Most of the cases discussed come from Washington's appellate courts. In State v. Maule (1982), the defendant's conviction for abusing his two daughters was overturned because expert testimony addressing general offender characteristics was ruled inadmissible. However, the Washington Supreme Court ruled a social worker's testimony about typical time lengths and relationship characteristics of delayed reporting admissible in State v. Petrich (1984). State v. Fitzgerald (1985) precluded testimony about victims' truthfulness when a physician testified about the truthfulness of the victim's accusations even though there was no evidence of physical abuse. In State v. Kim (1982), a psychiatrist was allowed to testify to a child's truthfulness. The admissibility of testimony concerning the child sexual abuse syndrome is also discussed. Recommendations include avoiding direct comments on credibility and character traits and artful phrasing of questions about the dynamics of delayed reporting in child sexual abuse cases. The 'battle of the experts' in truth finding is discouraged as bad policy resulting in purchased opinions and multiple psychological examinations for the child. 30 footnotes.