How have courts treated the absence of evidence of consent in a sexual assault trial?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Ramos, B271918 (Cal. App. 2017):

Here, the prosecutor's comments on the absence of any evidence of consent came in response to defense counsel's argument that Ana C. had consensual sex with appellant sometime earlier that night and lied about a sexual assault. In rebuttal, the prosecutor argued that the defense claim of consent required the jury to speculate that Ana C. agreed to have sex with appellant, without any evidence to support such a scenario. Rather than speculate about what might have happened "at another place or time," for which there was no evidence, the prosecutor urged the jury to consider what the evidence showed happened in Amy's bedroom. The prosecutor also pointed out the absence of any evidence to support the defense theory of a tryst between appellant and Ana C. earlier in the evening. The argument, which neither directly nor indirectly referred to appellant's failure to testify, plainly constituted permissible comment on the state of the evidence and " ' "the failure of the defense to introduce material evidence or to call logical witnesses." ' " (People v. Lewis (2009) 46 Cal.4th 1255, 1304 ["Had defendant testified, he might have contradicted [the

Page 18

prosecution witness's] recollection, but this possibility does not transform the prosecutor's observations into a veiled comment upon defendant's decision not to testify"]; People v. Brady (2010) 50 Cal.4th 547, 566.)

Other Questions


For the purposes of section 1108.2(1) of the California Criminal Code, is there any constitutional error in a trial court's decision to instruct the jury in a sexual assault case to consider the use of sexual assault evidence admitted under Section 1108? (California, United States of America)
In a sexual assault case, how have the courts dealt with claims that the trial court abused its discretion in excluding evidence of the victim's other sexual conduct? (California, United States of America)
How have the courts treated evidence of inappropriate clothing in a sexual assault trial? (California, United States of America)
How have courts reviewed a trial court's ruling on the hearsay nature of evidence in a sexual assault case? (California, United States of America)
Is there any reason to exclude evidence of sexual assault prior to the trial of defendant in his sexual assault case? (California, United States of America)
How have courts treated allegations of sexual assault in sexual assault cases? (California, United States of America)
In a sexual assault case, what is the test for a plaintiff's claim that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding evidence of the victim's other sexual conduct? (California, United States of America)
What is the current state of the law on discretion of a trial court in assessing the probative value of evidence in a sexual assault case? (California, United States of America)
What is the test for admitting prior sexual assault evidence in a sexual assault case? (California, United States of America)
When a factual determination is challenged by an appellate court on the grounds that there is no substantial evidence to sustain it, can the appellate court substitute its deductions for those of the trial court? (California, United States of America)
X



Alexi white


"The most advanced legal research software ever built."

Trusted by top litigators from across North America.