Case Reviews
- Go here to see a list of:
 
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Oregon Supreme Ct - June 18, 2015
by: Breinhard • June 19, 2015 • no comments
- Miranda Violations, Consent to Search and Attenuation
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - June 17, 2015
by: Abassos, April Yates, Tyler Williams and Sean McGuire • June 17, 2015 • no comments
- Proportionality - Public Indecency Alone May Not Form the Basis for a Sex Offender Life Sentence
 - DUII -“Retrograde Extrapolation” Using Widmark Is Scientifically Valid
 - DUII-Agreeing to Take a Breath Test After Being Read the Implied Consent Warnings Counts as Voluntary Consent, Absent an Oppressive Atmosphere.
 - Search & Seizure – Consent to Search a Car Extends to a Closed Backpack in the Car
 - Stops - Grabbing Defendant's Boat and Requesting Fishing Tags Was a Show of Authority
 - Merger - Attempted Rob I and UUW Don't Merge
 - PCR - A Judgment of Denial Must State the Basis of Denial
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - June 10, 2015
by: Abassos, Tyler Williams, April Yates and Sean McGuire • June 11, 2015 • no comments
- Extension of a Stop – Rodgers/Kirkeby Applies to Non-Traffic Stops
 - Invalid Waiver of Counsel - Prejudice - Misunderstanding a Plea Deal
 - Failure to Merge Convictions Is Reviewable By the Appellate Court
 - Civil Commitments – Failure to Inform the Defendant of Her Right to Subpoena Witnesses Is a Plain Error (Per Curiam)
 - Court-Appointed Attorney’s Fees - A Trial Court Must Consider Defendant’s Ability to Pay (Per Curiam)
 
Oregon Supreme Ct - June 4, 2015
by: Abassos • June 4, 2015 • no comments
- PCR - Prejudice - Where the Outcome of Trial is at Issue for Prejudice, the Standard Is Less Than "Probable" But More Than "Possible"
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - June 3, 2015
by: Abassos, Tyler Williams, April Yates and Kit Taylor • June 3, 2015 • no comments
- Disorderly Conduct II - People In a House Who Know Each Other Are Not "The Public"
 - Interfering With A Peace Officer - An Order Is Lawful If It Is Lawful On Its Face
 - Stops – "I'm going to let you go" Does Not Convey That a Stop Has Ended
 - Stalking Protective Orders - Subjective Alarm Requires Actual Concern for One's Well-Being
 - PCR - Late Filing - Bad Legal Advice and Incarceration Don't Suffice For the Escape Clause
 - A DMV Order Dismissing Breath Test Suspension Is Relevant to Officer's Credibility at a DUII Trial
 - Attorney Fees Require Ability to Pay
 - Consent and Exploitation - The State May Not Make an Exploitation Argument for the First Time on Appeal
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - May 28, 2015
by: Abassos, Kit Taylor, Tyler Williams and Jillian Kenchel • May 28, 2015 • no comments
- Med Marijuana - Affirmative Defense - Medical Marijuana Advice Must be Given Within 12 Months Prior to Arrest.
 - Reasonable Suspicion - Possession of Drugs - {drug history + drug use + indexing + exiting vehicle quickly}
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - May 20, 2015
by: Abassos and Kit Taylor • May 20, 2015 • no comments
- A Person Has a Possessory Interest in a USPS Express Mail Package In Transit
 - Burglary 1 - A Breezeway Can Be Part of a “Dwelling"
 - DUII - A Person With a CDL is Ineligible for DUII Diversion, Regardless of the CDL's Validity
 - Sex Abuse - OEC 412 - Evidence of Prior Consensual Sex is Admissible When the State Opens the Door By Bringing in the Prior Sexual Contacts
 - OEC 801(4)(a)(B) - Prior Consistent Statements to Rebut a Motive to Fabricate Must Have Been Made Prior to When the Motive Existed
 - Attorney Fees - The Court Must Determine Ability to Pay
 - Merger - Attempted Agg Murder with Two Victims Does Not Merge With Both Lesser Counts of Attempted Murder for Same Incident/Same Victims
 - Probation Revocation - A Sanction Cannot Exceed the Maximum Determinate Sentence
 - Dependency Jurisdiction - The Focus Is On the Child's Welfare, Not the Parent's Conduct
 
Oregon Supreme Ct - May 14, 2015
by: Abassos • May 14, 2015 • no comments
- Identity Theft - Signing a Fingerprint Card and Property Receipt With a False Name is Neither "Uttering" Nor "Converting to One's Own Use"
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - May 13, 2015
by: Abassos and Kit Taylor • May 13, 2015 • no comments
- Probable Cause - Behavior Intended to Assert One's Privacy Rights Cannot Contribute to PC
 - Waiver of Counsel is Not Knowing If There Is Only an Abstract Appreciation That It Is Risky
 - It Is Not a Search When Police Observe and Download Files Shared on a Peer to Peer Network
 - UUV - Keeping a Vehicle for Three Weeks on a One-Day Rental Contract is a "Gross Deviation From the Agreement"
 - DUII - ORS 813.011 - Mandatory Minimum Sentence for Repeat Offenders Cannot be Suspended or Reduced
 - 'Imposition of Attorney Fees is Appropriate if Court Reasonably Infers Defendant May Have the Ability to Pay in the Near Future
 - OEC 403 - Exclusion of Relevant Rebuttal Evidence is Permissible to Avoid a “Trial within a Trial”
 - Sodomy I - Forcible Compulsion Must be Knowing
 - Child Sex Abuse - Vouching
 - FAPA Restraining Order – Trial Court's Coercive Statements Violated Defendant’s Right to Testify
 - TPR - Pattern of Conduct Not likely to Change is Sufficient to Terminate Parental Rights
 - TPR - Short-term Treatment Progress and Desire to Change Not Sufficient to Prevent Termination of Parental Rights
 - TPR - Unavailability to Parent Due to Incarceration Alone is Not Sufficient Proof of Serious Detriment to Child
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - May 6, 2015
by: Abassos • May 6, 2015 • no comments
- Search Warrant - Probable Cause - Possession of a Firearm After a Shooting
 - Burglary - Public Area of Hospital After Hours is Not Open to the Public
 - Search and Seizure - Probable Cause - Fraudulent Tags + Furtive Behavior + Sketchy Story + No Insurance or Bill of Sale = PC
 - Prior Bad Acts - Prior Solicitations For Murder in a Solicitation for Murder Case Against the Same Victim
 - Termination of Parental Rights - The Erroneous Appointment of a Guardian Ad Litem Renders the Proceeding Fundamentally Unfair
 - Parole Board Reviewability - A Decision Not to Reconsider an Order Is Not a Itself a Final Order and, Therefore, Not Reviewable
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - April 29, 2015
by: Frangieringer and Abassos • April 30, 2015 • no comments
- Search Warrants - 11 Ounces of Weed and an Expired Medical Marijuana Card is Enough for a Warrant
 - Stops - Reasonable Suspicion – "Couple of Guys Smoking Something"
 
Oregon Supreme Ct - April 23, 2015
by: Frangieringer and Abassos • April 23, 2015 • no comments
- Witness Tampering - The Victim is the State, Not the Witness
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - April 22, 2015
by: Frangieringer and Abassos • April 23, 2015 • no comments
- Kidnapping – Moving a Person from One Room to Another, Without More, Is Not Asportation
 - PCS – A Person Can Constructively Possess Drugs Located in Another Person’s Vagina
 - Jury Concurrence – Error Not to Give Concurrence Instruction on Accomplice vs Principle
 - Choice of Evils – Failure to Appear - Caring for Someone Who Is Ill is Not Sufficient, By Itself
 - Stops – Tense Conversation and Investigatory Questioning Can Create a Stop
 - Merger – Rob I and Rob II with a Firearm (Same Incident/Same Complainant) Do Not Merge
 - Merger – Multiple Counts of Sex Abuse I (Same Incident/Same Complainant) Merge
 - Dependency – Sufficient Progress for Service Agreement Does Not Require Return of Child
 - TPR – Denial of Addiction Can Be the Basis for a Termination
 
U.S. Supreme Ct - April 21, 2015
by: Frangieringer • April 21, 2015 • no comments
- Fourth Amendment – No de minimis Extension of Traffic Stops Without Reasonable Suspicion
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - April 15, 2015
by: Frangieringer and Abassos • April 16, 2015 • no comments
- Failing to Report as a Sex-Offender – State Doesn’t Need to Prove Location on the 10th Day
 - Sentencing – Can’t Impose Post-Prison Supervision That Would Exceed Statutory Maximum
 - Merger – No Merger Where Offenses Arising From the Same Incident Are “Temporally and Qualitatively Different”
 - Conditions of Probation – Complete Internet Ban Okay Where it Furthers the Purposes of Probation
 - PSRB – OAR 859-050-00100 Does Not Conflict With the ORS
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - April 8, 2015
by: Frangieringer, Alarson and Abassos • April 9, 2015 • no comments
- Coercion – A Person Has a "Legal Right to Abstain" From Returning Property They Have a Right to Use
 - Vouching – Social Worker in Sex Abuse Case Can’t Testify That There Were No Indications of Suggestion or Coaching
 - Character Evidence – Prosecutor Can’t Comment on Defense Failure to Present Evidence That Is Barred By the Evidence Code
 - Inevitable Discovery – State Must Identify Lawful Means
 - Dependency – Court Has No Obligation to Sua Sponte Terminate a Guardian Ad Litem
 - Dependency – General No-Contact Order is Overbroad If Less Restrictive Order Would Suffice
 - Preservation - Dependency - Strategic Silence Doesn’t Preserve Error
 - Merger - Preservation - Counts that Merge if There Is a Common Victim Do not Fail to Merge Just Because the State Names Additional Different Victims for Each Count
 - Preservation – Waiver of Jury Trial - Must Ask Judge for Reasoning to Preserve Issue for Appeal
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - April 1, 2015
by: Frangieringer and Abassos • April 1, 2015 • no comments
- Bias – Evidence of a U Visa Application is Relevant Impeachment Evidence
 - Hearsay – Under OEC(18a)(b), Unavailability is Immaterial if the Declarant Testifies
 - Asking for the Time Is Not Disorderly Conduct
 - Vouching – Harmless Error - Testimony Consistent with the Defense Theory
 - Use of Child in Sexually Explicit Display – "Permit" Means to Make Possible, Not Authority To Prohibit
 - Vouching – Plain Error - “True” Vouching
 
U.S. Supreme Ct - Mar. 30, 2015
by: Frangieringer and Abassos • March 30, 2015 • no comments
- IAC – Skipping Argument Irrelevant to Theory of the Case is not IAC
 - Search & Seizure – Satellite Monitoring is a Search
 
Oregon Appellate Ct - Mar. 25, 2015
by: Abassos and Frangieringer • March 25, 2015 • no comments
- DUII - Exigent Circumstances to Enter a Home - State Must Show That Evidence Would Have Been Completely Lost (Not Just Diminished) - For a DUII That Means Five Hours, 20 Minutes
 - DUII - Scientific Evidence - Testimony That a Breath Test Within Two Hours of Driving Is Very Unlikely to Overestimate BAC
 - Stop Extension - An Unavoidable Lull Can Occur During a Lawfully Expanded Stop
 - Miranda – Knowing and Voluntary Waiver When No Indication of Mental Health Impairment
 - Right to Silence Does not Extend to Not Responding to Text Messages
 - Hearsay – Arguing Inferences From Not Responding to Text Messages is Not Hearsay
 - Robbery – Failing to Pay Cab Fare is Not a Taking of Property
 - Dependency – Pattern of Instability Sufficient to Deprive Parental Rights
 
Oregon Supreme Ct - Mar. 19, 2015
by: Abassos and Margaret Laffan • March 19, 2015 • no comments
- OEC 404(4) Expressly Supersedes OEC 404(3): Other Bad Acts Are Admissible to Prove Propensity in a Child Sex Case