Opinion ID: 1223896
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Admissibility of Evidence of Prior Acts of Prostitution as Evidence of Motive to Fabricate

Text: 29. In this case, Defendant sought to offer evidence of a prior act or acts in which the victims were alleged to have engaged with others who were not identified. This is not enough to implicate Defendant's constitutional right of confrontation. Motive to fabricate is a theory of relevance that does implicate the right of confrontation. A trial court would be entitled to determine that the prejudicial effect of prior sexual conduct evidence, such as evidence of prostitution, would not outweigh the probative value of evidence of a motive to fabricate. Nevertheless, evidence of prior acts of prostitution is not sufficient in itself to show a motive to fabricate. See Winfield, 301 S.E.2d at 21 (holding that [e]vidence of past sexual conduct, to be admissible under the `motive to fabricate' provisions ... must show a pattern of behavior which directly relates to the conduct charged against the complaining witness in the case on trial). 30. In Winfield, the defendant, who was convicted of sexual assault, appealed his conviction arguing that he was prejudiced by the trial court's ruling that evidence of the victim's acts of prostitution could not be admitted to show a motive to fabricate the charge. Id. at 19. The defendant claimed that the victim agreed to have consensual sex for which he would pay her $50.00. Id. at 18. When he did not give her the agreed upon amount, she became angry and accused him of rape to exact revenge. Id. The defendant wanted to prove that the victim had exchanged sex for money in the past, and that she had extorted money from a customer who had refused to pay her by threatening to tell his wife of their activities. Id. at 17. The defendant argued that the victim's actions displayed a pattern of retaliation against customers who refused to pay, which he claimed occurred in his case. Id. at 20. 31. The Virginia court reversed the convictions, remanding the cause to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing. See id. at 17-21. The court noted that any evidence of prior sexual conduct by the complaining witness must comply with the usual rules of evidence as well as the requirements of the `rape shield law.' Id. at 21. The court distinguished the evidence showing a pattern of threatening to retaliate or actually retaliating, from evidence of prior acts of prostitution. The court held that the former should have been admitted into trial as part of the defendant's case. However, the court held that the latter evidence was not admissible, because a sufficient nexus did not exist between those activities and the motive to fabricate a charge. Id. 32. Both Wisconsin and Virginia appear to require a particularized showing of relevance. Herndon, 426 N.W.2d at 360; Winfield, 301 S.E.2d at 21. Other jurisdictions have reached comparable holdings. See generally People v. Williams, 416 Mich. 25, 330 N.W.2d 823, 829-831 (1982) (holding that evidence of reputation for, or specific instances of, prostitution is not admissible where the evidence has slight or little relevance to defendant's theory of the case); Crims, 540 N.W.2d at 866, 869 (holding trial court's exclusion of evidence of complainant's prior acts of prostitution proper where the relevance of such evidence was not shown); cf. Hudlow, 659 P.2d at 523-24 (holding evidence of general promiscuity inadmissible because there was no evidence of conduct comparable to defense theory). We also conclude that, in order to enable the trial court to perform its role in identifying a theory of relevance prior to balancing probative value against prejudice, a defendant must show sufficient facts to support a particular theory of relevance. 33. For these reasons, we hold that when a defendant characterizes an alleged rape or other criminal sexual contact as an act of prostitution, evidence of prior acts of prostitution is not necessarily material and probative. A defendant must specify the issue or issues the evidence is intended to address and demonstrate how the evidence is truly probative on those issues exclusive of the forbidden `yes/yes inference.' Fishman, supra, at 725. For example, a defendant may show that a victim has engaged in a distinctive pattern of past sexual conduct, involving the extortion of money by threat after acts of prostitution, of which her alleged conduct in [a particular case] is but an example. Winfield, 301 S.E.2d at 20. Simply showing that the victim engaged in an act or acts of prostitution is not sufficient to show a motive to fabricate. See id. 34. We are not certain that Romero is inconsistent with our holdings in this case. See generally id., 94 N.M. at 26, 606 P.2d at 1120 (holding that evidence victim was a prostitute not relevant to charge of rape, which victim said occurred at knifepoint, even though the defendant contended intercourse had been consensual). However, to the extent Romero suggests that evidence of prostitution is relevant whenever a defendant contends that the intercourse with the defendant was itself an act of prostitution, it is overruled. The evidence offered should be relevant to a defense theory other than a theory based on propensity, because the fact-finder should determine the defendant's guilt or innocence based on the particular encounter for which the defendant was charged. Cf. Rule 11-404(B) NMRA 1997 (making evidence of other crimes inadmissible to show action in conformity but permitting its use for other purposes, such as proof of motive or intent). Id.