Opinion ID: 2230354
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Expert Testimony on Battered Child Syndrome

Text: Jason sought to offer expert testimony on battered child syndrome to describe how battered child syndrome might explain his actual fear for his personal safety at the time of the shooting. In response to Jason's request, the district court determined that the expert testimony would need to be presented at a Frye-Mack hearing before trial because battered child syndrome presented a novel scientific theory in Minnesota. [1] At the Frye-Mack hearing, Jason offered the testimony of Dr. Michael Arambula, a clinical psychiatrist with a specialty in forensic psychiatry. Dr. Arambula testified that battered child syndrome is a term that initially was used by physicians to describe the existence of physical evidence of abuse in children, but the term has evolved to encompass the psychological symptoms suffered by children who have been battered. According to Dr. Arambula, few children who suffer from battered child syndrome actually attack their abusers. But Dr. Arambula testified that when a child with battered child syndrome does attack his abuser, the attack generally does not occur at the time of the conflict; rather, it occurs when the child has the opportunity to attack. According to Dr. Arambula, in the rare instance when a child attacks his parent/abuser, the attack will usually involve excessive force because the child is unable to control his or her emotions. To rebut Dr. Arambula's testimony, the state called Drs. Carl Malmquist and Susan Phipps-Yonas. Dr. Malmquist is a clinical psychiatrist with specialties in forensic and child psychiatry. According to Dr. Malmquist, battered child syndrome is generally accepted as a medical diagnosis used by physicians to show that a young child has been physically or sexually abused. But according to Dr. Malmquist, in the psychiatric community battered child syndrome is a developing theory about the potential psychological reactions that children may suffer as a result of abuse. Dr. Malmquist stated that in the psychiatric community battered child syndrome is not, at this point, well tested and confirmed enough to gain credibility that there is such an accepted syndrome. Dr. Malmquist also testified that it is not proper to correlate the psychological effects of abuse on children to the psychological effects on women in abusive intimate relationships because there are any number of variables that control how women and children will react to abuse. The testimony of Dr. Phipps-Yonas was consistent with that of Dr. Malmquist. Dr. Phipps-Yonas described battered child syndrome as a diagnostic tool of physicians used to detect the presence of physical or sexual abuse in very young children. According to Dr. Phipps-Yonas, it is improper to correlate the effect of abuse on children to the effect of abuse on women because the reactions of battered children are all over the board, based on any number of factors. Dr. Phipps-Yonas did acknowledge that battered woman syndrome is generally accepted in the psychiatric and psychological community. According to Dr. Phipps-Yonas, battered woman syndrome is generally accepted because it has been shown that battered women experience a specific set of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. But Dr. Phipps-Yonas testified that such a set of symptoms has not been shown in battered children at a sufficient rate of occurrence to support the same general acceptance in the community that battered woman syndrome enjoys. After hearing the expert testimony, the district court concluded that Jason had not met his burden under the Frye-Mack standard. The court's decision was based upon the failure of Dr. Arambula's testimony to demonstrate general acceptance of battered child syndrome in the psychiatric and psychological communities and the insufficiency of the evidence offered to demonstrate that Jason suffered severe emotional abuse. Although the court did not allow expert testimony on battered child syndrome at trial, it permitted Jason to offer evidence of his relationship with his father. The only testimony permitted at trial about the relationship between Betty and Kenneth was Jason's own testimony about his parents' relationship.