New York Court of Appeals
The People of the State of New York v. Martin Williams, Appellant the People of the State of New York v. Otis…
May 11, 199381 N.Y.2d 303
Summary
The New York Court of Appeals affirmed the Appellate Division's judgments upholding the defendants' convictions for rape and sodomy. The majority held that the trial court properly applied CPL 60.42's rape‑shield provisions and that the jury instructions on forcible compulsion sufficiently conveyed the required mens rea, so no reversible error existed. A dissent argued that the trial court erred by refusing to instruct on the essential intent element and would have reversed the convictions.