Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
State Rep. Kelly Moller, an assistant Hennepin County attorney, co-wrote an amicus brief backing the position of sexual assault advocacy groups.
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that state law protects communications between sexual assault counselors and people who come to them for help, a significant victory for victim advocacy groups who say the law has been applied inconsistently for decades.
The ruling reverses the decision of a district judge, who allowed court review of a woman's "notes, memoranda, records, reports" or any other communication with a southern Minnesota sexual assault advocacy group in a criminal case.
The lower court's actions were "unreasonable" because the plain language of Minnesota law "creates a privilege for sexual assault counselors that cannot be pierced in a criminal proceeding without the victim's consent," wrote Supreme Court Associate Justice Natalie Hudson.
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