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Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 547 Filed 12/15/21 Page 2 of 2
With regard to “response pressure,” Professor Loftus may discuss the many different forms that
suggestive processes can have on a witness’s memory. Dr. Rocchio testified, e.g., about "parental
factors" that have no foundation in the record of this case. She discussed “violence between parents,”
"the extent that the parents themselves have experienced any form of abuse in their own backgrounds,"
and the presence of a step-father in the home as all placing a child at a higher risk. TR. 732. She went
on to discuss "family factors," including "families where there are other children in the home that are
being abused or have been abused" being placed "at higher risk." /d. The government's attempt to limit
expert testimony in the fashion they suggest is directly contrary to the information they elicited from
their own expert on direct examination.
Professor Loftus’ testimony on the effect of suggestive post-event information and "response
pressure" is relevant and within her area of expertise. Suggestion can come from a variety of sources
and there is no reason to restrict to expert testimony on the science of memory and factors that impact
memory. The government puts forth no legal basis for its position and attempts to raise a baseless and
untimely Daubert challenge. The government’s extreme efforts to restrict Ms. Maxwell’s right to put
on a defense should not be countenanced by the Court.
Very truly yours,
/s/
BOBBI C. STERNHEIM
cc: All counsel of record
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Dates
Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00008386.jpg |
| File Size | 568.0 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.0% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 1,561 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:34:23.709967 |