Gordon Sussman v. Larry Jenkins, No. 09-3940 (7th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseAfter exhausting state challenges to convictions for multiple counts of possession of child pornography and repeated sexual assault of an elementary school boy, the defendant was denied habeas corpus by a federal district court. The Seventh Circuit reversed and remanded. The state court erred in rejecting ineffective assistance of counsel claims. Trial counsel's failure to bring a pre-trial motion concerning evidence that the boy had previously made false allegations of sexual assault against his father and a therapist's note was unreasonable. The failure was not part of a strategy, but a result of confusion about evidentiary rulings. The state court erred in ruling that the defendant was not prejudiced by counsel's actions; failure to probe the boy's motives in making repeated false allegations violated the defendant's rights under the Confrontation Clause. The evidence was probative and may have "tipped the balance."
The court issued a subsequent related opinion or order on April 28, 2011.
The court issued a subsequent related opinion or order on May 6, 2011.
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