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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 452 Filed 11/12/21 Page 22 of 84
That is precisely how Rule 702 works in cases where experts testify about general principles, which
the Rule contemplates. See Fed. R. Evid. 702 Advisory Committee note (“[I]t might also be
important in some cases for an expert to educate the factfinder about general principles, without
ever attempting to apply these principles to the specific facts of the case.”). Dr. Rocchio will
provide reliable opinions about principles of coercion and attachment in abusive relationships that
will help the jury understand the psychological factors underlying the relationships that the jury
will learn about at trial.
Finally, the defendant argues that the Court should preclude Dr. Rocchio’s testimony under
Rule 403. In so arguing, she expresses concern that Dr. Rocchio’s testimony will “‘radically
simplify’ an otherwise complex case” by “‘foist[ing] a damning teleology on a series of actions
each of which might have been motivated by a variety of ends or no ends at all.’” (Def. Mot. at
11 (quoting United States v. Burns, No. 07 Cr. 556, 2009 WL 3617448, at *5 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 27,
2009)).° There is nothing prejudicial or simple about Dr. Rocchio’s testimony. The jury will not
conclude that the defendant is guilty because Dr. Rocchio explains that acts which “might have
been motivated by a variety of ends” are sometimes part of the process of sexual abuse. Whether
expert testimony to educate the factfinder on general principles.” Raymond, 700 F. Supp. 2d at
150 n.12 (quoting Fed. R. Evid. 702 Advisory Committee note). The defendant cites no place
containing this limitation in the text of the Rule, its advisory committee notes, Daubert, or the law
of this Circuit or District. Nor does it make sense on its own terms: “how financial markets respond
to corporate reports” or the “principles of thermodynamics” are sometimes highly predictable, but
not always, depending on the context.
> Burns, a case about a district court’s application at sentencing of a Guidelines enhancement, says
nothing about whether the jury would be confused by learning about grooming.
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| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00006730.jpg |
| File Size | 730.4 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.7% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,164 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:13:51.387587 |