North Carolina Supreme Court: Testimony That Improperly Bolstered Victim’s Credibility Was Plain Error by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of North Carolina upheld a decision of the Court of Appeals (“COA”) that found plain error where an investigator from the Department of Social Services Child Protective Services …

Montana Supreme Court: Statistical Evidence on False Accusations of Rape Improperly Bolstered Witness Credibility by Anthony Accurso by Anthony Accurso The Supreme Court of Montana ruled that the district court abused its discretion and denied defendant a fair trial by allowing expert witness testimony on statistics about false reports of …

California Court of Appeal Reverses Murder Conviction Because Superior Court Erred by Allowing Deceased’s Out-of-Court Statements Into Evidence by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney Division One of the Fourth Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal reversed Rene Quintanilla, Jr.’s murder conviction because the Superior Court allowed as evidence …

Idaho Supreme Court Announces False Rape Allegations May Be Admitted Regardless of When Made by Anthony Accurso by Anthony Accurso The Supreme Court of Idaho clarified the rule of evidence regarding the admissibility of prior false allegations of rape made by victims, announced a three-part test to assess the admissibility …