Wolf v. Superior Court of San Bernardino Cnty.

251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 418, 38 Cal. App. 5th 699
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedAugust 13, 2019
DocketE071318
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 418 (Wolf v. Superior Court of San Bernardino Cnty.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wolf v. Superior Court of San Bernardino Cnty., 251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 418, 38 Cal. App. 5th 699 (Cal. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

MILLER Acting P. J.

*700Petitioner, Hedy Wolf, pled guilty to the misdemeanor offense of making harassing telephone calls. ( Pen. Code, § 653m, subd. (a).)1 The trial court (1) granted Petitioner one year of summary probation with the condition she serve one day in jail in lieu of paying fines; and (2) imposed a criminal protective order. Petitioner moved to withdraw her plea. The trial court denied Petitioner's motion. Petitioner appealed the denial of her motion to the superior court's appellate division and requested the appointment of appellate counsel. The appellate division denied Petitioner's request for appointment of appellate counsel.

*701Petitioner petitions this court for a writ of mandate directing the superior court's appellate division to (1) vacate its order denying Petitioner's request for appointment of appellate counsel, and (2) enter an order granting Petitioner's request for appointment of appellate counsel. We grant the writ petition.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Petitioner was charged with the misdemeanor offense of making harassing telephone calls. ( § 653m, subd. (a).) On May 14, 2018, Petitioner pled guilty to the charge. The trial court (1) granted Petitioner one year of summary probation with the condition she serve one day in jail; and (2) imposed a three-year criminal protective order. Petitioner was not represented by counsel at the May 14 hearing.

On May 29, 2018, Petitioner moved to withdraw her plea. Petitioner asserted she had not been represented by counsel and did not understand that the plea would result in a three-year protective order and probation. Petitioner requested that she be able to proceed to trial on the charge. On June 29, the trial court appointed the public defender's office to represent Petitioner. On July 2, the public defender's office accepted the appointment. On August 2, the trial court held a hearing on Petitioner's motion to withdraw her plea. Petitioner was represented by the public defender's office. The trial court denied the motion but modified the protective order to expire one year from May 14, 2018.

*421Petitioner appealed the denial of her motion to withdraw her plea. Petitioner's notice of appeal was filed in the appellate division on August 6, 2018. (Judicial Council Form CR-132.) In the notice of appeal, in section 2 of the form, Petitioner wrote, "A court appoint appeal atty is requested [sic ]." In section 4 of the notice of appeal, Petitioner marked the boxes to indicate (a) she was represented by the public defender in the trial court, and (b) she was "asking the court to appoint a lawyer to represent [her] in this appeal."

On August 17, Petitioner filed a request for a court-appointed attorney. (Judicial Council Form CR-133.) On that form, petitioner again marked the box indicating she was represented by a court-appointed attorney in the trial court. Petitioner also marked a box indicating she had been granted probation.

On August 17, the appellate division denied Petitioner's request for appointment of counsel. The appellate division explained that counsel did not need to be appointed because "[t]he denial of a motion to withdraw a plea is not a significant adverse collateral consequence of the conviction." Petitioner's writ petition concerns the appellate division's order dated August 17, 2018.

*702DISCUSSION

Petitioner contends the superior court's appellate division erred by denying her request for appointment of appellate counsel.

The facts are undisputed, therefore we apply the de novo standard of review. ( People v. Hernandez (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 1182, 1187, 99 Cal.Rptr.3d 548.) California Rules of Court, rule 8.851(a)(1)2 provides: "On application, the appellate division must appoint appellate counsel for a defendant convicted of a misdemeanor who: [¶] (A) Is subject to incarceration or a fine of more than $500 (including penalty and other assessments), or who is likely to suffer significant adverse collateral consequences as a result of the conviction; and [¶] (B) Was represented by appointed counsel in the trial court or establishes indigency." "A defendant is subject to incarceration or a fine if the incarceration or fine is in a sentence, is a condition of probation, or may be ordered if the defendant violates probation." ( Rule 8.851(a)(3).)

A condition of Petitioner's probation was that she serve one day in jail. Therefore, Petitioner was subject to incarceration. ( Rule 8.851(a)(1) &(3).)

At the hearing on the motion to withdraw her plea, Petitioner was represented by appointed counsel. In the superior court's appellate division, Petitioner is appealing the trial court's denial of her motion to withdraw her plea. Thus, Petitioner was represented by appointed counsel at the hearing on the motion that is the subject of her appeal in the appellate division. Therefore, Petitioner was "represented by appointed counsel in the trial court." (Rule 8.851(a)(2).)

In sum, Petitioner was (1) subject to incarceration, and (2) represented by appointed counsel in the trial court. Rule 8.851(a)(1) mandates that appellate counsel be appointed when the foregoing two criteria are met. Therefore, the appellate division was required to appoint appellate counsel for Petitioner. We conclude the appellate division erred.

Real Party in Interest contends (1) Petitioner was not represented by appointed counsel at the time of judgment, therefore Petitioner was not represented by counsel in the trial court; (2) Petitioner made procedural *422errors in her request for appointment of counsel; and (3) Petitioner's appeal is from the judgment and is untimely, therefore the issue of appointment of counsel is moot.

We address the assertion that Petitioner was not represented by counsel in the trial court because she was unrepresented at the time of judgment. We *703apply the de novo standard of review when interpreting a rule of court. ( Mercury Interactive Corp. v. Klein (2007) 158 Cal.App.4th 60, 81, 70 Cal.Rptr.3d 88.)

If a defendant "desires and is unable to employ counsel the court shall assign counsel to defend him or her." (§ 987, subd. (a).) "In order to assist the court in determining whether a defendant is able to employ counsel in any case, the court may require a defendant to file a financial statement or other financial information under penalty of perjury with the court or, in its discretion, order a defendant to appear before a county officer designated by the court to make an inquiry into the ability of the defendant to employ his or her own counsel.

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Bluebook (online)
251 Cal. Rptr. 3d 418, 38 Cal. App. 5th 699, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolf-v-superior-court-of-san-bernardino-cnty-calctapp5d-2019.