State v. Bazan

641 P.2d 1078, 97 N.M. 531
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 28, 1982
Docket5362
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 641 P.2d 1078 (State v. Bazan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Bazan, 641 P.2d 1078, 97 N.M. 531 (N.M. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION

WALTERS, Chief Judge.

The sole issue presented by this appeal is whether the defendant was entitled, as a matter of right, to a trial de novo in district court following judgment against him on his guilty plea and disposition agreement in the metropolitan court. The trial court decided he was not; we affirm.

Defendant was charged in metropolitan court with three misdemeanor offenses. He entered into a plea and disposition agreement with the State, and the agreement was approved by a judge of the metropolitan court. Under that agreement, the State dismissed two of the misdemeanors and defendant pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated, second offense. He was sentenced to imprisonment for 180 days. Defendant appealed his conviction to district court.

The district judge dismissed defendant’s appeal, on the State’s motion, finding:

1. City of Albuquerque v. Sanchez, 81 N.M. 272, 466 P.2d 118 (1970), is inapplicable to these cases as there was no plea and disposition agreement in Sanchez (supra), rather, a plea of guilty to the charges.
2. There has been no allegation that the State has breached the plea and disposition agreement.
3. That there has been no allegation that the sentences from the lower court were illegal.
4. That there has been no allegation by defense counsel that they attempted to withdraw the plea and disposition agreement in the lower court.
5. That the plea and disposition agreement executed by and between the State of New Mexico and the respective defendant is a contract.
6. That the defendants have not claimed that an ambiguity exists in the plea and disposition agreement signed by the State in respect of defendants.
7. That the defendants have not asserted or claimed that the plea agreement was involuntary.
8. That the defendants may appeal a conviction resulting from a plea of guilty or nolo contendere. However defendants may not appeal a conviction, nor a sentence entered after the court accepts a plea and disposition agreement, absent a showing of an abuse of discretion, due to their having waived same.

The final order of the district court provided “that the defendant has no right to a trial de novo upon appeal of a conviction after a plea of guilty on a plea and disposition agreement entered in the metropolitan court.”

The district court remanded the case to the metropolitan court for imposition of the sentence.

We discuss two grounds for upholding the trial court’s decision: (1) defendant waived his right to appeal his conviction by his plea and disposition agreement; (2) defendant is not an aggrieved party.

1. Defendant waived his right to appeal his conviction by entering into the plea and disposition agreement, which is substantially the same as Criminal Form 7.00, N.M.S.A.1978.

The two pertinent provisions of the agreement are as follows:

4. Unless this plea is rejected or withdrawn, that the defendant hereby gives up any and all motions, defenses, objections or requests which he has made or raised, or could assert hereafter, to be the court’s entry of judgment against him and imposition of a sentence upon him consistent with this agreement.
* * * # # *
I have read and understand the above. I have discussed the case and my constitutional rights with my lawyer. I understand that by pleading (guilty) (no contest) I will be giving up my right to a trial by jury, to confront, cross-examine, and compel the attendance of witnesses, and my privilege against self-incrimination. I agree to enter my plea as indicated above on the terms and conditions set forth herein: * * *

According to Baird v. State, 90 N.M. 667, 568 P.2d 193 (1977), those two provisions of the plea and disposition agreement amount to a valid waiver of defendant’s right to appeal. Baird entered a plea of no contest to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. The Supreme Court held that presence of the District Attorney during deliberation of the grand jury was specifically and unequivocally prohibited by law, but defendant waived her objections to the grand jury proceedings by entering into a plea and disposition agreement which was approved and accepted by the trial court through a plea of no contest to the charge. At 90 N.M. 669, 568 P.2d 193, the Supreme Court said:

Defendant contends that the defects of the grand jury proceedings were so fundamental that they cannot be waived. We do not agree. Fundamental constitutional rights may be waived by a defendant. [Citations omitted.] Likewise, violations of rights created by statute may also be waived.

The waiver in Baird was held to stem from clause 4 of Baird’s plea and disposition agreement (the same as clause 4 of the plea and disposition agreement in this case) and from the voluntariness of the plea. The court noted, at 90 N.M. 670, 568 P.2d 193:

Plea negotiation involves an exchange of concessions and advantages between the State and the accused. * * * in this case, the concession granted by the defendant in paragraph 4 of the plea agreement operated as a waiver of the objections raised in this appeal.
Second, the plea of no contest itself operated as a waiver of defendant’s right to object to the claimed statutory defects and the grand jury proceedings. [Citation omitted.] There is no claim that the no contest plea was involuntarily made or made with other than full awareness on the part of the defendant.

Plea agreements, absent constitutional invalidity, are binding upon both parties. State v. Gallegos, 91 N.M. 107, 570 P.2d 938 (Ct.App.1977). Neither can a defendant be relieved of one provision of a plea agreement without giving up all of the benefits he received in the bargain. State v. Gibson, 96 N.M. 742, 634 P.2d 1294 (Ct.App.1981).

In the plea and disposition agreement in this case, the defendant gave up “any and all motions, defenses, objections or requests which he has made or raised, or could assert hereafter” to the court’s entry of judgment and sentence.

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

Related

State v. Michael S.
1998 NMCA 041 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1998)
State v. Johnson
758 P.2d 306 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1988)
State v. Ball
718 P.2d 686 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1986)
State v. Santillanes
649 P.2d 516 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1982)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
641 P.2d 1078, 97 N.M. 531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-bazan-nmctapp-1982.