On appeal, the Kentucky Court of Appeals held that Kentucky's rape shield law5"did not absolutely bar evidence of Matthews and Russell's living arrangement.5 The court found, however, that while the proffered evidence was relevant to the defendant's theory of the case,' the potential prejudice of the evidence outweighed its probative value,6 and held, therefore, that the trial court properly excluded it.62 The court reasoned that the admission of testimony that Matthews and Russell were living together at the time of the trial "may have created extreme prejudice against Matthews."6
The Supreme Court of the United States reversed the Kentucky Court of Appeals' decision and remanded the case for an assessment of whether the trial court impermissibly infringed upon the defendant's Sixth Amendment64 right "to be confronted with the witnesses against him,"65 including the right to conduct reasonable cross-examination.66 The Court held that the relevant factors in making this assessment included "the importance of the [victim's] testimony in the prosecution's case, whether the testimony was ulative, the presence or absence of evidence corroborating ... the [victim's testimony] ... the extent of crossexamination otherwise permitted, and ... the overall strength of the prosecution's case."67 In considering these factors, the Supreme Court could not conclude that the restriction on the defendant's right to confrontation was harmless "beyond a reasonable doubt. 68