State v. Haltom
State v. Haltom
Opinion of the Court
*67*534Defendant appeals a judgment of conviction for second-degree sexual abuse, ORS 163.425, asserting that the trial court erred in instructing the jury that it could convict him of that crime if it found that he acted recklessly or negligently with respect to the victim's lack of consent.
The state responds, and we agree, that our decision in State v. Wier ,
*535Defendant suggests that Wier cannot survive Simonov . We are not persuaded. In determining whether one of our cases remains "good law" in light of a subsequent Supreme Court decision, we analyze (1) whether the Supreme Court case overrules our prior holding and, (2) if it does not, whether the Supreme Court's analysis demonstrates that our prior decision is " 'plainly wrong' such that we should overrule it ourselves." State v. McKnight ,
Affirmed.
In a supplemental brief, defendant asserts that the trial court erred when it instructed the jury that it could reach a nonunanimous verdict. We reject that supplemental assignment of error on the merits without discussion.
Defendant points out that the jury acquitted him of first-degree rape.
Concurring Opinion
Concurring Opinion
*68Today we hold that lack of consent is a circumstance element of the crime of second-degree sexual abuse, such that a person may be convicted of the offense if he or she is criminally negligent with respect to the other person's consent. I agree with that disposition because it is consistent with State v. Wier ,
A person commits the crime of second-degree sexual abuse when the person subjects another person to sexual intercourse or certain acts of penetration "and the victim *536does not consent thereto." ORS 163.425(1)(a). A person commits the crime of third-degree sexual abuse when the person subjects another person to sexual contact and "[t]he victim does not consent to the sexual contact" or "is incapable of consent" due to age, ORS 163.415(1)(a), or when the person intentionally propels a dangerous substance at a victim for purposes of sexual arousal or gratification "without the consent of the victim," ORS 163.415(1)(b). In Wier , we held that "the fact that '[t]he victim does not consent to the sexual contact' is a circumstance element of the crime" of third-degree sexual abuse.
The Supreme Court recently discussed the difference between conduct elements and circumstance elements in State v. Simonov ,
The Supreme Court reversed the trial court, agreeing with defendant (and us) that knowledge was the minimum *537culpable mental state for the lack-of-consent element of UUV. Simonov ,
Applying those principles to the UUV statute, the court rejected the state's argument that the owner's lack of consent was a circumstance element, i.e. , an " 'accessory fact' that accompanie[d] the offender's physical act." Id . at 536, 548,
In my view, under the court's analysis in Simonov , lack of consent is a conduct element for sexual abuse. That is, it is part of the nature or essential character of the proscribed act. Analogizing to the court's statement about UUV in Simonov , that the crime of sexual abuse criminalizes a particular form of conduct-nonconsensual sexual contact-borders on the axiomatic. To say otherwise, and to treat the other person's lack of consent as merely an attendant circumstance, is to say that the essential character of the prohibited act is having sexual contact with another person. But that is an entirely lawful act. It is only the lack of consent that makes it unlawful. The essence of the crime of sexual abuse is not sexual contact but, rather, nonconsensual sexual contact.
In Simonov , the court used the theft statutes to demonstrate "the role of circumstance elements in a criminal offense." Id . at 541,
*539The lack-of-consent element of sexual abuse is analogous to the intent-to-deprive element of theft, not the value of the stolen property. Engaging in sexual contact without *70the other person's consent is essential to the crime of sexual abuse in the same way that unauthorized use of a vehicle is essential to the crime of UUV and that taking property with the intent to deprive the owner of it is essential to the crime of theft. The other person's lack of consent to sexual contact is not an "accessory fact" that merely "accompanies" the offender's conduct. It fundamentally modifies the person's conduct, changing it from a legal act to an illegal act. Lack of consent therefore is a conduct element, not a circumstance element, of sexual abuse.
That lack of consent is essential to the prohibited act is the most important reason that it is a conduct element, but there are also additional considerations that support that conclusion. One is that first-degree sexual abuse, ORS 163.427, requires a minimum culpable mental state of knowledge for the element of forcible compulsion, i.e. , the use of force to overcome lack of consent. Wier ,
Another additional consideration is that second-degree sexual abuse, like UUV, is a felony. See ORS 163.425(2). In Simonov , the court cited the severity of the consequences of a felony conviction as suggestive "that the legislature did not contemplate that mere criminal negligence would suffice to establish criminal liability for UUV."
Finally, I note that the state argues that the sexual abuse statutes are distinguishable from the UUV statute (as interpreted in Simonov ) due to grammatical differences between the statutes. A person commits UUV when the person uses another's vehicle "without consent of the owner." ORS 164.135(1). A person commits second-degree sexual abuse when the person subjects another person to sexual intercourse "and the victim does not consent thereto." ORS 163.425(1)(a). A person commits third-degree sexual abuse when the person subjects another person to sexual contact and "[t]he victim does not consent to the sexual contact" or cannot consent due to age, ORS 163.415(1)(a), or when the person propels a dangerous substance at another person for sexual purposes "without the consent of the victim," ORS 163.415(1)(b).
Courts are necessarily sensitive to wording, phrasing, grammar, and syntax when construing statutes, because text is paramount in statutory construction, and because those nuances are sometimes our only window into the legislative intent. And, in Simonov ,
*71*541In sum, because lack of consent is part of the essential character of the proscribed act of sexual abuse, as well as for the additional reasons discussed, I believe that lack of consent is a conduct element of sexual abuse in any degree and that Weir was incorrectly decided. At the same time, given our "presumptive fidelity to stare decisis " and the rigorous standard to overrule existing case law, B. A. F. ,
We did not explain in Wier how we came to conclude that lack of consent is a circumstance element of the crime of third-degree sexual abuse. The only hint to our reasoning is a "see" cite to two items of legislative history. See Wier ,
Moreover, notably, there are two paragraphs in the third-degree sexual abuse statute, one of which uses the same phrasing as the second-degree sexual abuse statute, and the other of which uses the same phrasing as the UUV statute, regarding lack of consent. See ORS 163.415(1)(a)(A) (it is third-degree sexual abuse when a person subjects another person to sexual contact and "[t]he victim does not consent to the sexual contact"); ORS 163.415(1)(b) (it is third-degree sexual abuse when a person propels a dangerous substance at a victim for sexual purposes "without the consent of the victim").
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE of Oregon, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Austin Ray HALTOM
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published