Opinion ID: 1711295
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of Past Sexual Conduct

Text: Initially, we must determine to which period of time the term past refers: before the alleged sexual assault or before the evidence is offered at trial. The Court of Appeals majority held that past limited evidence of sexual conduct to that occurring before the alleged incident. 207 Mich.App. at 291, 524 N.W.2d 256. The prosecutor argues here that this interpretation is correct. Conversely, the panel's dissent believed that past encompassed all sexual conduct occurring before the evidence was offered at trial. Id. at 293-294, 524 N.W.2d 256. The defendant agrees with the dissent. As evidenced by this reasonable disagreement over the meaning of the statutory exception, we find that the term past is ambiguous. 2A Singer, Sutherland Statutory Construction (5th ed), § 45.02, p 6. The rules of statutory interpretation of ambiguous terms are well established. The lodestar of statutory construction is legislative purpose or intent. People v. Gilbert, 414 Mich. 191, 205, 324 N.W.2d 834 (1982). When faced with two alternative reasonable interpretations of a word in a statute, we should give effect to the interpretation that more faithfully advances the legislative purpose behind the statute. People v. Rehkopf, 422 Mich. 198, 207, 370 N.W.2d 296 (1985). In People v. Arenda, 416 Mich. 1, 10-11, 330 N.W.2d 814 (1982), we addressed the legislative purpose behind the rape-shield statute: The rape-shield law, with certain specific exceptions, was designed to exclude evidence of the victim's sexual conduct with persons other than defendant. Although such evidence was admissible at common law in relation to certain issues, this practice has repeatedly been drawn into question. The courts, with increasing frequency, have recognized the minimal relevance of this evidence.... The prohibitions contained in the rape-shield law represent a legislative determination that, in most cases, such evidence is irrelevant .... The prohibitions in the law are also a reflection of the legislative determination that inquiries into sex histories, even when minimally relevant, carry a danger of unfairly prejudicing and misleading the jury. Avoidance of these dangers is a legitimate interest in the criminal trial process, see MRE 403. The prohibition indirectly furthers the same interests by removing unnecessary deterrents to the reporting and prosecution of crimes. At the same time, the prohibitions protect legitimate expectations of privacy.... The interests protected and furthered by the rape-shield law are significant ones. Given the minimal relevance of such evidence in most cases, the prohibitions do not deny or significantly diminish defendant's right of confrontation. [Emphasis added; citations omitted.] The rape-shield statute was aimed at thwarting the then-existing practice of impeaching the complainant's testimony with evidence of the complainant's prior consensual sexual activity, which discouraged victims from testifying because they kn[e]w their private lives [would] be cross-examined. House Legislative Analysis, SB 1207, July 18, 1974. A complainant's sexual history with others is generally irrelevant with respect to the alleged sexual assault by the defendant. MRE 401. More importantly, a witness' sexual history is usually irrelevant as impeachment evidence because it has no bearing on character for truthfulness. MRE 608. Generally, irrelevant evidence is inadmissible as substantive evidence. MRE 402. MRE 403 provides that even relevant evidence may be excluded if its probative value is outweighed by prejudicial considerations. The rape-shield statute reflects this evidentiary postulate, but with a significant modification. MRE 403 calls for the exclusion of probative evidence when substantially, outweighed by prejudicial considerations. In contrast, the rape-shield statute calls for exclusion when the probative value is merely outweighed by prejudicial considerations. After weighing the minimal probative value of evidence of sexual conduct not incident to the alleged sexual assault against the inherent prejudicial and inflammatory effect on the jurors of parading the complainant's sexual history through the courtroom, the Legislature determined that as a general rule such evidence would be legally irrelevant and inadmissible as a matter of law. People v. Hackett, 421 Mich. 338, 347-348, 365 N.W.2d 120 (1984). [5] However, when the proposed evidence relates to the complainant's consensual sexual relations with the defendant, the public policy interests in excluding prejudicial, inflammatory, or misleading bad act character evidence are no longer the primary focus of the statute. People v. Perkins, 424 Mich. 302, 307, 379 N.W.2d 390 (1986). Instead, the focus shifts to materiality and balancing probative value against prejudice. Id. at 307-308, 379 N.W.2d 390. With this background in mind, we turn to the statutory exceptions. Again, the touchstone of the rape-shield statute is relevance. In providing two narrow exceptions to the exclusionary rule, the Legislature premised both exceptions on the threshold determination that the proposed evidence is material to a fact at issue. M.C.L. § 750.520j(1); M.S.A. § 28.788(10)(1). First consider subsection b, which allows the admission of evidence that is material to prove that semen recovered from the complainant or her resulting physical condition was the result of someone other than the defendant. Such evidence could be probative of a defense theory such as misidentification. [6] Likewise, under subsection a, the complainant's consensual sexual conduct with the defendant must be material to an issue in the case. In Perkins, we found that evidence of a prior sexual encounter between the complainant and the defendant could be probative of the defendant's version that the events on the night in question were consensual. Id. at 308, 379 N.W.2d 390. In the instant case, the trial court considered the meaning of the term past and determined that arbitrarily limiting evidence of the complainant's consensual sexual relations with the defendant to that occurring before the alleged sexual assault could exclude relevant evidence. [7] We agree. The rape-shield statute was grounded in the evidentiary principle of balancing probative value against the dangers of unfair prejudice, inflammatory testimony, and misleading the jurors to improper issues. Where the proposed evidence concerns consensual sexual conduct with third parties, the Legislature has determined that, with very limited exceptions, the balance overwhelmingly tips in favor of exclusion as a matter of law. However, where the proposed evidence concerns consensual sexual conduct with the defendant, the Legislature has left the determination of admissibility to a case-by-case evaluation. It is axiomatic that relevance flows from the circumstances and the issues in the case. It is primarily for this reason that we reject the argument that otherwise relevant evidence becomes legally irrelevant and inadmissible merely because it occurred after an alleged sexual assault and not before. The Legislature did not intend an arbitrary limit on relevant evidence, and we find that imposing such a time limit would not faithfully further the legislative purposes of the rape-shield statute. Accordingly, we hold that past sexual conduct refers to conduct that has occurred before the evidence is offered at trial. [8] The partial dissent would not consider whether the proffered evidence is relevant and whether its prejudicial nature outweighs its probative value, Op. at 514, if the proffered sexual conduct evidence did not occur[] before the alleged assault, id. at 515. In addition to the reasons explained above, we reject this interpretation of the rape-shield statute because it runs the risk of violating a defendant's Sixth Amendment constitutional right to confrontation. This Court has stated: The fact that the Legislature has determined that evidence of sexual conduct is not admissible as character evidence to prove consensual conduct or for general impeachment purposes is not however a declaration that evidence of sexual conduct is never admissible. We recognize that in certain limited situations, such evidence may not only be relevant, but its admission may be required to preserve a defendant's constitutional right to confrontation. [ Hackett, 421 Mich. at 348, 365 N.W.2d 120.] Conversely, the partial dissent would hold that as a matter of law postincident sexual conduct would never be admissible___even if relevant. To the contrary, we believe that determinations of relevance, materiality, prejudicial value, and the defendant's constitutional right to use the proffered evidence, depend on the facts of the case. Accordingly, the rape-shield statute should not be interpreted to foreclose consideration of such issues arbitrarily. Further, Michigan v. Lucas, 500 U.S. 145, 151, 111 S.Ct. 1743, 1747, 114 L.Ed.2d 205 (1991), suggested that an arbitrary interpretation and application of the rape-shield statute's provisions could violate the right to confrontation.