Opinion ID: 2075944
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The trial judge's ruling: McLean and Sherer examined.

Text: There is no indication that the trial judge considered Mintz, Lawrence, or any cases from other jurisdictions [26] when she prohibited the proposed cross-examination. As noted above, she evidently believed that the issue was controlled by McLean, Sherer, and Hughes. I cannot agree. McLean, which presumptively proscribes examination of the complaining witness about her sexual history and reputation, does not deal at all with allegations by a complainant that she has previously been the victim of one or more sexual assaults. As the court noted in Bohannon, the proposed questions dealt with prior allegations of rape; they in no way sought to elicit a response concerning the complainant's prior sexual activity or reputation for chastity. We, therefore do not reach any issues related to the recently enacted rape-shield statute. 376 Mass. at 95, 378 N.E.2d at 991 (emphasis added). Accord, West v. State, 290 Ark. 329, 330-34, 719 S.W.2d 684, 686-87 (1986); Covington, supra, 703 P.2d at 442; State v. Johnson, 66 N.C.App. 444, 446-47, 311 S.E.2d 50, 52, review denied, 310 N.C. 747, 315 S.E.2d 707 (1984); Woods, supra, 657 P.2d at 182 n. 1; But see United States v. Cardinal, 782 F.2d 34, 36 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1161, 106 S.Ct. 2282, 90 L.Ed.2d 724 (1986); Carter v. State, 451 N.E.2d 639, 644-45 (Ind.1983). McLean stands for the proposition that consent may not be inferred from a woman's sexual activities with others; in the present case, the question of consent does not arise. Sherer was not a sexual assault case at all. The defendant was charged with first degree murder while armed, and with several other offenses. A key prosecution witness was Garrison, Sherer's alleged accomplice. In a pretrial motion in limine, Sherer sought leave to examine Garrison about perjury which Garrison had allegedly committed in an earlier trial in Virginia. The government denied that Garrison had lied at that trial, contending among other things that he had passed two polygraph tests. The trial judge denied Sherer leave to conduct the proposed examination. This court affirmed, adopting as its own, 482 A.2d at 377, the following language from Hughes, supra, 641 F.2d at 792, a rape case in which the defendant had sought to cross-examine the complaining witness about a prior allegation of rape against another man: First, any conclusions drawn from this fact that would bear on this case would depend upon whether it could be shown convincingly that the other charge was false. This is very doubtful. The offer of proof indicates that cross-examination would have revealed that [the complainant] contended the prior charge was true, that the man involved denied attempting to rape her, and that the district attorney did not prosecute the charge. The fact that the district attorney chose not to prosecute, in itself, could mean no more than that he decided he did not have sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction. I find the distinctions between this case on the one hand and Sherer and Hughes on the other compelling. In Sherer, as in Hughes, the prosecution witness had made one prior allegedly false charge. In each case, the witness apparently continued to stand behind his or her previous accusation. Neither allegation had been withdrawn. There was no independent evidence suggesting that the complaining witness was unreliable or had made false charges of this kind. In the present case, on the other hand, W.D. had made allegations against approximately nine men. She had given three inconsistent versions of what occurred between her and her half-brother Hank. In connection with the charges against the counsellor at Juvenile Horizons, eight different professional people had indicated (with varying degrees of emphasis) that W.D. probably ought not to be believed. Several of them alluded to her having made up stories in the past. W.D. admitted lying to the police about her name and age upon her arrest in Washington. As in Bohannon, the information suggesting her unreliability came from records relating to the complaining witness which were furnished by an agency which had no connection whatever with the defendant. It is true that the formulation in Hughes, quoted in Sherer, makes the present issue turn on whether it could be shown convincingly that the other charge was false. I do not believe, however, that the result in this case can or should be controlled by that one italicized word. It is well to remember that significance is given to broad and general statements of law only by comparing the facts from which they arise with those facts to which they supposedly apply. Kraft v. Kraft, 155 A.2d 910, 913 (D.C.1959). Accord, Armour & Co. v. Wantock, 323 U.S. 126, 132-133, 65 S.Ct. 165, 168, 89 L.Ed. 118 (1944) (words of opinions are to be read in light of facts under discussion; transposition to other facts is often misleading). The court in Sherer was addressing a specific factual situation. I do not think that it was attempting to analyze the standards applicable to cases with facts such as these here presented. The numerous precedents, some of which are cited in this opinion, were neither cited nor discussed. Indeed, in Lawrence, decided a year after Sherer in an opinion in which Sherer was repeatedly cited, the court reached a result which could not be sustained if, in every case, the defendant must convincingly show the witness' prior allegations to be false before being permitted to cross-examine with respect to them. Accordingly, reading Mintz, Sherer and Lawrence together, I believe it to be in the interest of justice, and consistent with District of Columbia authority, to adopt the reasoning of Bohannon, LeClair and similar cases discussed at page 339, supra. Applying that standard here, I am satisfied that Roundtree had a bona fide reasonable basis for believing that at least some of W.D.'s past allegations were false. Accordingly, he should have been permitted to question W.D. on the subject. In summary, I would hold that the defendant must be allowed to cross-examine the complaining witness about prior claims of sexual assault as long as he has a bona fide reasonable basis for believing that any such claims may be untrue, unless the court specifically finds that the probative value of such an inquiry is substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect. In assessing whether counsel has such a bona fide reasonable basis, the court should consider the number and nature of the claims, as well as any information counsel may have tending to cast doubt on the complainant's veracity. In considering prejudicial effect, the court should consider the need to avoid diversion of the trial to collateral inquiries as well as the danger, in particular cases, of inflaming the jury. See generally State v. LeClair, supra, 83 Or.App. at 129, 730 P.2d at 615 (court to consider prejudice, confusion, embarrassment or delay). The court should, however, also bear in mind the sound presumption that, in general, jurors will faithfully follow the judge's instructions. Hairston v. United States, 497 A.2d 1097, 1103 (D.C.1985).