Opinion ID: 1174739
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: State Expert Testimony

Text: Defendants claim the trial court abused its discretion and committed prejudicial error by admitting the testimony of Dr. William Palmer that, in his expert opinion, Virginia Lairby was, in all probability, a victim of sexual abuse. Defendants contend that Dr. Palmer should not have been allowed to give his opinion because (a) no foundation was given as to Dr. Palmer's qualifications to diagnose the occurrence of sexual abuse in the absence of physical injuries; (b) insufficient foundation was laid as to whether statements made by Virginia Lairby to him are typically relied upon by experts in determining whether sexual abuse has occurred; and (c) no foundation was provided to show why Dr. Palmer would be more qualified to give an opinion as to whether [Virginia] Lairby was telling the truth. The record substantiates defendants' first contention, that the prosecutor laid an inadequate foundation with respect to Dr. Palmer's expertise in diagnosing sexual abuse relying on verbal and behavioral evidence. Dr. Palmer testified that he is the medical director of outpatient ambulatory medicine at Primary Children's Hospital and an associate professor of Pediatrics and Family Practice at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He also stated that he is a member of the child protection team of both institutions and that the teams consist of pediatricians, psychiatrists, and medical social workers. That was the extent of his testimony regarding his qualifications when the prosecutor proceeded to question Dr. Palmer about his examination of Virginia Lairby. The record also reveals, however, that defendants made no objection to Dr. Palmer's qualifications to testify. In the absence of a timely objection, defendants waived any right to appeal this point. [12] Defendants' second contention is correct as well; there was insufficient foundation laid as to whether the statements made by Virginia Lairby are typically relied on by experts in determining whether sexual abuse has occurred. Indeed, there was almost no development of the factual foundation for Dr. Palmer's opinion. See Utah R.Evid. 56(2), 9B U.C.A., 1953 (1977). However, defendants are precluded from challenging this failure because every time the prosecution attempted to introduce such testimony, defense counsel objected and was erroneously sustained by the trial judge on the ground of hearsay. [13] The facts on which Dr. Palmer relied and the ones about which he was precluded from testifying were the verbal and behavioral indicators of sexual abuse exhibited by Virginia Lairby. Dr. Palmer was asked to relate and describe her behaviors and statements, not to prove the truth of the content of the latter, but in order to testify about the medical significance of the making of such statements by a child of Virginia's age and experience. The statements were therefore not hearsay and should not have been excluded. Because Dr. Palmer was not allowed to testify about the verbal and behavioral indicators referred to above, he was also unable to testify that those indicators are regularly relied on by experts in diagnosing sexual abuse in young children. [14] As a result of defendants' improper hearsay objections, the specific information on which Dr. Palmer relied and an explanation of his decision process were never detailed. [15] While hearsay objections to Dr. Palmer's testimony regarding the data on which he relied were sustained, defense counsel also objected to Dr. Palmer's giving his opinion for lack of foundation. The court precluded admission of the opinion evidence by sustaining defense objections twice, but then allowed the opinion to come in based on Dr. Palmer's objective and subjective examination of the child. As indicated above, it was incorrect to exclude Dr. Palmer's testimony regarding the verbal and behavioral indicators exhibited by Virginia Lairby. The statements made by her to Dr. Palmer were not offered for the truth of what she said, but as objective symptoms on which Dr. Palmer relied. [16] Defendants may not improperly object to the admission of evidence and complain on appeal about its omission. Finally, Dr. Palmer was not testifying to Virginia Lairby's veracity, but whether, in his opinion, she had been a victim of sexual abuse. [17] Thus, defendants' third claim of error with regard to Dr. Palmer's testimony is without merit.