Court Opinion

ID: 9695505
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:21:08.139777+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:13.373200
License: Public Domain

BROWN, C.J.
¶ 21. (concurring). I write separately to underscore that prosecutors will not be hamstrung by this opinion one iota. The opinion simply means that, while expert evidence regarding coaching or the lack of it is allowable, prosecutors must be careful in how they present it. The key word here is "objective." The questions must be objectively tailored and designed to elicit objective answers. A good starting point for prosecutors would be footnote ten of the majority's opinion. Certainly, prosecutors can tailor an objective, nonleading question about the child's "ability to supply peripheral details of the alleged incident." They can ask about the child's use of language in describing the assault. They can ask about information "not appropriate for the developmental level of the child." There are probably many more objective questions a prosecutor can ask that will get the prosecutor's point across. What the prosecutor cannot do is cross the line by inviting the expert to give her or his opinion about whether the child was coached. In sum, be careful.