People v. Arter

227 Cal. Rptr. 3d 183, 19 Cal. App. Supp. 5th 1
CourtCalifornia Superior Court
DecidedNovember 20, 2017
DocketCase No.: CR M 16-6910
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 227 Cal. Rptr. 3d 183 (People v. Arter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Arter, 227 Cal. Rptr. 3d 183, 19 Cal. App. Supp. 5th 1 (Cal. Super. Ct. 2017).

Opinion

Defendant filed an opening brief.

The People filed a respondent's brief.

Defendant filed a reply brief.

*5DISCUSSION

A. Standard of review applicable to motions to suppress.

"[The] standard of review on appeal from the denial of a motion to suppress is well established. We defer to the trial court's factual findings where supported by substantial evidence, but we must exercise our independent judgment to determine whether, on the facts found, the search and seizure was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment standards of reasonableness. [Citation.]" ( *187People v. Avila (1997) 58 Cal.App.4th 1069, 1073-74, 68 Cal.Rptr.2d 432.)

In People v. Leyba (1981) 29 Cal.3d 591, 596-98, 174 Cal.Rptr. 867, 629 P.2d 961, the California Supreme Court elaborated on the standard:

In People v. Lawler (1973) 9 Cal.3d 156, 160 [107 Cal.Rptr. 13, 507 P.2d 621], we discussed the two-step process by which a superior court rules on a motion to suppress evidence under section 1538.5, and the different standard by which an appellate court reviews each of those steps. In the first step the trial court must "find the facts" relating to the challenged search or seizure: e.g., it must decide what the officer actually perceived, or knew, or believed, and what action he took in response. These are traditional questions of fact, and the statute vests the superior court with the power to decide them. ( Pen. Code, § 1538.5, subd. (i).) Accordingly, we reaffirmed in Lawler ( at p. 160 [107 Cal.Rptr. 13, 507 P.2d 621] ) that for the purpose of finding those facts "the power to judge the credibility of the witnesses, resolve any conflicts in the testimony, weigh the evidence and draw factual inferences, is vested in the trial court. On appeal all presumptions favor the exercise of that power, and the trial court's findings on such matters, whether express or implied, must be upheld if they are supported by substantial evidence."
No less important, however, is the second step of the process. As we observed in Lawler , "The trial court also has the duty to decide whether, on the facts found, the search was unreasonable within the meaning of the Constitution." ( Ibid . ) Because "that issue is a question of law," the appellate court is not bound by the substantial evidence standard in reviewing the trial court's decision thereon. Rather, we explained, in such review it is "the ultimate responsibility of the appellate court to measure the facts, as found by the trier, against the constitutional standard of reasonableness." ( Ibid . ) On that issue, in short, the appellate court exercises its independent judgment.

An appellate court implies "all findings necessary to support the judgment, and [its] review is limited to whether there is substantial evidence in the record to support these implied findings." ( *6People v. Francis (2002) 98 Cal.App.4th 873, 878, 120 Cal.Rptr.2d 90.) The doctrine of implied findings requires the appellate court to infer the trial court made all factual findings necessary to support the judgment. ( Sammis v. Stafford (1996) 48 Cal.App.4th 1935, 1942, 56 Cal.Rptr.2d 589.) The doctrine is a natural and logical corollary to three fundamental principles of appellate review: (1) a judgment is presumed correct; (2) all intendments and presumptions are indulged in favor of correctness; and (3) the appellant bears the burden of providing an adequate record affirmatively proving error. ( In re Marriage of Arceneaux (1990) 51 Cal.3d 1130, 1133, 275 Cal.Rptr. 797, 800 P.2d 1227 ; Denham v. Superior Court (1970) 2 Cal.3d 557, 564, 86 Cal.Rptr. 65, 468 P.2d 193 ; Maria P. v. Riles (1987) 43 Cal.3d 1281, 1295, 240 Cal.Rptr. 872, 743 P.2d 932.)

B. The trial court properly denied the motion to suppress.

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Bluebook (online)
227 Cal. Rptr. 3d 183, 19 Cal. App. Supp. 5th 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-arter-calsuperct-2017.