State v. Purro’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

1 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 1 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““the state makes no attempt to convict defendant on two charges of sexual assault based on only one sexual act; rather, the conviction rests upon the finding by the jury that two distinct and separate acts of sexual assault occurred. The two separate acts, one occurring in the woods and one in the bathroom, properly constitute the basis for two separate charges of first-degree sexual assault. “Anthony [the victim] testified that sexual assaults occurred three or four times a week for several years. He recounted at least two of these assaults in some detail while on the witness stand and testified that numerous other assaults, both oral and anal, occurred ‘[i]n my home, in our basement, in our bathroom, in his room, all over the house and in the woods also.’ In light of Anthony’s testimony the state very cautiously charged Purro with only two counts of sexual assault of a child under thirteen. The state could conceivably have brought a separate charge for each of the hundreds of assaults that allegedly occurred before Anthony’s thirteenth birthday. * * * [T]he state showed restraint in the instant case by charging Purro with three counts of sexual assault in light of Anthony’s testimony that hundreds of separate acts of penetration had occurred.” Id. at 452 .”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. State v. SALUTER.