State v. Grenier

In State v. Grenier, 257 Conn. 797, 806, 778 A.2d 159 (2001), in which the defendant preserved his claim at trial, the Court ordered that the judgment of the trial court be reversed and that there be a new trial as a result of two of the victim's therapists having testified that the victim's reports of sexual abuse were credible. In that case, the state agreed with the defendant that the testimony was not admissible because it bore on the ultimate question of the victim's credibility. Id. at 805. The Court concluded that admission of the testimony did not constitute harmless error. Id. at 806-807. In that case, the state failed to produce any physical evidence or eyewitness testimony of sexual abuse. Id. at 807. The victim testified that the defendant had abused her, and the defendant testified that he had not. Id. at 807-808. The testimony of the expert witnesses, therefore, "struck at the heart of the central--indeed, the only--issue in the case, namely, the relative credibility of [the victim] and the defendant." Id. at 808.