And Then There Was One: A Recent Minnesota Supreme Court Decision Has Left Pennsylvania as the Only State That Disallows Expert Testimony to Explain Victim Behavior

Aug 01, 2011

Learn how a sexual assault case in Minnesota imparts successful strategies for introducing expert testimony before courts hesitant to admit such evidence.

And Then There Was One Issue 1

Sexual Violence

Resource type

Strategies in Brief

Author(s)

Christopher Mallios (former Attorney Advisor, AEquitas)

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On March 24, 2011 the Minnesota Supreme Court decided to permit expert testimony to explain common victim behavior in adult sexual assault cases. This article outlines the facts and the impact of the case. The author concludes that the prosecutors in the case executed a successful strategy that can serve as a template for how to introduce expert testimony in trials before courts that are hesitant or even hostile to the idea of admitting it.