Court Opinion

ID: 9586560
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:12:51.874136+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:32:43.031831
License: Public Domain

Deen, Presiding Judge,
concurring specially.
“When the right point of view is discovered, the problem is more than half solved.” Ellison v. Ga. R. Co., 87 Ga. 691, 706 (13 SE 809) (1891). I cannot agree altogether with the majority opinion’s conclusion that the appellant’s trial counsel was not ineffective, with regard to the admission of the expert’s testimony about the credibility of the child victim. In State v. Oliver, 188 Ga. App. 47, 50 (372 SE2d 256) (1988), this court clearly held that “fijn no circumstance may a witness’ credibility be bolstered by the opinion of another, even an expert, as to whether the witness is telling the truth. . . . Credibility of *311a witness is not beyond the ken of the jurors but, to the contrary, is a matter solely within the province of the jury.” (Emphasis supplied.) In State v. Oliver, essentially this entire court agreed that the prosecutor’s attempt to adduce such evidence warranted a mistrial. The Supreme Court likewise has condemned such evidence. Smith v. State, 259 Ga. 135 (2) (377 SE2d 158) (1989).
Decided January 5, 1990
Rehearing denied January 24, 1990
Edwards & Krontz, Kenneth W. Krontz, Jennifer McLeod, for appellant.
Frank C. Winn, District Attorney, for appellee.
Although it may be ardently and aggressively articulated and advanced that it is only by ignoring the application of the rulings in Oliver and Smith that the majority opinion can conclude that the trial counsel’s failure to object to this evidence did not affect the result of the proceeding, in the instant case, where the evidence is overwhelming, the alleged error (if any) becomes harmless.
Copies of “Ms. Magazine,” “Forum Magazine,” “Gallery Magazine,” the testimony about “Sexology Today,” and the article, “B-6 and Your Sex Life,” were all properly admitted and considered by the jury. See Howell v. State, 172 Ga. App. 805 (324 SE2d 754) (1988b
I am authorized to state that Judge Pope joins in this special concurrence.