State v. Erwin

2016 NMCA 032, 9 N.M. 529
New Mexico Court of Appeals·Decided January 19, 2016·No. S-1-SC-35753; Docket 33,561·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinion

OPINION

WECHSLER, Judge.

{1} We address in this appeal the elements required to convict for the crime of criminal sexual contact of a minor under NMS A 1978, Section 30-9-13(B)(2)(a) (2003), when the perpetrator is a household member.

{2} Defendant Larry Erwin was convicted for sexually abusing his girlfriend’s daughter, a person over whom he held a position of authority as a household member. He appeals, principally arguing that, although the child was a household member, the State failed to prove that he used this position of authority to coerce the child to submit to sexual contact. He alternatively argues that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his convictions because of inconsistencies in the testimony and that the district court did not properly instruct the jury because the court’s elements instruction allowed the jury to convict because Defendant was a household member without finding that he was also actually in a position of authority over the child. We hold that, under the definition of “position of authority” in NMSA 1978, Section 30-9-10(E) (2005), a household member is presumed to be able to exercise undue influence over a child such that additional proof concerning a perpetrator’s use or possession of such position of authority is not required. We further hold that the evidence was sufficient to supportDefendant’s convictions. We therefore affirm the judgment, partially suspended sentence and commitment of the district court.

BACKGROUND

{3} Defendant was convicted of three counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor—one a second degree felony and the others third degree felonies. The child was thirteen years of age at the time of the incidents, which occurred between July 12, 2011 and December 30, 2011. Defendant had been the boyfriend of the child’s mother. Defendant had moved into the home with the mother and her children in late 2009. By December 30, 2011, Defendant and the child’s mother may no longer have been a couple, but Defendant continued to live in the home.

{4} The child testified that Defendant began abusing her when she was about twelve or thirteen and that the abuse entailed numerous, almost daily sexual contact and sexual acts, including intercourse. She stated that Defendant made her promise not to tell anybody and that she complied because she was afraid that Defendant would hurt her. She also testified that she did not refuse Defendant’s actions because she was afraid Defendant would hurt her or her mother and that she did not want her mother “to get mad” or “to stress out about it.” She believed that Defendant bought her things so that she would not tell her mother.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

Statutory Requirement and Position of Authority

{5} Defendant’s main argument concerns the sufficiency of the evidence underlying his convictions; he claims that the evidence did not meet the statutory requirement that he was both a “household member” and a “person who, by reason of [his] position, [was] able to exercise undue influence over a child[.]” Section 30-9-10(E). We review this argument de novo because it raises an issue of statutory interpretation. State v. Smith, 2009-NMCA-028, ¶ 8, 145 N.M. 757, 204 P.3d 1267. In interpreting a statute, we seek to fulfill the legislative intent in adopting the statute. State v. Torres, 2006-NMCA-106, ¶ 8, 140 N.M. 230, 141 P.3d 1284. The “primary indicator” of such intent is the language that the Legislature used in the statute. See Baker v. Hedstrom, 2013-NMSC-043, ¶ 11, 309 P.3d 1047 (“We use the plain language of the statute as the primary indicator of legislative intent.” (alterations, internal quotation marks, and citation omitted)).

{6} Defendant was convicted of criminal sexual contact of a child thirteen to eighteen years of age under Subsections (B) and (C) of Section 30-9-13. Subsection (B), the second degree conviction, includes sexual contact of unclothed intimate parts. Compare § 30-9-13(B), with § 30-9-13(C). Both convictions, however, require that a perpetrator be “in a position of authority over the child and use[ ] that authority to coerce the child to submit[.]” Section 30-9-13(B), (C). Section 30-9-10(E) defines “position of authority” as “that position occupied by a parent, relative, household member, teacher, employer or other person who, by reason of that position, is able to exercise undue influence over a child[.]”

{7} Defendant’s argument, therefore, requires that the language “who, by reason of that position, is able to exercise undue influence over a child” pertains to each of the types of position of authority listed in the definition. We do not believe, however, that such a reading is consistent with the apparent legislative intent.

{8} In Section 30-9-10(E), the Legislature has designated certain relationships with a child that represent a “position of authority.” The designation contains the common relationships that generate such authority: parents, relatives, household members, teachers, and employers. Section 30-9-10(E). The statutory language further indicates that the Legislature understood that those designations were not exclusive and that it additionally intended to include other relationships in which an adult can develop an authoritative position with a child that do not fall under the designated common relationships. The Legislature thus added a catch-all designation to embrace persons who are able to exercise undue influence over a child by virtue of another, undesignated, type of relationship.

{9} The Legislature added this catch-all category using the disjunctive “or.” As a result, a perpetrator need only fall within any of the designated relationships to hold a position of authority. See Wilson v. Denver, 1998-NMSC-016, ¶ 17, 125 N.M. 308, 961 P.2d 153 (“As a rule of construction, the word ‘or’ should be given its normal disjunctive meaning unless the context of a statute demands otherwise.” (internal quotation marks and citation omitted)). But, the disjunctive joining the catch-all category does not also link the language describing the type of “other person” who also can hold a position of authority. Such a requirement would be inconsistent with the Legislature’s designating the specific relationships. Indeed, if the requirement of the ability to exercise undue influence over a child by reason of a position applied to each of the designated relationships, those relationships would become surplusage to the definition. All persons, regardless of their specific relationship to a child, would have a position of authority if they can exercise undue influence over a child because of their relationship with the child. See Whitely v. N.M. Pers. Bd., 1993-NMSC-019, ¶ 5, 115 N.M. 308, 850 P.2d 1011 (“No part of a statute should be construed so that it is rendered surplusage.”). And, while there may in fact be rare circumstances in which a parent or teacher is not able to exercise authority over a child, by listing each of the relationships in which an adult would naturally have such authority, the statute indicates the legislative intent of assuming that the expected authority exists.

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State v. Erwin, 2016 NMCA 032, 9 N.M. 529 (N.M. Ct. App. 2016).

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