State v. David N. Burggraf

369 P.3d 955, 160 Idaho 177, 2016 Ida. App. LEXIS 30
CourtIdaho Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 2, 2016
Docket42491
StatusPublished

This text of 369 P.3d 955 (State v. David N. Burggraf) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho 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. David N. Burggraf, 369 P.3d 955, 160 Idaho 177, 2016 Ida. App. LEXIS 30 (Idaho Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

HUSKEY, Judge.

David N. Burggraf appeals from the oral order granting restitution and the order denying his Idaho Criminal Rule 35 motion. 1 For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.

I.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

While attending a family wedding, Burg-graf became intoxicated and engaged in a physical altercation with his wife. 2 Following the fight, Burggraf drove away from the wedding and wrecked the family’s vehicle. Burggraf was charged and pleaded guilty to felony driving under the influence. He was sentenced to a unified sentence of ten years, with four years determinate. Burggraf filed an I.C.R. 35 motion and presented testimony at a hearing in support of his argument that his sentence should be reduced because he was provoked to drive under the influence and because the length of his sentence was preventing him from receiving programming from the Idaho Department of Correction. The district court denied the I.C.R. 35 motion.

At the time Burggraf entered his guilty plea, he informed the court that he anticipated the State would seek restitution for the blood draw, and he would not object to a restitution order for that amount. No other discussion about restitution was placed on the record at that hearing. At the sentencing hearing, the court indicated that it would order restitution if the State filed a request. Apparently, the State’s motion seeking restitution was not filed with the court, although Burggraf received a copy and filed an objection to the State’s request. A hearing was held on Burggrafs objection to the request for payment in the amount of $500 to his wife to cover the cost of the vehicle insurance deductible resulting from the damage caused by Burggrafs wrecking the family vehicle. He argued that the insurance payment and deductible should be considered community *179 property and not subject to restitution. The district court, relying on the evidence in the record, determined the deductible was a payment that would normally be considered restitution in this type of case, and restitution would be awarded in the amount of $500. The court determined that any concerns about the application of community property should be addressed in the pending divorce case. Burggraf filed a motion for reconsideration, arguing his wife was not entitled to recover the deductible because if the accident had not been the result of a crime, she would not have been entitled to that money. However, the district court denied the motion finding that the victim was entitled to be put in the position she would have been before the accident to the extent possible. In this case, the wife was entitled to recover the $500 deductible subtracted from the insurance payout because she was not responsible for the damages done to her vehicle. The district court denied the motion for reconsideration and affirmed its order awarding Burggraf s wife restitution in the amount of $500. Burggraf appeals.

II.

ANALYSIS

A. Restitution

Idaho Code Section 19-5304(2) authorizes a sentencing court to order a defendant to pay restitution for economic loss to the victim of a crime. The decision of whether to order restitution, and in what amount, is within the discretion of a trial court, guided by consideration of the factors set forth in I.C. § 19-5304(7) and by the policy favoring full compensation to crime victims who suffer economic loss. State v. Richmond, 137 Idaho 35, 37, 43 P.3d 794, 796 (Ct.App.2002); State v. Bybee, 115 Idaho 541, 543, 768 P.2d 804, 806 (Ct.App.1989). The court, in determining whether to order restitution and the amount of restitution, shall consider the amount of economic loss sustained by the victim as a result of the offense, the financial resources, needs and earning ability of the defendant, and such other factors as the court deems appropriate. I.C. § 19-5304(7). There must be a causal connection between the conduct for which the defendant is convicted and the damages the victim suffers. State v. Hill, 154 Idaho 206, 212, 296 P.3d 412, 418 (Ct.App.2012).

In Hill, we rejected the appellant’s argument that he should not be required to fully reimburse the other members of the victim’s limited liability company because he owned a one-third interest in the firm. We determined that it “would be an anomaly for Hill to profit by his own wrongdoing, by receiving credit for one-third of the economic loss caused to the firm by his own misappropriations.” Id. at 213, 296 P.3d at 419, We held that we would not interpret “the description of economic loss in the restitution statute to require apportionment of funds unlawfully taken from the firm correlative to any interest of the defendant therein.” Id.

We will not overturn an order of restitution unless an abuse of discretion is shown. Richmond, 137 Idaho at 37, 43 P.3d at 796. When a trial court’s discretionary decision is reviewed on appeal, the appellate court conducts a multi-tiered inquiry to determine; (1) whether the lower court correctly perceived the issue as one of discretion; (2) whether the lower court acted within the boundaries of such discretion and consistently with any legal standards applicable to -the specific choices before it; and (3) whether the lower court reached its decision by an exercise of reason. State v. Hedger, 115 Idaho 598, 600, 768 P.2d 1331, 1333 (1989).

In this case, the district court did not abuse its discretion in awarding restitution to Burggrafis wife. The district court recognized this decision was a matter of discretion, and the decision is consistent with the applicable legal standards. The district court determined Burggraf s wife was a victim entitled to compensation because she suffered economic loss when Burggraf totally destroyed the family vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol. The court further recognized the victim’s right to be compensated for economic loss—here, $5,700 as determined by the insurance company, and more specifically, the loss of $500 she had to pay as her insurance deductible. The district court correctly determined that ab *180 sent having to make an insurance claim to her own insurance company, the victim would have received the entire $5,700 from the insurance company rather than $5,200 ($5,700 less the $500 deductible). Thus, the district court’s decision is consistent with the policy of the restitution statute to make the victim whole.

Further, the district court did not err in denying Burggrafs claim that the $500 should be considered community property and as such, Burggraf was responsible for the entire amount. The district court’s order is consistent with our decision in Hill as it recognizes that Burggraf should not benefit from his wrongdoing by avoiding a restitution payment or being responsible for only half of the payment, simply because his wife was the victim.

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Related

State v. Huffman
159 P.3d 838 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Jerry Allan Hill
296 P.3d 412 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 2012)
State v. Bybee
768 P.2d 804 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1989)
State v. Hedger
768 P.2d 1331 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1989)
State v. Allbee
771 P.2d 66 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 1989)
State v. Knighton
144 P.3d 23 (Idaho Supreme Court, 2006)
State v. Richmond
43 P.3d 794 (Idaho Court of Appeals, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
369 P.3d 955, 160 Idaho 177, 2016 Ida. App. LEXIS 30, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-david-n-burggraf-idahoctapp-2016.