Efstathiadis v. Holder

Summary

The court answered certified questions from the federal appellate court concerning the mens rea required for the lack-of-consent element of Connecticut's fourth-degree sexual-assault statute. It held that the offense is not one of strict liability and that criminal negligence applies to the consent element, reasoning that related sexual-assault statutes should be construed harmoniously and that strict liability would undermine the Penal Code's distinctions based on blameworthiness.