People v. Matian

35 Cal. App. 4th 480, 41 Cal. Rptr. 2d 459
California Court of Appeal·Decided May 30, 1995·No. B081571·Published·Cited by 46 cases

Opinion

35 Cal.App.4th 480 (1995)
41 Cal. Rptr.2d 459

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
KAMAL MATIAN, Defendant and Appellant. In re KAMAL MATIAN on Habeas Corpus.

Docket No. B081571.

Court of Appeals of California, Second District, Division Seven.

May 30, 1995.

*482 COUNSEL

Dennis A. Fischer and John M. Bishop for Defendant and Appellant.

Daniel E. Lungren, Attorney General, George Williamson, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Carol Wendelin Pollack, Assistant Attorney General, Sharon Wooden-Richard and Brad D. Levenson, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

[Opinion certified for partial publication.[*]]

OPINION

JOHNSON, J.

A jury convicted appellant, Kamal Matian, of sexual battery by restraint, felony false imprisonment and genital penetration with a *483 foreign object. Appellant appeals his convictions contending: (1) The trial court erred in denying his motion for new trial based on the introduction of false evidence at trial and the prosecution's withholding of material evidence; (2) insufficient evidence supports the felony false imprisonment conviction; (3) the information failed to give adequate notice of, and insufficient evidence supports, the conviction for genital penetration with a foreign object. Appellant also filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus which we agreed to consider together with his appeal. The petition alleges a violation of due process based on the introduction of false evidence at trial and the prosecution's withholding of material evidence tending to show the victim had a pecuniary interest in the outcome of the trial.

We conclude there was insufficient evidence of false imprisonment by violence or menace to support the conviction for felony false imprisonment. We therefore modify the judgment of conviction to reflect a conviction of the lesser included offense of misdemeanor false imprisonment. As modified, we affirm the judgment. We also deny the petition for writ of habeas corpus.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS BELOW[*]

.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .

DISCUSSION

I. It Was Not Error to Deny Appellant's Motion for New Trial.[*]

II. There Was Insufficient Evidence of Violence or Menace to Convict Appellant of Felony False Imprisonment.

(1a) Appellant argues his conviction for felony false imprisonment must be reversed for insufficient evidence to establish the restraint was accomplished by "violence or menace."

(2) On appeal the critical inquiry is "to determine whether the record evidence could reasonably support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." (Jackson v. Virginia (1979) 443 U.S. 307, 318-319 [61 L.Ed.2d 560, 573, 99 S.Ct. 2781].) An appellate court "must review the whole record in the light most favorable to the judgment below to determine whether it discloses substantial evidence — that is, evidence which is reasonable, credible, and of solid value — such that a reasonable trier of fact could find the *484 defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." (People v. Johnson (1980) 26 Cal.3d 557, 578 [162 Cal. Rptr. 431, 606 P.2d 738, 16 A.L.R.4th 1255].) In reviewing the evidence, our perspective favors the judgment. (People v. Barnes (1986) 42 Cal.3d 284, 303-304 [228 Cal. Rptr. 228, 721 P.2d 110].)

(1b) Penal Code section 236 defines the crime of misdemeanor false imprisonment as "... the unlawful violation of the personal liberty of another." Appellant concedes for purposes of argument the evidence is sufficient to establish the lesser offense. The evidence established he prevented Olga E. from leaving by grabbing her wrist, yelling at her not to go and by thwarting her attempts to leave by glaring and approaching her every time she tried to get out of her chair.

The crime of false imprisonment becomes a felony "[i]f such false imprisonment be effected by violence, menace, fraud, or deceit...." (Pen. Code, § 237.)

At trial, defense counsel expressly, on the record, and with appellant's concurrence, objected, for tactical reasons, to any instructions on lesser offenses to the felony false imprisonment charge. The trial court did not instruct on misdemeanor false imprisonment.[4] Thus, the jury was given the classic "all or nothing" choice of acquittal or conviction of the greater charge. The jury voted to convict.

The jury was instructed on felony false imprisonment which included a definition of "violence." (3), (1c) "Violence" in this context means "`the exercise of physical force used to restrain over and above the force reasonably necessary to effect such restraint.'" (People v. Babich (1993) 14 Cal. App.4th 801, 806 [18 Cal. Rptr.2d 60], quoting CALJIC No. 9.60, italics omitted.) The jury was also instructed on the definition of "menace" as "`a threat of harm express or implied by word or act.'" (People v. Babich, supra, 14 Cal. App.4th 801, 806, quoting CALJIC No. 9.60.) The elements of fraud or deceit were not implicated in the case at bar.

On appeal, appellant contends due to the insufficiency of the evidence of either "violence" or "menace," his felony conviction must be reversed and *485 double jeopardy bars retrial of the charge. Appellant does not discuss any other remedy than reversal. The People's response is there was adequate evidence of menace to support the conviction.

The evidence supporting the conviction for felony false imprisonment consists of the just completed sexual assaults during which appellant squeezed Olga E.'s breast sufficiently hard to cause her pain, and possibly even bruising. She testified after the ordeal she had her husband take photos of her breast but the photos did not turn out. After the assaults she prepared to go by gathering up her bookbag. Appellant then grabbed her arm and yelled at her not to go. He yelled at her, "nothing happened" and told her to go wash her face. She then retreated to a chair and appellant went into an office nearby within view of Olga E.. Each time she got up from her chair, appellant glared at her and got up out of his chair to approach her. She testified she was afraid, did not want him to touch her again and sat back down.

The People, by arguing this constitutes adequate evidence of menace to support the conviction, tacitly agree the evidence is insufficient to establish appellant grabbing her arm constitutes "violence," i.e., use of "force ... over and above the force reasonably necessary to effect such restraint." (People v. Babich, supra, 14 Cal. App.4th at p. 806; see, e.g., People v. Fernandez (1994) 26 Cal. App.4th 710 [31 Cal. Rptr.2d 677] [evidence defendant held the victim down while others subjected him to several kicks and blows to the head with a bicycle lock supported a finding of false imprisonment by violence].)

The reported decisions upholding convictions for felony false imprisonment involving menace generally fall into two categories. In the first category of cases there was evidence the defendant used a deadly weapon to effect the false imprisonment. For example, in People v. Saffle (1992) 4 Cal. App.4th 434 [5 Cal. Rptr.2d 648], the defendant held a knife to the victim's throat and instructed her not to scream and to take off her clothes.

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People v. Matian, 35 Cal. App. 4th 480, 41 Cal. Rptr. 2d 459 (Cal. Ct. App. 1995).

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