Opinion ID: 1201077
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statements Describing the Criminal

Text: We recognize that the identity of the victim's assailant and other statements attributing fault ordinarily are inadmissible under Rule 803(4) because identity and fault usually are not relevant to diagnosis or treatment. E.g., Jeffers, 135 Ariz. at 421, 661 P.2d at 1122. For example, although it is usually important to know if the victim was hit by an automobile, it is irrelevant, for medical purposes, that the automobile ran a red light. Federal Advisory Committee's Note to Rule 803(4). This general rule, however, is inapplicable in many child sexual abuse cases because the abuser's identity is critical to effective diagnosis and treatment. Renville, 779 F.2d at 436-37; State v. Aguallo, 318 N.C. 590, 594, 350 S.E.2d 76, 80-81 (1986). Unlike, for example, the identity of the person who administered a narcotic to the victim in Jeffers, 135 Ariz. at 421, 661 P.2d at 1122, it matters who abused Nicole. Dr. Davis's testimony in this case echoed the conclusion reached by numerous courts: The exact nature and extent of the psychological problems which ensue from child [sexual] abuse often depend on the identity of the abuser. Renville, 779 F.2d at 437; see also Aguallo, 318 N.C. at 594, 350 S.E.2d at 80; Reidhead, 146 Ariz. at 318-19, 705 P.2d at 1369-70 (Hathaway, J., dissenting). The psychological sequelae of sexual molestation by a father, other relative, or family friend may be different and require different treatment than those resulting from abuse by a stranger. People v. Wilkins, 134 Mich. App. 39, 45, 349 N.W.2d 815, 817 (1984). Furthermore, effective treatment may require that the victim avoid contact with the abuser, not just to prevent further abuse, but also to facilitate recovery from past abuse. E.g., Renville, 779 F.2d at 437. At least in child sexual abuse cases, we therefore join the growing number of jurisdictions which recognize that statements regarding the abuser's identity fall within Rule 803(4) whenever, as here, identity is relevant to proper diagnosis and treatment. See, e.g., Renville, supra; Stallnacker v. State, 19 Ark. App. 9, 715 S.W.2d 883 (1986); People v. Galloway, 726 P.2d 249 (Colo. App. 1986); Wilkins, supra ; Aguallo, supra; State v. Garza, 337 N.W.2d 823 (S.D. 1983); Goldade v. State, 674 P.2d 721 (Wyo. 1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1253, 104 S.Ct. 3539, 82 L.Ed.2d 844 (1984). When the abuser's identity is elicited and given to further treatment, the doctor's and the declarant's selfish interest[s] in giving and obtaining proper treatment are sufficient guarantees of trustworthiness to at least allow the jury to evaluate the statements. Renville, 779 F.2d at 438.