Humphrey v. APPELLATE DIV. OF SUPERIOR CT.

111 Cal. Rptr. 2d 213, 91 Cal. App. 4th 948
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 28, 2001
DocketB149998
StatusPublished

This text of 111 Cal. Rptr. 2d 213 (Humphrey v. APPELLATE DIV. OF SUPERIOR CT.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Humphrey v. APPELLATE DIV. OF SUPERIOR CT., 111 Cal. Rptr. 2d 213, 91 Cal. App. 4th 948 (Cal. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

111 Cal.Rptr.2d 213 (2001)
91 Cal.App.4th 948

Eric HUMPHREY, Petitioner,
v.
The APPELLATE DIVISION OF THE SUPERIOR COURT of Los Angeles County, Respondent;
The People, Real Party in Interest.

No. B149998.

Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Four.

August 22, 2001.
Review Granted November 28, 2001.

*215 Michael P. Judge, Public Defender, Victor Acevedo and John Hamilton Scott, Deputy Public Defenders, for Petitioner.

No appearance for Respondent.

Rockard J. Delgadillo, City Attorney, Debbie Lew, Assistant City Attorney, and Katharine H. MacKenzie, Deputy City Attorney, for Real Party In interest.

*214 CURRY, J.

After the appellate division of the superior court (appellate division) denied petitioner Eric Humphrey's petition for writ of prohibition and certified its decision for publication, we transferred the matter to us pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 62(a).[1] Petitioner Eric Humphrey challenges the denial of his petition for writ of prohibition by the appellate division, as well as our transfer of the matter under rule 62(a).

We conclude that the transfer under rule 62(a) was improvident, deem the matter before us to be a proceeding in mandamus, and address the merits of Humphrey's challenges to the denial of his writ of prohibition by the appellate division. We further conclude that the appellate division erred in denying Humphrey's writ petition, and in certifying its decision for publication.

RELEVANT PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On November 13, 2000, a six-count misdemeanor complaint was filed against Humphrey, charging him, inter alia, with annoying or molesting a child under 18 years old (Pen.Code, § 647.6, subd. (a)),[2] and sexual battery (§ 234.4, subd. (d)). The alleged victims were two 8-year-old female children.

On November 21, 2000, the People filed a motion pursuant to section 1524.1 for a search warrant to permit testing of Humphrey's *216 blood for the HIV virus. Supporting the motion was a declaration from the children's mother, as well as various police and medical reports. Following a hearing, the trial court issued the search warrant on December 5, 2000.

On December 14, 2000, Humphrey filed his petition for writ of prohibition in the appellate division. The appellate division summarily denied the petition on December 22, 2000. On January 4, 2001, this court issued an alternative writ, directing the appellate division to decide the petition on its merits or to show cause. On February 1, 2001, the appellate division complied with our alternative writ by vacating its denial and initiating proceedings on the merits.

On April 11, 2001, the appellate division denied Humphrey's petition in a written decision that it certified for publication. Subsequently, the appellate division denied Humphrey's motion for rehearing, and his request that it certify the case for transfer to this court pursuant to rule 62(a). We ordered that the case be transferred to this court on May 30, 2001.

In addition, Humphrey filed a petition for writ of mandate on May 24, 2001, (Humphrey v. Superior Court, B150307). On June 6, 2001, we ordered that action would be deferred on this petition until the case transferred to us had been determined, and we stayed any disclosure of the results of the blood test.

DISCUSSION

I.

Aside from challenging the appellate division's denial of his petition for writ of prohibition, Humphrey contends that rule 62(a) does not authorize this court to order transfer of the matter on its own motion. The issue presented is apparently one of first impression. Because this issue concerns our jurisdiction over this matter, we address it at the threshold.

Rule 62(a) provides: "A Court of Appeal may order a case transferred to it for hearing and decision when the superior court certifies or the Court of Appeal on its own motion determines from an opinion of the appellate department published or to be published in Advanced California Appellate Reports that such transfer appears necessary to secure uniformity of decision or to settle important questions of law." Under rule 61, "unless the context or subject matter otherwise requires," the term "case" in rule 61(a) means "any case on appeal within the original jurisdiction of a municipal or justice court."

Rule 100 further states that all references in the California Rules of Court to "appellate department" mean "appellate division," and that "[r]ules that apply to an appeal taken from a municipal court judgment to the appellate division of the superior court apply to an appeal taken from a unified superior court (trial court) judgment to the appellate division of the unified superior court (reviewing court)." The adoption of rule 100 was among many changes to California law made in 1998 to facilitate the unification of municipal and superior courts. (Snukal v. Flightways Manufacturing, Inc. (2000) 23 Cal.4th 754, 763, fn. 2, 98 Cal.Rptr.2d 1, 3 P.3d 286.)

Rule 62 and other rules implement Code of Civil Procedure section 911 (Snukal v. Flightways Manufacturing, Inc., supra, 23 Cal.4th at p. 762, 98 Cal.Rptr.2d 1, 3 P.3d 286), which provides in pertinent part: "A court of appeal may order any case on appeal to a superior court in its district transferred to it for hearing and decision as provided by rules of the Judicial Council when the superior court certifies, or the court of appeal determines, that the transfer appears necessary to secure uniformity of decision or to settle *217 important questions of law." (Italics added.) The Penal Code, which adopts the California Rules of Court in criminal matters (§ 1247k), contains an essentially identical provision in section 1471.

As our Supreme Court recently explained in Snukal v. Flightways Manufacturing, Inc., supra, 23 Cal.4th at page 763, 98 Cal.Rptr.2d 1, 3 P.3d 286, our appellate jurisdiction under rule 61(a) is controlled by Code of Civil Procedure section 911. Accordingly, the key issue presented is whether section 1471 and Code of Civil Procedure section 911 permit a Court of Appeal to transfer a writ proceeding originating within the jurisdiction of the appellate division. We begin by observing that historically, California constitutional and statutory law has distinguished the appellate jurisdiction of the appellate division from its original jurisdiction.

The original statutes regarding appellate jurisdiction limited the then denominated appellate department to appeals from the municipal court. (2 Witkin, Cal. Procedure (4th ed. 1996) Courts, § 344, p. 413.) The appellate jurisdiction of the appellate division is now defined in Code of Civil Procedure section 77, which provides that "[t]he appellate division of the superior court has jurisdiction on appeal from the following courts . . .: [¶] (1) The municipal courts within the county. [¶] (2) The superior court in a county in which there is no municipal court." (Code Civ. Proa, § 77, subd. (e), italics added.)

As Witkin indicates, prior to recent statutory and constitutional changes, the then denominated appellate department, "as such, ha[d] only appellate functions; the statutes conferred] no original jurisdiction . . . ." (2 Witkin, Cal. Procedure,

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111 Cal. Rptr. 2d 213, 91 Cal. App. 4th 948, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/humphrey-v-appellate-div-of-superior-ct-calctapp-2001.