 17 Child Abuse & Neglect 91, 92, 95, 103 (1993), indicates that frequently findings on examination of children allegedly sexually abused are no different than similar findings on children who most likely have not been subject to sexual abuse. That work indicates that a number of factors or conditions may mimic findings caused by sexual abuse or wrongly produce a history suggestive of child sexual abuse, including adults misinterpreting normal masturbation or sexual play between children and a variety of other dermatologic, congenital, traumatic and infectious conditions. 16 Another leading article indicates 109 Even in our present state of knowledge, it is becoming increasingly evident that, as a consequence of naturally occurring physical changes, there will always be an overlap in findings between nonabused children and the victims of sexual misuse. The appreciation of this reality should serve as a constant reminder that the determination of sexual abuse can rarely rely on a physical examination alone and that consideration of all the components of the investigation -- especially the information obtained from the child -- is essential. 110 John McCann, M.D., et al., Genital Findings in Prepubertal Girls Selected for Nonabuse: A Descriptive Study, 86 Pediatrics 428, 438 (Sept. 1990). 111 We agree that, as a matter of discretion, the district court need not have required more invasive procedures on these small children. But we must observe that the medical testimony, while consistent with possible sexual abuse, is inconclusive in light of other matters discussed herein. In addition, some of that alleged trauma may have occurred from sexual interplay and activity between and among the victims and other young children. 112
113 The defendants sought to introduce testimony regarding substantial inter-child sexual activity by and between the children in question and other children in Marty, South Dakota on the reservation. Particularly, an eleven-year-old boy who lived in the Rouse home told investigators that he and T.R. had sex for a long time, and other children corroborated this testimony. Also, during the trial, government evidence surfaced showing that T.R. also had engaged in sexual relations with another boy. This evidence was not placed in front of the jury however. 114 The children themselves provided a source of this information because after weeks of interrogation and counselling, the sex abuse accusations expanded to include all sorts of family members including the grandmother. This well may have been fantasy and bears on the reliability of the government's case against these defendants. 115 Although defendants intimated that they would be presenting evidence generally of inter-child sexual activity and accusations of sexual abuse by non-defendant family members in several motions, the defendants did not file a formal motion as required by Federal Rule of Evidence 412. 17 116 The day before the trial, the government filed a motion in limine to prevent defendants from presenting such evidence because of the absence of a formal Rule 412 motion. The defendants responded by then filing the 412 motion, claiming they had not received some of the relevant evidence, including L.R.'s representations that everybody was having sex with everybody else in the house -- particularly that she was having sexual relations with her grandmother -- until the government filed its motion. The district court denied the motion for absence of timeliness. 117 While that ruling can be approved based on the record in this case, the issue is troubling because that sort of evidence would have cast additional light on whether the alleged medical evidence of sexual abuse could be attributed to sources other than the charged defendants. This sort of evidence may be constitutionally required. United States v. Bear Stops, 997 F.2d 451 (8th Cir. 1993) (reversing conviction where district court limited admission of evidence relating to previous sexual assault on victim to establish alternative explanation for why victim exhibited behavior of sexually abused child). 118 Turning to Federal Rule of Evidence 412, that rule permits the filing of a 412 motion during trial for good cause. See Rule 412(c)(1)(A). Where the government only gave the defendants the FBI report regarding the second boy during the trial, the district court's refusal to allow the defendants to present testimonial evidence kept important information, helpful to defendants, from the jury. 119 The trial court might have granted the belated Rule 412 motion. Nevertheless, we cannot say that the trial judge abused his discretion in strictly following the language of the statute in requiring fifteen days advance notice to present the evidence. Inasmuch as we grant a new trial on other grounds, the untimeliness issue should not arise on the new trial. 120
121 The defense moved for a psychological examination of the children stating that this examination would be crucial to the defense in preparation of the case and observing: 122 The children have been subjected to countless, unrecorded interviews by social workers, FBI and tribal officers, the U.S. Attorneys Office and others. There is simply no way of telling what occurred at these interviews, the nature and form of the questions, or whether or not some children who are now complaining witnesses, at first denied the abuse occurred, or whether there have been retractions or recantations. 123 In response to the government's objections, the movants also asserted the stated claim in preventing contact with the child by the accused or the appointed psychologist for the accused is to protect the children from any further abuse or possible intimidation or harassment by the accused or the appointed psychologist. 124 The movants further argued that social workers interrogated the children several times; that the police and the FBI interrogated the children several times; that the children were told to keep dream journals by the foster care provider; that the children had been the recipients of constant interrogation by the foster care provider; that the counselor had interrogated the children on numerous occasions; that the prosecuting attorney had interviewed the children several times; and that there had been dozens of interrogations by various agencies involved. The movants noted that at no time was the cry of trauma, embarrassment, invasion of privacy and possible harassment by these interrogations raised, and that perhaps this was because the various agencies were building their cases. 125 This motion was well taken. 126 Although it is addressed to the discretion of the district court and the district court denied the motion on the grounds that such examination was unnecessary and intrusive, the record in this case amply indicates that the defendants suffered substantial prejudice by the nature of the case against them without the opportunity to indeed show that possible falsification in testimony had occurred because of the nature of the government's investigations. Given their lack of access to the children and the amount of suggestive interviewing done to support the prosecution, we believe the defendants were entitled to an independent psychological examination. 127 This belief is strengthened by the failure to videotape or audiotape any of the investigatory or counseling interviews. Electronic recording of child witness interviews (particularly, the preliminary interviews) is crucial to rule out the potential influences of coaching and interrogative suggestion. Written summaries by the adult interviewers (be it Kelson, Jordan or law enforcement agents) are no substitute for electronic recordings of these interviews, particularly in legal proceedings: 128 Although one would excuse such missing data when the allegation was first made to parents, one would hope that it would be normal procedure for the police, social workers, and therapists to have recorded all interviews with the children, if the purpose of the interview could -- even remotely -- be considered forensic. 129 Ceci, supra, at p. 242. No tape or audio recordings were taken of any of the multitudinous interviews which took place in this case. Many of the discrepancies in testimony in this case might have been resolved by a taped record of these interviews. 130 In addition, some of the children's testimony reflects an element of fantasy -- possibly the tying up of practically every member of the household and locking up multiple children in closets in light of the previous abuse experience Melanie Rouse had shared with the other children. 18 Studies show that children will fantasize --telling elaborate stories about an event that never happened or fabricating an entire episode or sequence of events within a larger episode, particularly over time on the basis of acquired interviewer stereotypes, or they may produce convincing false narratives to explain fictitious events suggested to them. See Ceci, supra, at 133-34, 218-222, 227; see also, Ceci & Bruck, supra, at 407, 417 (boundaries of children's fantasy-reality distinctions can be fragile; children's disclosures may become increasingly bizarre and incredible, sometimes caused by interviewers not drawing children back to reality when they made fantastic claims; and children may have trouble distinguishing what they experienced through perception and what they only imagined they experienced). Defendants had the right to have some of these stories explored by an independent psychological examiner. 131 In light of the manner in which the prosecution, state agencies and others had proceeded in the investigation, the district court abused its discretion in denying the defense a fair opportunity to determine whether the children had, in fact, been influenced by the manner in which the investigation had taken place. 19
132 After the verdict in this trial, an allegation of juror misconduct was brought to the court's attention. Verna Severson contacted the clerk's office and said that she was surprised her co-worker (at a preschool) Pat Pickard was allowed to serve on the jury of a case involving Native Americans because she believed Pickard was prejudiced against them. The district court held a number of hearings and heard testimony from a number of witnesses. 133 Everyone who testified (mostly co-workers from the preschool) except Severson, unequivocally stated that Pickard is not racist and has not demonstrated a bias against Native Americans, although the school is now instituting workshops on racial sensitivity. Severson had a long-standing animosity toward Pickard and some of her testimony was contradicted by other witnesses. 134 On the other hand, Severson testified that she had listened to Pickard's racist statements for many years (including one to the effect that adult males often have sex with young girls as part of the Native American culture), and that she had engaged in arguments with Pickard over the years on the subject of Pickard's racism and bias against Native Americans. Severson testified Pickard told her that Pickard and two other jurors in this case enjoyed making racial jokes about Indians. The district court precluded Severson from telling what Pickard said went on while the jury was in the jury room pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 606(b). 135 The defendants assert Pickard's own testimony and efforts to avoid answering questions -- Not in my opinion, I don't know, I don't remember, I don't think so, and I may have -- were most revealing of her bias and her equivocal answers to most of the questions impeached her specific denial of bias. Pickard specifically testified she heard and laughed at a comment (rather than joke) in the jury room about an Indian (but she could not reveal more under Federal Rule of Evidence 606(b)), and she told a fellow juror after the trial that Well, you know what to say [regarding racial prejudice] if you want to be on or off the jury. 136 Pickard also acknowledged that her sister-in-law, a social worker who worked with abused children, told her that it is terrible to be born an Indian baby girl; that she had repeated this remark to Severson and other individuals; and that her intention was to repeat a statement of an experienced social worker. 137 Defendants argue the court's order denying the motions for a new trial incorrectly narrowed the focus of the juror misconduct inquiry to voir dire only and not into comments which took place in the jury room. United States v. Heller, 785 F.2d 1524 (11th Cir. 1986) (overturning conviction where jurors made anti-semitic jokes at trial and others reacted to them with gales of laughter). 138 We do not quarrel with the credibility determination of the district court rejecting serious charges against Pickard, but the evidence relating to this issue erodes confidence in the result. We cannot ignore the existence of racial prejudices in our society and as against Native Americans in areas near reservations. Pickard's statements relating to Native American racial jokes or comments raises a matter of grave concern. Racial prejudice in the jury room cannot and will not be tolerated or condoned. Here four Native Americans placed their liberties in the hands of all whites: prosecutors, defense counsel, judge and jury. The law requires that they receive a fair trial without the impact of racial bias.