Opinion ID: 2169046
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Application of Rape Shield Law

Text: Appellant moved the trial court to admit evidence of M.W.'s previous sexual conduct under the catch-all provision of KRE 412(b)(1)(C). The trial court declined to hold an evidentiary hearing and denied the motion. However, M.W. was questioned on avowal following submission of the case to the jury. During this avowal testimony, M.W. discussed the period during which she ran away from home for several months. The abuse by Appellant had stopped before M.W. ran away; however, she did not reveal the abuse to her grandmother until she returned home. While she was away, M.W. testified that she had had sexual intercourse with four men, explaining that she was scared and coerced each time. One of these men involved her in prostitution. KRE 412(b)(1)(C) permits admission of prior sexual conduct of a victim where it is directly pertaining to the offense charged. Appellant argues that evidence of M.W.'s sexual conduct while she was a runaway is relevant to the rape charge because it establishes a motive for M.W. to fabricate her allegations. According to Appellant, M.W. returned home and feared getting in trouble for having run away, perhaps even fearing that she was pregnant or had contracted a sexually transmitted disease during this time. This fear, defense counsel argued, established a motive for M.W. to falsify the allegations and divert attention away from her own wrongdoing. The purpose of KRE 412 is to protect alleged victims of sex crimes against unfair and unwarranted assaults on their character, particularly the admission of past sexual conduct evidence. The KRE 412 balancing test contains an obvious tilt toward exclusion over admission. Commonwealth v. Dunn, 899 S.W.2d 492, 494 (Ky. 1995) ( citing Lawson, The Kentucky Evidence Law Handbook, § 2.30 (3d ed. 1993)). Even if the evidence in question falls within the exceptions enumerated at KRE 412(b)(1), such evidence may still be excluded if its probative value is outweighed by its prejudicial effect. KRE 403. We agree with the trial court that this evidence does not directly pertain to the charged offenses, as required by KRE 412(b)(1)(C). During her avowal testimony, M.W. was asked why she waited until after she ran away to reveal the rapes, and she replied that she feared Appellant. It is little more than conjecture to argue that M.W. falsified the allegations to cover up the possible consequences of her sexual experiences during the time away from home or to avoid being punished for having run away. Appellant offered no evidence  such as proof that M.W. actually suspected a sexually transmitted disease or a pregnancy  to substantiate this speculative argument. In short, Appellant failed to establish that M.W.'s sexual behavior several months after she was raped directly pertained to the charges against him. Cf. Commonwealth v. Young, 182 S.W.3d 221 (Ky.App.2005) (where defendant claimed sexual encounter was consensual, evidence of victim's predisposition to have sex with him deemed admissible under KRE 401(b)(1)(C)); Anderson v. Commonwealth, 63 S.W.3d 135 (Ky.2001) (evidence of victim's previous sexual activity with third parties properly introduced to rebut inference drawn from medical evidence that condition of victim's hymen and vagina was caused by sexual intercourse with defendant). The exceptions to KRE 412 are to be used sparingly and carefully. Violett v. Commonwealth, 907 S.W.2d 773, 776 (Ky. 1995). The trial court in this case correctly determined that the proposed evidence did not directly pertain to the offenses charged and, therefore, was inadmissible under KRE 412. There was no abuse of discretion. Id.