In Detention of Ticeson

246 P.3d 550
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJanuary 18, 2011
Docket63122-5-I
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 246 P.3d 550 (In Detention of Ticeson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Detention of Ticeson, 246 P.3d 550 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

246 P.3d 550 (2011)

In the Matter of the DETENTION OF Calvin TICESON, Appellant.

No. 63122-5-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

January 18, 2011.

*551 Andrew Peter Zinner, Nielsen Broman Koch, Seattle, WA, for Appellant.

David J.W. Hackett, Alison M. Bogar, King County Prosecutor's Office, Seattle, WA, for Respondent.

ELLINGTON, J.

¶ 1 Calvin Ticeson was committed as a sexually violent predator. In this appeal, he contends the court erred by failing to require jury unanimity as to whether he suffered from a mental abnormality and/or personality disorder which made him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if not confined to a secure facility. Ticeson also assigns error to the court's in-chambers conferences, arguing this violated his rights to an open, public trial. We hold the court did not err in failing to provide a unanimity instruction, Ticeson is not a criminal defendant and has no rights under article I, section 22 of the Washington Constitution, and the public *552 right to an open proceeding under article I, section 10 was not violated by in-chambers conferences that dealt with purely legal matters. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2 On February 13, 2009, a jury found Calvin Ticeson to be a sexually violent predator (SVP) under chapter 71.09 RCW (SVP statute), and the court entered an order of commitment for his indefinite confinement.

¶ 3 The SVP statute required the State to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that (1) Ticeson has been convicted of a crime of sexual violence; (2) Ticeson suffers from a mental abnormality and/or personality disorder which causes serious difficulty in controlling his sexually violent behavior; and (3) Ticeson's mental abnormality and/or personality disorder makes him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if not confined to a secure facility.[1]

¶ 4 Ticeson's convictions for crimes of sexual violence are undisputed. As to the second and third statutory elements, the jury heard testimony from the State's expert, Dr. Brian Judd, and from Ticeson's expert, Dr. Theodore Donaldson.

¶ 5 Briefly summarized, Judd testified Ticeson suffers from a mental abnormality called paraphilia not otherwise specified, nonconsent (paraphilia NOS-NC), which predisposes Ticeson to committing violent sexual acts. Judd testified that, if released, Ticeson would be a menace to the health and safety of others.

¶ 6 Judd also diagnosed Ticeson with a personality disorder called personality disorder not otherwise specified, with antisocial traits (personality disorder NOS), which in his opinion causes Ticeson to have difficulty controlling his behavior. He noted that Ticeson continued committing assaults despite repetitive incarcerations, concurrent supervision, or within short periods of time after release from custody. Judd agreed that this disorder does not usually cause a person to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence.

¶ 7 Donaldson disagreed with Judd's diagnosis of paraphilia NOS-NC. He did not dispute Judd's diagnosis of personality disorder NOS, but did not agree that Ticeson currently suffers from the disorder, and noted that even if he did, it would not cause difficulty controlling sexually violent behavior.

¶ 8 The court instructed the jury it must determine whether Ticeson suffers from "a mental abnormality and/or personality disorder"[2] that makes him likely to reoffend, and that "to return a verdict all jurors must agree."[3]

¶ 9 On the first day of proceedings, the court held an in-chambers conference during the lunch break to discuss the admissibility of certain deposition testimony. After the break, the court recapped on the record what had occurred in chambers.

¶ 10 At the start of proceedings on the second day of trial, the court explained it had held another in-chambers conference: "We held a conference in chambers. . . . We talked about the deposition of Tedra Howard and the Court made rulings on the noted defense objections. And the State also agreed to strike a number of items that the defense had objected to."[4] The court did not further specify what had occurred.

DISCUSSION

In-Chambers Conferences

¶ 11 Ticeson contends the in-chambers conferences violated his right to a public trial under the Washington Constitution, article I, section 22 and his public right to open proceedings under the Washington Constitution, article I, section 10. Whether the right to a public trial has been violated is a question of law reviewed de novo.[5] "This standard *553 applies to civil as well as criminal appeals."[6]

¶ 12 Article I, section 10 (Section 10) of the Washington Constitution provides, "Justice. . . shall be administered openly."[7] The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, section 22 (Section 22) of the Washington Constitution also guarantee criminal defendants the right to a public trial. To protect both Section 10 and Section 22 rights, a trial court must address the five Bone-Club factors before restricting public access to judicial proceedings:

"(1) The proponent of closure . . . must make some showing [of a compelling interest], and where that need is based on a right other than an accused's right to a fair trial, the proponent must show a `serious and imminent threat' to that right.
"(2) Anyone present when the closure motion is made must be given an opportunity to object to the closure.
"(3) The proposed method for curtailing open access must be the least restrictive means available for protecting the threatened interests.
"(4) The court must weigh the competing interests of the proponent of closure and the public.
"(5) The order must be no broader in its application or duration than necessary to serve its purpose."[[8]]

The court has an independent obligation to perform a Bone-Club analysis where appropriate.[9]

Article I, Section 22

¶ 13 Ticeson contends the right of a criminal defendant to a public trial conferred by Section 22 should extend to respondents in civil SVP cases.

¶ 14 As Ticeson points out, SVP proceedings share some characteristics of a criminal trial, including the beyond a reasonable doubt standard and the requirement that the jury be unanimous.[10] These guarantees are necessary to satisfy due process because of the serious restraint on liberty resulting from civil commitment as an SVP.[11]

¶ 15 An SVP case is, however, a civil proceeding,[12] and the consequences of an SVP finding are not equivalent to a criminal conviction. Punishment is not the purpose of confinement under the SVP statute.[13] Washington courts have recognized this, and have repeatedly refused to confer upon SVP respondents the same rights as criminal defendants.[14] Ticeson's argument rests upon his *554 view that the public right to open proceedings and the criminal's right to a public trial are "inextricably intertwined" and upon the fact that SVP proceedings "share other characteristics of a criminal trial."[15] Both those observations are true, but neither separately nor together do they support extending Section 22 beyond its express intent. Further, as discussed below, Section 10 protects public trial rights in civil cases.

¶ 16 The SVP statute is resolutely civil.

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315 P.3d 532 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2013)

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Bluebook (online)
246 P.3d 550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-detention-of-ticeson-washctapp-2011.