{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"kevin-darnell-coaston","displayName":"KEVIN DARNELL COASTON","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappsd:sd36445:2020-10-30","opinionId":"c78d1078-7ad2-5238-a037-2bca854db5cf","slug":"state-of-missouri-respondent-v-kevin-darnell-coaston-appellant-d36445","caseName":"STATE OF MISSOURI, Respondent\nvs.\nKEVIN DARNELL COASTON, Appellant","caseNumber":"SD36445","court":"moappsd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District","decisionDate":"2020-10-30","year":2020,"display_summary":"Kevin Darnell Coaston appealed his conviction for domestic assault in the fourth degree following a bench trial, arguing the trial court erred by admitting testimony from the victim's mother regarding his past domestic abuse against her. Coaston contended this evidence was irrelevant, violated his constitutional rights, and allowed an impermissible inference of propensity. The appellate court affirmed the conviction, holding that in a bench trial, the judge is presumed not to rely on inadmissible evidence unless the record clearly shows otherwise, and Coaston failed to demonstrate such reliance or prejudice.","primaryTopic":"criminal-procedure","topicSlugs":["criminal-procedure","evidence","appellate-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"affirmed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=168573","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/state-of-missouri-respondent-v-kevin-darnell-coaston-appellant-d36445","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"criminal-law","label":"Criminal Law","href":"/practice-areas/criminal-law","score":38,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: criminal-law","topic: criminal-procedure","text: state of missouri","text: conviction"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/criminal-law"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: evidence","topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"appellant"}]}