In re Krieger

272 Cal. App. 2d 886, 77 Cal. Rptr. 822, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 2348
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 14, 1969
DocketCrim. No. 16072
StatusPublished

This text of 272 Cal. App. 2d 886 (In re Krieger) 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
In re Krieger, 272 Cal. App. 2d 886, 77 Cal. Rptr. 822, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 2348 (Cal. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

AISO, J.

Petitioner Richard Frederick Krieger, confined by the Director of Corrections at the California Men’s Colony, East Facility, Los Padres, San Luis Obispo County, for an indeterminate period as a mentally disordered sex offender filed this petition for a writ of habeas .corpus upon the ground that there was no valid underlying criminal conviction at the time he was recertified by the Municipal Court of the Los Angeles Judicial District to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County under section 5518 of the Welfare and Institutions Code on September 30,1966. We conclude that we are compelled to grant the writ and order petitioner released from custody.

On September 15, 1965, petitioner pleaded guilty to a violation of section 2141 of the Business and Professions Code (practicing medicine without a license) in the Municipal Court of the Los Angeles Judicial District.

On October, 6, 1965, the municipal court certified petitioner to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County as a possible mentally disordered sex offender (hereafter “a MDSO”). As a result of proceedings pursuant to section 5512 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, petitioner was committed to the Atascadero State Hospital for an indeterminate period as a MDSO, on March 17,1966.

On March 29. 1966, the municipal court, with a deputy city attorney present but in the absence of petitioner and his counsel, ordered: “On the Court’s Motion, the plea of Guilty is set aside and matter is dismissed in the interest of justice. Defendant has been committed to the Atascadero State Hospital for an indeterminate time. Bail ordered exonerated. ’ ’

Upon certification under section 5517 of the Welfare and Institutions Code that petitioner would not benefit from further treatment at the state hospital, but was still considered to be a danger to society, he was returned to the municipal court for proceedings pursuant to section 5518 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. On September 30, 1966, the municipal court, again with a deputy city attorney present but in the absence of defendant and his counsel, ordered: “The Order made on March 29, 1966 is ordered vacated and set aside—. nunc pro tunc as of said date. [ ]f ] Proceedings remain [888]*888adjourned. [ [[ ] Defendant recertified to Department 95 of Superior Court re Sections 5512 and 5518 Welfare Institutions Code. [ [[ ] Recertification of Mentally Disordered Sex Offender issued.1 *’

On October 14, 1966, the superior court committed petitioner to the Department of Mental Hygiene for an indeterminate period as a MDSO.

On October 31, 1966, the municipal court again made an order similar to the order of March 29, 1966, and dismissed “this matter ’’ on its own motion.

On October 24, 1968, petitioner’s motion for a hearing under section 5519 of the Welfare and Institutions Code was denied by the superior court.

On December 23, 1968, petitioner caused his petition for a writ of habeas corpus to be filed with this court. We issued an order to show cause why the writ should not be issued. To the return to the order to show cause, the People attached an affidavit of the municipal court judge, who made the orders of March 29, 1966, September 30, 1966, and October 31, 1966, which affidavit stated in part :

“The Court,’s purpose in dismissing [on March 29, 1966] was grounded on the fact that he [petitioner] was committed to the Department of Mental Hygiene for an indeterminate period and had already spent more than 90 days at the hospital. Consequently the Court felt that such was more punishment than the Court would impose for a violation of 2141 Business and Professions Code.

“However, on September 30, 1966, it was discovered that the defendant had to be returned to the Municipal Court for recertification to the Superior Court in accordance with sections 5512 and 5518 Welfare and Institutions Code. Therefore, the Court vacated its order of March 29, 1966 and recertified the defendant.

“It would be most unfortunate if the Court’s inadvertent error111 would cause this individual to be returned to society because he is a definite menace. Rest assured that the Court by its action on March 29, 1966 did not intend to return the defendant to society. ”

[889]*889Petitioner moved to strike this affidavit from the return. The motion is denied. The motion is ambiguous; it asks that the affidavit be stricken for one purpose, but to be left standing for another limited purpose. “ ‘A motion to strike must be precise, definite, and certain. It must be directed with precision to the matter sought to be stricken. . . .’ ” (County of Los Angeles v. Hoe (1955) 138 Cal.App. 2d 74, 80 [291 P.2d 98]; accord People ex rel. Dept. of Public Works v. Alexander (1963) 212 Cal.App.2d 84, 98 [27 Cal.Rptr. 720].) If any part of the evidence is admissible, a general motion to strike the whole will be denied. (Rose v. State of Cal. (1942) 19 Cal.2d 713, 742 [123 P.2d 505]; see 48 Cal.Jur.2d, Trial, § 125 p. 168, and § 127 p. 170.)

The precise function of affidavits attached to a return or response to an order to show cause in a habeas corpus proceeding does not appear to have been spelled out by California cases. It has been accepted practice, however, that an affidavit may be attached to such a response or return.2 (See, e.g., In re Newbern (1960) 53 Cal.2d 786, 791 [3 Cal.Rptr. 364, 350 P.2d 116]; In re Atchley (1957) 48 Cal.2d 408, 409 [310 P.2d 15]; In re Norman (1961) 198 Cal.App.2d 105, 106-107 [17 Cal.Rptr. 772].) Affidavits of judges and court clerks as to a custom or procedural practice followed in their courts have been considered for the purpose of explaining or filling gaps in the official records. (In re Luce (1966) 64 Cal.2d 11, 13-14 [48 Cal.Rptr. 694, 409 P.2d 918]; In re Tucker (1966) 64 Cal.2d 15, 17-18 [48 Cal.Rptr. 697, 409 P.2d 921]; In re Johnson (1965) 62 Cal.2d 325, 330-331 [42 Cal.Rptr. 228, 398 P.2d 420]; In re Connor (1940) 16 Cal.2d 701, 707 [108 P.2d 10].) However, insofar as affidavits purport to set forth erroneous opinions, conclusions, irrelevant or immaterial matter, they are properly disregarded. (In re Connor, supra, at pp. 712-713.) The improper portions of the affidavit before us are being disregarded.

In Wright v. Dickson (9th Cir. 1964) 336 F.2d 878, cert. denied, 386 U.S. 1012 [18 L.Ed.2d 444, 87 S.Ct. 1360], the court explained on page 881: “It is not the purpose of the show cause proceeding to resolve disputed issues of fact, but only to determine whether such issues exist.” And on page [890]*890882, it is further explicated: “The only-proper function of affidavits filed in a show cause proceeding is to bring to the court’s attention facts which may be undisputed, and to put in issue those which are in dispute.

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In Re Stoneham
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Bluebook (online)
272 Cal. App. 2d 886, 77 Cal. Rptr. 822, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 2348, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-krieger-calctapp-1969.