Opinion ID: 1785298
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Family Member Testimony about Victim's Statements

Text: We first consider whether the district court erred by admitting testimony from Vang's family members describing Vang's allegations of abuse. This testimony relates to statements Vang made at the March 2001 family meeting. The State sought to introduce that evidence under Rule 804(b)(5), [22] the residual exception to the rule against hearsay evidence. [23] The residual exception permits the introduction of [a] statement not specifically covered by rule 803 or 804 but having equivalent circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness. Minn. R. Evid. 807. Trial courts use a totality of the circumstances approach, looking to all relevant factors bearing on trustworthiness, to decide whether an extrajudicial statement has circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness equivalent to the other hearsay exceptions. State v. Stallings, 478 N.W.2d 491, 495 (Minn.1991). Considerations in this analysis include whether the statement was given voluntarily, under oath, and subject to cross-examination and penalty of perjury; the declarant's relationship to the parties and her motivation to make the statement; the extent to which the declarant's statement reflects her personal knowledge; whether the declarant ever recanted her statement; the existence of corroborating evidence; availability of evidence on the issue; reasons for the declarant's unavailability; and the character of the declarant for truthfulness and honesty. State v. Keeton, 589 N.W.2d 85, 90 (Minn.1998) (citing State v. Byers, 570 N.W.2d 487, 492-93 (Minn.1997)); see also State v. Daniels, 361 N.W.2d 819, 830 (Minn.1985); State v. Hansen, 312 N.W.2d 96, 101-02 (Minn.1981). Although not given under oath, subject to formal cross-examination or penalty of perjury, the totality of the circumstances surrounding the statements Vang made at the family meeting indicates that those statements satisfy our test for trustworthiness. See State v. Robinson, 718 N.W.2d 400, 410 (Minn.2006) (domestic abuse victim's statement to a nurse contained sufficient circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness that it was admissible under the residual exception). Vang gave the statements voluntarily, based on firsthand knowledge. She never recanted. Her statements were specific enough that her uncle was able to recall at trialover 5 years after the family meetingthat Vang alleged three instances of abuse and what each of those instances entailed. The photo of Vang's bruised leg, taken in February 2001, corroborated the allegation that Her hit and kicked her. And the fact that Vang moved away from her husband just weeks before the family meeting implies that Vang genuinely feared for her own safety. Additionally, Her's response to the allegations of abusecrying and admitting that some of Vang's allegations were truelends further support for Vang's truthfulness. Because Vang was unavailable to testify at trial, no evidence of these incidents was otherwise available. Finally, the formality of the family meeting indicates that Vang would have had strong incentive to tell the truth about her husband's abuse. [24] We hold that the district court acted within its discretion when it admitted the statements at trial.