In re Detention of Ehrlich

2012 IL App (1st) 102300, 980 N.E.2d 111
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 29, 2012
Docket1-10-2300
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 2012 IL App (1st) 102300 (In re Detention of Ehrlich) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Detention of Ehrlich, 2012 IL App (1st) 102300, 980 N.E.2d 111 (Ill. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

ILLINOIS OFFICIAL REPORTS Appellate Court

In re Detention of Ehrlich, 2012 IL App (1st) 102300

Appellate Court In re DETENTION OF STEVEN EHRLICH (The People of the State of Caption Illinois, Petitioner-Appellee, v. Steven Ehrlich, Respondent-Appellant).

District & No. First District, Second Division Docket No. 1-10-2300

Filed May 29, 2012

Held The trial court’s finding that respondent was a sexually violent person (Note: This syllabus and the order committing him to a secure facility for treatment were constitutes no part of affirmed, where, inter alia, respondent did not prove that the State had the opinion of the court agreed not to seek commitment, the differences between the issues in his but has been prepared prior convictions and the commitment proceedings precluded his claim by the Reporter of that collateral estoppel barred the State from relitigating the issues in his Decisions for the prior convictions, the admission of an updated version of his evaluation convenience of the without proper disclosure in discovery did not warrant a new trial, and his reader.) commitment to a secure facility was neither unreasonable nor arbitrary.

Decision Under Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County, No. 99-CR-80009; the Review Hon. Paul P. Biebel, Jr., Judge, presiding.

Judgment Affirmed. Counsel on Law Office of Stephen F. Potts, of Des Plaines (Stephen F. Potts, of Appeal counsel), for appellant.

Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, of Chicago (Michael A. Scodro, Solicitor General, and Michael M. Glick and Katherine D. Saunders, Assistant Attorneys General, of counsel), for the People.

Panel JUSTICE HARRIS delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Justices Cunningham and Connors concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 The State filed a petition seeking respondent’s commitment under sections 15 and 40 of the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act (Act) (725 ILCS 207/15, 40 (West 1998)). The State alleged defendant had been convicted of four sexually violent offenses, that defendant had been diagnosed with two mental disorders, and that respondent’s mental disorders made it substantially probable that he would engage in future acts of sexual violence. The circuit court of Cook County found probable cause to detain respondent. After a bench trial, the circuit court entered a judgment finding respondent a sexually violent person. After a dispositional hearing, the circuit court ordered respondent be committed to the custody of the Department of Human Services (DHS) for treatment in a secure facility. ¶2 Respondent raises the following issues on appeal: (1) whether the circuit court erred in failing to dismiss the State’s petition based on the alleged breach of a previous plea agreement or under collateral estoppel principles; (2) whether the circuit court erred in allowing the State to present evidence that respondent did not submit to an interview with a DHS psychologist or participate in any treatment in the DHS facility, where he was detained while awaiting trial; (3) whether the circuit court abused its discretion in denying respondent’s motion for a new trial where the State allegedly failed to timely disclose an updated report from its expert; (4) whether the evidence was sufficient to prove that respondent is a sexually violent person; and (5) whether the circuit court abused its discretion when it committed respondent to institutional care in a secure facility rather than place him on conditional release. ¶3 We hold the circuit court properly denied respondent’s motion to dismiss pursuant to section 2-619 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure (Code) (735 ILCS 5/2-619 (West 2000)) because respondent failed to prove the existence of a plea agreement whereby the State agreed not to seek respondent’s future civil commitment. Additionally, the respondent failed to prove collateral estoppel. We hold respondent has waived his argument that the circuit court erred in allowing evidence that he did not participate in an evaluation with the

-2- State’s expert or participated in treatment while in custody because he failed to object to the testimony at trial. We hold respondent is procedurally defaulted from raising the issue of the State’s alleged discovery violation under the rule of invited error. We hold the State proved respondent guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. We hold the circuit court did not abuse its discretion when it ordered respondent to be committed to institutional care in a secure facility.

¶4 JURISDICTION ¶5 On June 30, 2010, after a dispositional hearing, the circuit court ordered respondent be committed to DHS custody for treatment in a secure facility. On July 22, 2010, respondent timely filed his notice of appeal. Accordingly, this court has jurisdiction pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rules 301 and 303 governing appeals from final judgments entered below. Ill. S. Ct. R. 301 (eff. Feb. 1, 1994); R. 303 (eff. May 30, 2008); see also 725 ILCS 207/20 (West 1998) (“The proceedings under this Act shall be civil in nature.”); In re Detention of Hardin, 238 Ill. 2d 33, 41-43 (2010).

¶6 BACKGROUND ¶7 On July 1, 1999, the State filed a petition seeking respondent’s commitment under sections 15 and 40 of the Act (725 ILCS 207/15, 40 (West 1998)). In support of its petition, the State alleged respondent was convicted and sentenced to four sexually violent offenses. In 1980, he was sentenced to four years’ probation for indecent liberties with a child by the circuit court of Du Page County. Also in 1980, he was sentenced to three years’ probation for indecent liberties with a child by the circuit court of Cook County. In 1990, he was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for aggravated sexual abuse/bodily harm by the circuit court of Du Page County. In 1998, he was sentenced to 17 years in IDOC for aggravated criminal sexual assault by the circuit court of Cook County. The State alleged respondent had been diagnosed as having the mental disorders of: pedophilia, primarily sexually attracted to females, nonexclusive type, and personality disorder not otherwise specified with narcissistic features. The State alleged that “[a]s a result of the Respondent’s sexual offense history and his mental health diagnosis, which indicate that he suffers from a mental disorder, it is substantially probable that Respondent will engage in future acts of sexual violence.” At the time of the State’s petition, respondent was within 90 days of being placed into mandatory supervised release. Also on July 1, 1999, the circuit court entered an order for detention. ¶8 On August 4, 1999, after a hearing, the circuit court found there was probable cause to believe that respondent is a sexually violent person. The circuit court ordered respondent’s detention to continue and for DHS to evaluate respondent pursuant to section 30(c) of the Act (725 ILCS 207/30(c) (West 1998)). ¶9 On May 31, 2001, respondent filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to section 2-619 of the

-3- Code1 (735 ILCS 5/2-619 (West 2000)). In his motion, respondent alleged that his four convictions, as listed in the State’s petition, were all based on pleas of guilty. He alleged that at the time he entered into a fully negotiated guilty plea with the State in his latest conviction, the State did not inform him that it intended to seek his commitment under the Act. Respondent argued the State’s petition must be dismissed based on this alleged breach.

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Bluebook (online)
2012 IL App (1st) 102300, 980 N.E.2d 111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-detention-of-ehrlich-illappct-2012.