State v. Lavalette

Defendant appeals his conviction for sexual assault, claiming that the trial court erred in excluding evidence of a prior sexual relationship with the victim, and that his right to a speedy trial was violated. We affirm.

At trial, the court refused to permit testimony about the victim’s earlier sexual contacts with the defendant. Their last encounter occurred approximately eighteen months before the incident at issue in this case. The court cited the Vermont Rape Shield Statute, 13 V.S.A. § 3255(a), in support of its ruling, and concluded that the statements sought to be excluded had no…