Case Reviews
From OCDLA Library of Defense
- Go here to see a list of:
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Oregon Appellate Ct - Sept. 30, 2015
by: Abassos, Alarson and Cmaloney • September 30, 2015 • no comments
- Automobile exception – A Recently Parked Vehicle Is Not "Mobile", Even If The Police Had Information for a Non-Criminal Stop While the Vehicle Was Moving
- Character Evidence – Gang Imagery Pulled From the Internet Admissible for Motive Because State v Williams and 404(4)
- Kidnapping – Intent to Interfere With Liberty - Dragging Victim to A Porta-Potty For Sexual Assault Was Not Merely Incidental to Assault
- Interfering With a Peace Officer With Regard to Another Person – “Another Person” Means a Person, Not the Public
- Waiving a Jury - The State Does Not Have a Right to Present Its Case in The Manner of Its Choosing
- Eyewitness ID – Admissibility Per Lawson/James Requires 401 Relevance, 602 Personal Knowledge & 701 Foundation for Lay Opinion
- OEC 403 – A Defendant's In-Court Statement That "I Should Have Just Killed the Bitch" Is Relevant to Contradict a Defense of Mistaken Identification
- Stops – A Strong Odor of Marijuana Supports Reasonable Suspicion to Stop For Criminal Possession
- Search Incident to Arrest – An Intrusion Into a Person's Clothes Requires Something More Than a Reasonable Concern for Officer Safety
- Double Jeopardy – To Bar a Retrial, A Prosecutor Must Know Her Conduct Is Improper and Be At Least Indifferent to a Mistrial
- Restitution – The Court Can't Make Up a Number Out of Thin Air
- Sentencing – The 400% Rule Applies to the Determinate Portion of a Dangerous Offender Sentence
- Dependency Jurisdiction – Joint Custody and One Unfit Parent Does Not Alone Create a Basis for Jurisdiction
- Appellate Procedure - The Appellate Court May Use the Record to Interpret An Ambiguous Trial Court Order Susceptible to a Clerical Error
Oregon Appellate Ct - Sept. 23rd, 2015
by: Abassos, Alarson and Cmaloney • September 23, 2015 • no comments
- Search and Seizure - Attenuation - Bringing in A Second Officer Uninvolved in the Illegalities Does Not Itself Attenuate Evidence From a Prior Illegality
- Attorney Fees – State Must Present Evidence on Defendant’s Ability to Pay
- PCR - Escape Clause Requires Evidence to Support It
- No Appellate Review of Plain Error Where Defendant Could have Easily Remedied the Error by Telling the Court
Oregon Supreme Ct - Sept. 17, 2015
by: Abassos and Alarson • September 17, 2015 • no comments
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
- (1) The Element "Within Any Vehicle" Applies Both to the Accused and to the Firearm, Both of Whom Must Have Been Within the Vehicle
- (2) A Person is Within a Vehicle if Any Portion of the Person’s Body Enters the Vehicle
Oregon Appellate Ct - Sept. 16, 2015
by: Abassos, Alarson and Cmaloney • September 16, 2015 • no comments
- Animal Neglect – Caring for and Exercising Power over Animals Constitutes “Control”
- Third-Degree Assault – “Extreme Indifference” Established by Intoxicated Driving Combined With Other Evidence of Defendant's Conduct
- Impossibility of Getting a Permit Is Irrelevant to Charge of Unlawful Water Pollution
- Confession - Compelling Circumstances - 3 hours of Polygraph Questions and Accusatory Non-Custodial Interrogation Is Compelling
- Confession -Voluntariness - No Threats, Promises or Inducements
- Restitution May Not Be Imposed In a Criminal Case Where It Results From Conduct During the Pendency of the Case
- Proportionality - A Life Sentence For a Third Sexual Touching of a Child is Not Constitutionally Disproportionate For a 71-Year-Old Defendant With 100 Uncharged Victims
- TPR – “Changed Circumstances” Is not a Valid Reason to Set Aside a TPR Judgment
Oregon Supreme Court - Sept. 11, 2015
by: Abassos • September 11, 2015 • no comments
- Jury Concurrence - Concurrence is Required Where Evidence of Multiple Occurrences of a Single Crime Involving the Same Parties is Nonspecific and Undifferentiated
Oregon Appellate Ct - Sept. 10, 2015
by: Abassos, Alarson and Cmaloney • September 10, 2015 • no comments
- Probable Cause – Driving 32MPH in a 35MPH Zone at Night Is Not PC of Driving Too Slow In Left Lane
- Other Bad Acts Evidence – 403 Balancing Required for 404(4) Evidence
- Probable Cause - Traffic Violation - Probable Cause of a Violation May Exist Even If the Violation Never Occurred
- Merger – A "Sufficient Pause" Occurs Only Through Defendant’s Conduct, Not the Conduct of Others
- Plain Error Review - The Error Assigned Must Not Reasonably Be In Dispute
- PCR - Preservation
Oregon Appellate Ct - Sept. 2, 2015
by: Abassos, Cmaloney and Alarson • September 3, 2015 • no comments
- Plea Agreements – A Judge Cannot Reject a Plea Agreement Based Solely On a Court Policy
- Jury Instructions – Unlawful Possession of Firearm – An Instruction That a ‘Firearm Carried in a Holster is Not Concealed’ is Required Where Defendant Presents Such Evidence
Oregon Appellate Ct - Aug. 26, 2015
by: Abassos, Alarson and Cmaloney • August 30, 2015 • no comments
- Sex Abuse - Sexual Contact - A Small Child Can Subjectively Believe a Body Part is Intimate Without Understanding the Concept of Intimacy
- Self-Defense – Defendant’s Admission of Injury to Another Not Required to Claim Self-Defense
- Search and Seizure – Walking Away from Property Does not Relinquish Property Interest
- Right to Remain Silent – An Officer Question That Prompts Invocation May be Admissible If (1) Relevant and (2) No Adverse Inference From Invocation
- Reasonable Suspicion – Citizen Informant – To Constitute RS, a Report Must Contain Evidence of A Crime
- Sex Abuse - Assuming Proper Training and Experience, An Officer May Testify Narrowly On The Reasons for Delayed Reporting
- Dependency - Permanency - No Evidence of Failure to Provide Services
- Preservation – Jury Instructions
- Preservation - Remand After Decision That the Error Was Plain
Oregon Appellate Ct - Aug. 19, 2015
by: Abassos, Alarson and Cmaloney • August 19, 2015 • no comments
- Search and Seizure - Exploitation – Warrant Discovery Does Not Automatically Cure Police Misconduct under Article 1, section 9
- Disorderly Conduct - A Smell Need Not Be Harmful To Be a Physically Offensive Condition
- Choice of Evils - Imminence - A Realistic Threat of Serious Harm is Not Imminent Enough If The Timing Is Vague
- Unlawful Sexual Penetration – Forcible Compulsion - Extended Violence Towards Victim Creates a Sufficient Causal Connection Between Force and Penetrative Act
- Kidnapping – Secret Confinement - Another Person’s Knowledge of Victim’s Location Is Only a Defense if the Person Would Reasonably Be Expected to Aid Victim
- Choice of Evils - Imminence - A Realistic Threat of Serious Harm is Not Imminent Enough If The Timing Is Vague
- Voluntary Act - Mental Illness Is Only Relevant to Voluntariness in a Crime of Omission If It Goes to Defendant's Capability of Performing the Required Acts
- Discovery of a Warrant - Attenuation - a Federal Bailey Analysis
- Probable Cause – Looking at One's Phone Is Not Probable Cause of Driving While Using A Mobile Device
- Merger - Animal Neglect - Each Animal is a Separate Victim
- PCR - Extrinsic Threats of Prosecution in Plea Negotiation Do Not Create an Involuntary Plea
- Post-Conviction DNA Testing - Petitioner Must Identify Specific Evidence To Be Tested
- TPR - Serious Detriment - A Parent's Condition Can Be Seriously Detrimental to a Child Even If No Harm Has Yet Been Suffered
- The Law of the Case Doctrine Bars Arguments on Issues Decided By an Appellate Court in the Same Litigation
- Preservation on Remand - Attenuation vs Exploitation
Oregon Appellate Ct - Aug. 12, 2015
by: Abassos and Sean McGuire • August 14, 2015 • no comments
- Assault III Does Not Require Direct Physical Contact Between Weapon And Victim
- Search and Seizure – Officers’ Request for Identification Does Not Constitute Seizure
- Search and Seizure – Removal Of Possible Bullet From Defendant’s Pocket Does Not Fall Within Officer-Safety Exception
- Search and Seizure – Passengers Are Not “Seized” When Asked to Get Out for a Consent Search of the Car
- Evidence – Victim’s Prior Attack On Defendant Was Relevant To Show Bias And Was Improperly Excluded
- A Count May Not Be Submitted to the Jury After the DA Concedes the Lack of Proof and the Court Grants an MJOA
- Severance – A Complete Lack of Cross-Admissible Evidence Does Not Require Severance
- Mandatory Fees & Assessments - ORS 153.663(1) Does Not Require The Imposition Of A Separate $60 Fine
- Attorney Fees - Ability to Pay - There Must Be Evidence in the Record Indicating Defendant Is or May Be Able to Pay
- Appellate Preservation - Denial of Time Reduction Programming Requires an Objection
- Appellate Jurisdiction - DNA Testing - No Appeal Unless DNA Testing is Limited
Oregon Supreme Ct - August 6, 2015
by: Sean McGuire and Abassos • August 6, 2015 • no comments
- Probation Revocation - Sentences Imposed Following Probation Revocation May Be Consecutive, Notwithstanding Sentencing Guidelines
Oregon Supreme Ct - July 30, 2015
by: Sean McGuire and Abassos • July 30, 2015 • no comments
- PCR - A Claim Raised, Litigated, and Lost in a Post-Conviction Petition Cannot Be Raised a Second Time, Even in Light of New Case Law.
Oregon Appellate Ct - July 29, 2015
by: Sean McGuire and Abassos • July 29, 2015 • no comments
- Statements Obtained Without a Valid Miranda Warning and Waiver Can Not Be Used To Impeach - State v Mills Overruled
Oregon Appellate Ct - July 22, 2015
by: Abassos, Brook Reinhard, Matthew Watkins, Jonathan Heritage, Joseph Hampton, Robert Taylor, Sean McGuire, Kit Taylor and April Yates • July 22, 2015 • no comments
- Search and Seizure – A Person Has a Protected Privacy Interest in the Private Entry Road to Their House If A Reasonable Person Would Feel Excluded
- Prior Bad Acts – Traditional OEC 403 Balancing Remains Valid Despite Williams
- Evidence - A Defendant is Entitled to Cross on Bias, Even When the Bias Relates to Otherwise Protected Juvenile Adjudications
- Motion to Sever - Sex Abuse With 2 Victims - No Prejudice Even Though Defendant Testifying in One Case and Not the Other
- Prosecutorial Misconduct – Court Should Have Granted Mistrial Where DA Used Propensity Argument in Closing After Previously Being Admonished
- Sentencing Modification – Defendant Has a Right to Be Present for a Non-Mandatory Change To a Sentence
- Stalking Order – Where an Expressive Contact Does Not Objectively Communicate Intent to Harm, the Contact is Not a “Threat” and Thus Not a Qualifying Contact
- TPR - Parent Must Be In Contact With the System to Excuse a Failure to Appear at a Termination Hearing
- TPR – Terminating the Rights of an “Unfit” Parent is Not Necessarily “In the Best Interest of the Child"
- TPR – The Basis For Termination of Parental Rights May Not Exceed the Basis for Jurisdiction
- Dependency - Jurisdiction– Narcolepsy and Substance Abuse Do Not Constitute Legally Sufficient Evidence of Nonspeculative Harm
- Dependency - Jurisdiction – Joint Custody With Unfit Parent and Substance Abuse Do Not Constitute Legally Sufficient Evidence of Nonspeculative Harm
- Appellate Procedure – Failure to Give a Prior Bad Acts Instruction Is Not Plain Error Because The Law Is Currently Unsettled
- Parole Hearing – Board of Parole May Place Limits on Who Can Accompany an Inmate at a Hearing
- Parole Board Hearings - Impaired Petitioners Are Entitled to Both Appointed Assistance and a Personal Representative
Oregon Supreme Ct - July 16, 2015
by: Abassos and Tyler Williams • July 16, 2015 • no comments
- Vouching – Sex Abuse - New Test for the Admissibility of a Medical Diagnosis of Sex Abuse Where Physical Evidence Is Present
Oregon Appellate Ct - July 15, 2015
by: Sean McGuire and Abassos • July 15, 2015 • no comments
- Appellate Procedure - Invited Error – Defense Counsel’s Responses to Court’s Questions About Hourly Rates Do Not “Invite” an Erroneous Decision to Impose Attorney’s Fees.
Oregon Supreme Ct - July 9, 2015
by: Abassos • July 9, 2015 • no comments
- Traffic Stops - An Officer May Not Inquire About Weapons As a Matter of Course
Oregon Appellate Ct - July 8, 2015
by: Abassos, Sean McGuire, Tyler Williams and Kit Taylor • July 8, 2015 • no comments
- Resisting Arrest - The Officer’s Subjective Belief About Use of Force Is Not at Issue In a Self-Defense Case
- Search and Seizure - It Is Not a Search for Police to Use a Peer to Peer Network to Find Child Porn
- Dependency – DHS Must Be a Party to Have Standing to Challenge a Guardianship Judgment
- Dependency – Method Of Service Of Process in Dependency Proceedings Need Not Precisely Comply With Statute
- Parole-Exit Interview – A Prisoner Does Not Have a Right to Call Witnesses or Cross-Examine the Board's Witnesses
- Parole – Murder Review Hearing - The Board's Decision About Whether a Prisoner Has a PSED Must Be Supported by an Evaluation; It Need Not Follow the Evaluator's Diagnostic Conclusion
- Appellate Procedure - Right For the Wrong Reason Doesn't Apply Where the Record Would Have Developed Differently Had the Right Reason Been Raised
- Appellate Procedure - Harmless Error - PCR Court's Denial Of Petitioner's Request to Call Live Witnesses
Oregon Appellate Ct - July 1, 2015
by: April Yates, Sean McGuire, Tyler Williams and Abassos • July 1, 2015 • no comments
- Probable Cause – A Party’s “Host” Is Not Especially Likely to Have Furnished Alcohol to Minors Found in Possession
- Court Appointed Attorney Fees – Recent Employment ≠ Ability to Pay
- Merger - It Is Not Obvious That Unlawful Use of a Weapon-Firearm and Felon in Possession of a Firearm Merge
- Parole - An Inmate Is Not Entitled to a Psych Eval for a Murder Review Hearing
Oregon Appellate Ct - June 24, 2015
by: Abassos, Sean McGuire, April Yates and Tyler Williams • June 24, 2015 • no comments
- Hearsay -- Medical Diagnosis Exception Does Not Require Declarant to Identify Direct Cause of Injury or Illness
- Consent to Search Following an “Amiable Conversation” With Police is Voluntarily Given
- Dependency - Jurisdiction Requires Non-Speculative Danger
