State v. Barrett

255 P.3d 472, 350 Or. 390, 2011 Ore. LEXIS 483
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedMay 27, 2011
DocketCC D110426M; SC S059423
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 255 P.3d 472 (State v. Barrett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Barrett, 255 P.3d 472, 350 Or. 390, 2011 Ore. LEXIS 483 (Or. 2011).

Opinion

*393 DE MUNIZ, C. J.

Appellant is the victim of the crime of stalking, a Class A misdemeanor. ORS 163.732(2)(a). The trial court concluded that, in the criminal proceeding against defendant, the perpetrator of the crime, the state violated the victim’s rights as a crime victim under the Oregon Constitution. However, the trial court held that neither the Oregon Constitution nor the Oregon statutes provided a remedy for the violation. Pursuant to ORS 147.537, the victim filed an interlocutory appeal from the trial court’s order denying the victim a remedy. We reverse and remand.

We begin with a brief discussion of the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions. In 1999, the voters enacted Article I, section 42, of the Oregon Constitution, granting certain rights to crime victims. As applicable to this case, that provision states:

“To preserve and protect the right of crime victims to justice, to ensure crime victims a meaningful role in the criminal and juvenile justice systems, to accord crime victims due dignity and respect and to ensure that criminal and juvenile court delinquency proceedings are conducted to seek the truth as to the defendant’s innocence or guilt, and also to ensure that a fair balance is struck between the rights of crime victims and the rights of criminal defendants in the course and conduct of criminal and juvenile court delinquency proceedings, the following rights are hereby granted to victims in all prosecutions for crimes and in juvenile court delinquency proceedings:
“(a) The right to be present at and, upon specific request, to be informed in advance of any critical stage of the proceedings held in open court when the defendant will be present, and to be heard at the pretrial release hearing and the sentencing or juvenile court delinquency disposition^]”

Or Const, Art I, § 42(1)(a). That constitutional provision also authorizes the legislature to enact laws to effectuate those rights. Or Const, Art I, § 42(3)(c) (“The Legislative Assembly may provide by law for further effectuation of the provisions of this subsection * * *.”). The legislature did so in ORS 147.500 et seq.

*394 One statute that the legislature enacted requires that, at the beginning of any “critical stage” of a criminal proceeding, the prosecutor must inform the trial court about whether the victim has requested advance notice and been notified of such proceedings. ORS 147.510(2). 1 “Critical stage[s] of the proceeding” include the entry of a guilty plea and sentencing. ORS 147.500(5)(e), (h). At the outset of such proceedings, the prosecutor must inform the court, among other things, whether the victim is present, and if the victim is not present, whether the victim requested advance notice of any critical stage of the proceeding. ORS 147.510(2).

Other statutes establish procedures by which victims may seek to have violations of their constitutional rights vindicated. Briefly, a victim who “wishes to allege a violation of a right granted to the victim in a criminal proceeding by section 42 or 43, Article I of the Oregon Constitution” must timely inform the trial court of the alleged violation, describe the facts, and propose a remedy. ORS 147.515(1). The victim may do so “[o]n a form prescribed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.” ORS 147.515(2)(a). If a victim’s claim is facially valid, the trial court is required to issue an order to show cause. ORS 147.515(3) (court “shall” issue order to show cause). If any party timely responds to the order to show cause, then the court will hold a hearing. See ORS 147.517(2)(b) (order to show cause must include date on which court “will conduct a hearing on timely responses to the claim”); ORS 147.530(1) (establishing procedures for “a hearing on a claim [or] a response filed under ORS *395 147.517(4)”); cf. ORS 147.520 (directing court to resolve claims where no response has been timely filed).

After a hearing, the court must issue an appropriate order granting or denying relief. ORS 147.530(4). The court may rule either orally or in writing; a written order generally must issue within seven days of the order to show cause, while an oral order in open court must be followed by a written order “as soon as practicable.” ORS 147.530(5)(a), (c). 2

With that background, we turn to the facts of this case. In considering the facts, this court “may not substitute its judgment for that of the trial court,” and it is to review any challenge to a trial court factual finding “for evidence in the record to support the finding.” ORS 147.537(17).

The victim is defendant’s estranged wife. On February 15, 2011, defendant was charged with stalking the victim. The victim had a conversation with a victim advocate in the district attorney’s office, invoked her right to be notified in advance of sentencing and other critical stage hearings, and completed a form memorializing those requests. The victim was told, and the form indicated, that the form needed to be returned to the district attorney’s office by March 2. In fact, the victim returned the form early, and the district attorney’s office received it sometime on February 28. Before that date, the victim advocate told the victim that she *396 did not need to be present for a pretrial appearance by defendant that was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on February 28. That appearance was not scheduled to involve entry of plea or sentencing.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor engaged in plea negotiations with defendant.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Lee
532 P.3d 894 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2023)
State v. B. Y.
510 P.3d 247 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2022)
State v. J. R.
507 P.3d 778 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2022)
State v. Nichols
473 P.3d 1145 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2020)
State v. Lynch
469 P.3d 800 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2020)
State v. M. A. S.
462 P.3d 284 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2020)
State v. Barrett
460 P.3d 93 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2020)
State v. Garrett
451 P.3d 612 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)
De Young v. Brown
443 P.3d 642 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2019)
Vasquez v. Double Press Mfg., Inc.
437 P.3d 1107 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2019)
State v. Ball
416 P.3d 301 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2018)
Haynes v. Board of Parole
Oregon Supreme Court, 2017
State v. Skipwith
Supreme Court of Connecticut, 2017
State v. Ramos
368 P.3d 446 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2016)
State v. Skipwith
Connecticut Appellate Court, 2015
State v. Lane
355 P.3d 914 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Algeo
311 P.3d 865 (Oregon Supreme Court, 2013)
State v. Wagoner
307 P.3d 528 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2013)
State v. Thompson
306 P.3d 731 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
255 P.3d 472, 350 Or. 390, 2011 Ore. LEXIS 483, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-barrett-or-2011.