Opinion ID: 2399091
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Past Sexual Behavior of the Victim

Text: [¶ 15] Cormier next contends that the court erred in excluding evidence of the victim's prior sexual experience, and in doing so created the risk that the jury would find it doubtful that she would consent to sexual contact with Cormier. [¶ 16] With a few discrete and limited exceptions, opinion or reputation evidence of the past sexual history of a victim of an alleged sexual assault is not admissible. M.R. Evid. 412(a). These exceptions are set out in M.R. Evid. 412(b): the only evidence of the alleged victim's past sexual behavior that may be admitted is . . . (1)[e]vidence ... of sexual behavior with persons other than the accused, offered by the accused upon the issue of whether the accused was or was not, with respect to the alleged victim, the source of semen or injury; or (2)[e]vidence . . . of sexual behavior with the accused offered by the accused on the issue of whether the alleged victim consented to the sexual behavior with respect to which the accused is charged. In addition, Rule 412(b)(3) allows the introduction of [e]vidence the exclusion of which would violate the constitutional rights of the defendant. [¶ 17] Cormier did not allege any prior sexual activity between himself and the victim. M.R. Evid. 412(b)(2). Nor does Cormier contend that, pursuant to Rule 412(b)(1), another person was the source of the injuries to the victim. Accordingly, the exceptions set out in Rule 412(b)(2) and (b)(1) do not apply. [¶ 18] Instead, Cormier sought to introduce evidence of the victim's prior sexual activities to show she had the propensity to engage in consensual sex. This is precisely what Rule 412 prohibits. Rule 412(b)(2) allows only evidence of prior sexual acts with the accused to prove that the victim consented to sexual activity with the accused at a later time, but does not allow evidence of prior sexual acts with persons other than the accused to show that the victim later consented to sexual activity with the accused. The court properly excluded evidence of the victim's prior sexual activity with another person.