Weinstein trial spotlights the use of 'prior bad acts' witnesses

Another key tactic New York prosecutors seem to be pulling from the Cosby trial playbook is the use of expert prosecution witness, Dr. Barbara Ziv – a forensic psychiatrist who studies the behavior of sexual assault victims.

Ziv testified at the Cosby trial that “the vast majority of victims of sexual assault do not report to authorities,” and that sexual assault reporting can be delayed “from days to weeks to months to years.”

She testified to how common counterintuitive behavior is in victims of sexual violence, and how they rarely act the way you would think they would.

“Experts who testify about victim behavior are so important because they are leveling the playing field,” said Jennifer Long, executive director of AEquitas, a non-profit legal organization that trains district attorneys in the effective prosecution of sex crimes cases. “They are basically trying to undo years of both public and prevalent myths about victims of sexual assault and how they’re supposed to behave.”