Livingston v. State

523 P.3d 1077, 152 Haw. 163
CourtHawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 30, 2023
DocketCAAP-18-0000566
StatusPublished

This text of 523 P.3d 1077 (Livingston v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Livingston v. State, 523 P.3d 1077, 152 Haw. 163 (hawapp 2023).

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

Electronically Filed Intermediate Court of Appeals CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX 30-JAN-2023 07:53 AM Dkt. 214 MO NO. CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX

IN THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF HAWAI#I

KYLE J. LIVINGSTON, Petitioner-Appellant, v. STATE OF HAWAI#I, Respondent-Appellee

APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SECOND CIRCUIT (CASE NO. 2SPP 17-0006)

MEMORANDUM OPINION (By: Leonard, Presiding Judge, Hiraoka and Nakasone, JJ.)

Petitioner-Appellant Kyle Livingston (Livingston), appeals from the Findings of Fact (FOFs), Conclusions of Law (COLs), and Order filed and entered by the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit (Circuit Court) on May 31, 2018 (Order), dismissing Livingston's Hawai#i Rules of Penal Procedure (HRPP) Rule 40 Petition (Second HRPP Rule 40 Petition) without a hearing.1 On appeal, Livingston contends the Circuit Court erroneously dismissed: (1) Claim 6 because (a) Livingston's extended sentence was unconstitutional, and (b) there was insufficient evidence for the trial court2 to impose the extended sentence (collectively, extended sentencing argument); (2) Claim 7 because there was insufficient evidence for the trial court to impose a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment as a repeat

1 The Honorable Rhonda I.L. Loo presided. 2 The Honorable Artemio C. Baxa presided over the underlying trial and sentencing proceeding in Case No. 2PC980000181. NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

offender upon Livingston (repeat offender sentencing argument); (3) Claim 9 because (a) the jury instruction on the offense of second-degree sexual assault was deficient, and (b) the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury regarding included offenses of sexual assault in the third and fourth degrees (collectively, jury instructions argument); and (4) Claim 10 because Livingston's counsel did not request that the jury be polled and because the cumulative errors require reversal.3 We hold that Livingston's new arguments on appeal challenging the repeat offender, extended term, and consecutive sentences he received are not precluded by waiver, but must still be properly raised before the Circuit Court. We vacate in part only as to these claims alleging illegal sentencing, and remand for Livingston to amend his petition to properly raise these claims before the Circuit Court. I. BACKGROUND 1998 Trial Court Proceedings On March 30, 1998, the State charged Livingston with two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count of kidnapping, and one count of second- degree terroristic threatening (Complaint). Following a 1998 jury trial, Livingston was found guilty as charged of two counts of third-degree assault, the included offense of second-degree unlawful imprisonment, and two counts of the included offenses of second-degree sexual assault. He was found not guilty of second- degree terroristic threatening. At the November 18, 1998 sentencing, the trial court heard arguments on Respondent-Appellee State of Hawai#i's (State)

3 Livingston presented an argument regarding ineffective assistance of counsel for the first time in his Reply Brief, which was not raised below or in the Opening Brief. "Arguments raised for the first time in the reply brief on appeal are waived." State v. Sporik, No. CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, 2021 WL 2624646, at *1 n.5 (App. June 25, 2021) (SDO) (citing State v. Mark, 123 Hawai#i 205, 230, 983 P.3d 478, 503 (2010)); see Hawai #i Rules of Appellate Procedure (HRAP) Rule 28(d) ("The reply brief shall be confined to matters presented in the answering brief."). "Generally, the failure to properly raise an issue at the trial level precludes a party from raising that issue on appeal." State v. Hoglund, 71 Haw. 147, 150, 785 P.2d 1311, 1313 (1990) (citation omitted). We do not address this argument.

2 NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

motions for extended term sentencing under HRS § 706-6624 and repeat offender sentencing under HRS § 706-606.5.5

4 At the time of the offenses, the extended term sentencing statute, HRS §§ 706-662 (Supp. 1997) pertinently provided in subsections (1) and (4) as follows:

Criteria for extended terms of imprisonment. A convicted defendant may be subject to an extended term of imprisonment under section 706-661, if the convicted defendant satisfies one or more of the following criteria:

(1) The defendant is a persistent offender whose imprisonment for an extended term is necessary for protection of the public. The court shall not make this finding unless the defendant has previously been convicted of two felonies committed at different times when the defendant was eighteen years of age or older. . . . .

(4) The defendant is a multiple offender whose criminal actions were so extensive that a sentence of imprisonment for an extended term is necessary for protection of the public. The court shall not make this finding unless: (a) The defendant is being sentenced for two or more felonies or is already under sentence of imprisonment for felony . . . .

(Emphases added).

The motion for extended term sentencing requested extended sentencing as a "persistent offender" under subsection (1) and as a "multiple offender" under subsection (4), on the basis that Livingston was previously convicted of two felonies at different times over the age of 18, and that Livingston was currently being sentenced for two Class B felonies of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree. 5 At the time of the offenses, HRS § 706-606.5 (Supp. 1997) provided, in pertinent part:

Sentencing of repeat offenders. (1) Notwithstanding section 706-669 and any other law to the contrary, any person convicted of . . . any felony conviction of another jurisdiction shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum period of imprisonment without possibility of parole during such period as follows: (a) One prior felony conviction:

. . . . (iii) Where the instant conviction is for a class B felony–three years, four months . . . .

. . . . (continued...)

3 NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

With regard to the extended sentencing argument, the State informed the trial court that the maximum term was eight years for the prior out-of-state conviction, referring to its exhibits that included the California offense statute, and certified copies of California court documents. Livingston objected on the grounds of hearsay, lack of identification, and requested an evidentiary hearing.6 An evidentiary hearing was then had, in which the State presented evidence through Jess Lopez (Lopez), Livingston's parole officer in California, who testified as to the nature, date, and case number of Livingston's California convictions, authenticated State's Exhibit 3 (certified copy of the abstract

5 (...continued)

(6) For purposes of this section:

(a) Convictions under two or more counts of an indictment or complaint shall be considered a single conviction . . . .

The motion for repeat offender sentencing requested sentencing under subsection (1)(a)(iii) of HRS § 606-606.5

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Bluebook (online)
523 P.3d 1077, 152 Haw. 163, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/livingston-v-state-hawapp-2023.