Opinion ID: 2001864
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Evidence of Physical Abuse

Text: Outside of the presence of the jury, Henriksen testified about six assaults and three rapes perpetrated by Cameron. The Superior Court only allowed Henriksen to testify before the jury as to two incidents of physical abuse: a 1986 rape and a 1980 assault. The court instructed the jury that the admission of these incidents was only to show the reasonableness of Henriksen's emotional response to Cameron's threats and to show Cameron's motive and intent with respect to the non-physical conduct. The trial court further instructed the jury not to award damages for those physical acts. [9] Cameron argues that he should be granted a new trial because this time-barred evidence was unduly prejudicial. First at issue is whether the evidence is beyond the scope of the statute of limitations at all. Henriksen's complaint was filed on April 25, 1989. Therefore, the 1980 incident was clearly beyond the scope of the statute of limitations. The disagreement arises over the 1986 incident. Cameron argues the two-year statute of limitations for assault and battery should bar all evidence of physical abuse. We disagree. As discussed above, the statute of limitations period for intentional infliction of emotional abuse is six years. Although the two-year limitation bars Henriksen from recovering any damages for the physical injury she suffered from the assault and battery inflicted by Cameron; it does not bar her from recovering for emotional injuries sustained from those physical assaults occurring within six years of her action. The evidence of physical abuse between 1983-1986, therefore, was not beyond the statute of limitations period and should have been admitted as substantive evidence of her claim. Even though the 1980 assault was beyond the statute of limitations period, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting that evidence. In an action for assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, we have said that it is sometimes appropriate to admit evidence of conduct occurring beyond the six-year statute of limitations for the purposes of establishing the defendant's intent or motivation as well as on the issue of whether or not [the plaintiff] reasonably believed any threats that may have been made by [the defendant]. Caron, 577 A.2d at 1180. In the case at bar, the trial court admitted the evidence of the 1980 assault for precisely such purposes. Cameron argues that the admission of the 1980 assault was overly prejudicial. Because Henriksen was prevented from introducing to the jury at least six events of physical abuse occurring between 1983 and 1986 as substantive support for her claim, however, we cannot say that the introduction of the 1980 assault was overly prejudicial to Cameron especially in light of the proper limiting instructions.