The Providence Journal reports:

The attorney general's office yesterday dropped a case against a 48-year-old Narragansett man who had been charged with raping a woman 32 years ago when both he and the alleged victim were 16 years old.... The case against [the man] was based on memories that the alleged victim had repressed until recently, and a spokesman for [Attorney General] Lynch's office said state prosecutors did not believe that her testimony would be allowed in court....

The dismissal form cites a 1996 Rhode Island Supreme Court case, State v. Quattrocchi, which requires any case that relies on repressed memory to have a pre-trial hearing on the evidence. "The State dismisses despite its belief that the allegation made by the victim and corroborated by independent evidence established probable cause. However, the high burden for admissibility, at trial, of testimony based on repressed memory as set forth by the court in Quattrocchi provides a legal impediment that the state is unlikely to overcome." ...

Although the attorney general's office was familiar with the requirements under Quattrocchi before filing charges against Allen, prosecutors did not consider them until after the indictment against him was returned, said [a spokesman for the Attorney General's office].

Thanks to Brian Bishop for the pointer.