Torres v. Superior Court CA4/1 (2014) · DecisionDepot
Torres v. Superior Court CA4/1
California Court of Appeal Mar 27, 2014 No. D064672Unpublished
Filed 3/27/14 Torres v. Superior Court CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.
COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION ONE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
LARRY TORRES, D064672
Petitioner, (San Diego County Super. Ct. Nos. JCM203269 & JCM198208) v.
THE SUPERIOR COURT OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY,
Respondent;
THE PEOPLE,
Real Party in Interest.
Petition for a writ of mandate to challenge orders of the Superior Court of San
Diego County, Cynthia Bashant and Richard R. Monroy, Judges. Petition granted in part;
denied in part.
Larry Torres, in pro. per.; and Richard Schwartzberg, under appointment by the
Court of Appeal, for Petitioner.
No appearance for Respondent.
Bonnie M. Dumanis, District Attorney, Jesus Rodriguez, Assistant District
Attorney, and Laura E. Tanney, Deputy District Attorney, for Real Party in Interest.
In 2005, a jury convicted petitioner Larry Torres of the murder of Jimmy Martinez
and the attempted murder of Filiberto Lamas. In 2013, for purposes of supporting a
petition for writ of habeas corpus, Torres filed several pro. per. petitions under Welfare
and Institutions Code1 section 827 requesting disclosure of Brady2 impeachment and
exculpatory evidence in juvenile delinquency records for the two victims. Torres's first
section 827 petition was considered by juvenile court judge Cynthia Bashant, who
conducted an in camera review and disclosed some information. Torres's subsequent
section 827 pleadings (including a reconsideration motion and requests for additional
records) were considered by a different juvenile court judge (Richard Monroy). Judge
Monroy denied the reconsideration motion and declined to consider conducting an in
camera review of juvenile records, ruling that Torres was required to submit his
disclosure requests to the district attorney's office, not the court.
Recently, in J.E. v. Superior Court (2014) 223 Cal.App.4th 1329 (J.E.), this court
concluded a section 827 petition is a proper avenue for a defendant to obtain review of
confidential juvenile records for Brady material. Accordingly, we grant Torres's petition
for writ of mandate to the extent he seeks a remand to the juvenile court to consider his
pleadings on the merits. However, because Torres's pleadings have not yet been fully
1 Subsequent unspecified statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.
2 Brady v. Maryland (1963) 373 U.S. 83. 2
ruled upon by the juvenile court on the merits, we deny the petition to the extent Torres
asks us to order the transmittal of juvenile records for purposes of our review.
BACKGROUND
Petitioner Torres's convictions arose from an incident in 2004 when petitioner and
codefendant Ramon Contreras shot at the two victims, killing Martinez and wounding
Lamas. The defendants and the victims were associated with rival gangs, and petitioner
raised a claim of self-defense. Lamas testified against petitioner. The jury found
petitioner guilty of second degree murder of Martinez and premeditated attempted
murder of Lamas, and found true several enhancement allegations. Petitioner was
sentenced to 70 years to life plus a three-year determinate term. (People v. Contreras
(Dec. 15, 2006, D047266) [nonpub. opn.].)
In March 2013, petitioner filed a section 827 petition requesting that the juvenile
court review Lamas's juvenile delinquency records for disclosure of Brady material.
Judge Bashant conducted an in camera review, and on April 12, 2013, issued an order
disclosing several items to petitioner (including a delinquency petition and minute
orders), and declining to disclose other requested materials. Thereafter, petitioner filed
(1) a motion for reconsideration of the section 827 ruling concerning Lamas's records; (2)
another section 827 request for disclosure relevant to Lamas's juvenile records; and (3) a
section 827 request for disclosure of Martinez's juvenile delinquency records.3 On June
5, 2013, Judge Monroy denied the reconsideration motion, and on July 15, 2013, he
3 The record on appeal does not include the actual section 827 petitions or the full reconsideration motion. We glean this information from other documents in the record. 3
declined to consider conducting an in camera review of the juvenile records. Judge
Monroy stated that discovery in criminal cases was governed by the Penal Code statutory
provisions (Pen. Code, § 1054 et seq.) which provide for disclosure by the prosecution,
and ruled that section 827 was "not the appropriate method to discover information in a
criminal case."
Petitioner filed a pro. per. petition for writ of mandate with our court challenging
the juvenile court's orders. We issued an order to show cause, and received a
supplemental mandate petition from appointed counsel and a response from the People.
As in J.E., the People agree that Judge Monroy erred in declining to consider petitioner's
requests on the merits and instead requiring that the requests be submitted to the district
attorney. We also agree, and remand the case to the juvenile court for further
proceedings under section 827.
Petitioner also requests that we order transmittal of Lamas's juvenile records to our
court so that we can review them, and that we issue the same order for Martinez's records
after examination by the lower court. Given the current posture of the case, we decline
this request.
DISCUSSION
Recently, in J.E., supra, 223 Cal.App.4th 1329, we evaluated whether a juvenile
court can properly decline to consider a defendant's section 827 petition for in camera
review of juvenile records, and to instead require the defendant to submit the request to
the prosecutor based on the prosecution's statutory and constitutional disclosure
obligations. There, in the context of a preconviction disclosure request, we concluded
4
that "when a petitioner files a section 827 petition requesting that the court review a
confidential juvenile file and provides a reasonable basis to support its claim that the file
contains Brady exculpatory or impeachment material, the juvenile court is required to
conduct an in camera review." (J.E., supra, at p. 1333.)
This holding extends equally to this case. Although the matter before us concerns
a postconviction discovery request rather than the pretrial discovery request involved in
J.E., the same general principles apply.
As noted in J.E., disclosure obligations in criminal proceedings are governed by
both state statutory procedures (Pen. Code, § 1054, et. seq.) and federal constitutional
principles. (J.E., supra, 223 Cal.App.4th at p. 1334.)4 The constitutional disclosure
obligations, which are delineated in Brady and its progeny, exist independently of the
statutory procedures. (Id. at p. 1334.) "To comply with Brady constitutional due process
requirements, the prosecution must disclose exculpatory and impeachment evidence that
is favorable to the accused and material on the issue of guilt or punishment. . . .
Disclosure may be required even when the evidence is subject to a state privacy privilege,
as is the case with confidential juvenile records. [Citations.]" (J.E., supra, 223
Cal.App.4th at pp. 1334-1335.)
4 The statutory procedures govern discovery during the trial proceedings (Pen. Code, § 1054 et seq.) and after conviction if the defendant was sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole (Pen. Code, § 1054.9). Here, these Penal Code discovery statutes are inapplicable given the postconviction status of the case and the fact that petitioner was not sentenced to death or life without parole. 5
Under Brady, the prosecution has the duty to inspect for exculpatory and
impeachment evidence in materials possessed by members of the prosecution team who
are connected to the investigation or prosecution of the charges against the defendant.
(J.E., supra, 223 Cal.App.4th at p. 1335.) Further, in limited circumstances the
prosecution may be required to disclose information contained in materials that are not
directly connected to the case, including, for example, when the defense makes a
reasonably supported request for the inspection of records that might contain critical
exculpatory or impeachment evidence and that are reasonably accessible to the
prosecution but not to the defense. (Id. at pp. 1335-1336 & fn. 6.) After conviction, a
defendant may seek relief based on the nondisclosure of Brady material during the trial
proceedings (Eulloqui v. Superior Court (2010) 181 Cal.App.4th 1055, 1060, 1068), and
the prosecutor has an ongoing ethical duty of disclosure if information emerges that
undermines the validity of the conviction (In re Lawley (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1231, 1246;
People v. Garcia (1993) 17 Cal.App.4th 1169, 1179).
As observed in J.E., "[a]lthough the government's Brady obligations are typically
placed upon the prosecutor, the courts have recognized that the Brady requirements can
also be satisfied when a trial court conducts an in camera review of documents
containing possible exculpatory or impeachment evidence." (J.E., supra, 223
Cal.App.4th at p 1336.) An in camera inspection by the trial court is particularly
appropriate when the materials to be reviewed are afforded special privacy protection.
(Ibid.)
6
Relevant here, and as explained in J.E., there is a strong public policy of
confidentiality of juvenile records, and the section 827 provisions are specifically
designed to protect this confidentiality. (J.E., supra, 223 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1337-1338.)
The statute defines who is authorized to have access to juvenile records, and precludes
unauthorized persons from reviewing the records without a court order. (§ 827, subd.
(a)(1)(A)-(P).) Defense counsel is not authorized to access a nonclient's juvenile records
absent a court order. (§ 827, subd. (a)(1)(E), (P).) Although the prosecutor is authorized
to access juvenile records (§ 827, subd. (a)(1)(B)), the prosecutor may not disclose
information to an unauthorized person without a court order. (§ 827, subd. (a)(4), (5);
J.E., supra, 223 Cal.App.4th at p. 1337.) When an unauthorized person requests access
to the juvenile files, the juvenile court is recognized as the " 'exclusive authority to
determine whether and to what extent to grant access . . . .' " (J.E., supra, at p. 1337.)
The applicable California Rules of Court set forth detailed guidelines governing the
court's in camera inspection process, including a requirement that the petitioner make a
good cause showing warranting in camera review, and a directive that the court carefully
balance the competing interests of the juvenile, other parties to the juvenile proceedings,
the petitioner, and the public when making its disclosure decisions. (Cal. Rules of Court,
rule 5.552(c), (e)(1)-(5); J.E., supra, 223 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1337-1338.)
The courts have underscored that section 827 reflects a legislative determination
that the juvenile court has both the sensitivity and expertise to make decisions about
access to confidential juvenile records, and the courts have long recognized that in
camera inspection under section 827 is an appropriate vehicle to protect both the
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defendant's fair trial rights and the state's confidentiality interests. (J.E., supra, 223
Cal.App.4th at pp. 1337-1338.) After considering the Brady constitutional principles in
conjunction with the statutory confidentiality scheme, we concluded in J.E. that a section
827 petition is a proper mechanism to resolve a Brady request by the defense for
information in a juvenile file. (J.E., supra, at pp. 1338-1339.) We reach the same
conclusion here. Upon a showing of a reasonable basis to believe exculpatory or
impeachment evidence exists in the juvenile records, petitioner is entitled to have the
juvenile court conduct an in camera review of the records. (Id. at p. 1339; Cal. Rules of
Court, rule 5.552(c), (e)(1)-(2).) Accordingly, we remand the matter to the juvenile court
to evaluate petitioner's pleadings on the merits.
However, at this juncture we deny petitioner's request that we order transmittal of
the juvenile records that were previously reviewed by Judge Bashant and that may be
reviewed by the juvenile court on remand. The record before us is sparse; it does not
include the actual section 827 disclosure petitions nor the full reconsideration motion.
Also, because Judge Monroy denied petitioner's requests on procedural grounds, it is
unclear if his ruling on the reconsideration motion was made on the merits. Further, the
juvenile court has not considered on the merits the second section 827 petition filed with
respect to Lamas's records, nor the section 827 petition filed with respect to Martinez's
records; thus, for these records any request for review by our court is premature. Under
8
these circumstances, we remand the matter for further proceedings before the juvenile
court to consider petitioner's pleadings on the merits.5
DISPOSITION
The petition is granted in part and denied in part. Let a writ of mandate issue
directing the juvenile court to vacate Judge Monroy's June 5 and July 15, 2013 orders
denying petitioner's requests without ruling on the merits. The court is directed to
consider petitioner's pleadings in a manner consistent with this opinion. The petition is
denied as to the request to transmit documents to this court for our review.
HALLER, J.
WE CONCUR:
NARES, Acting P. J.
MCDONALD, J.
5 If petitioner makes the required good cause showing to trigger the juvenile court's in camera review, the court should identify the records it inspects. (See People v. Mooc (2001) 26 Cal.4th 1216, 1229.) 9
AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The court held that a defendant may use a Welfare and Institutions Code section 827 petition to seek in camera review of confidential juvenile records for potential Brady material. The juvenile court must evaluate such petitions on their merits rather than requiring the defendant to seek discovery through the prosecutor.
Issues
Whether a defendant may use a Welfare and Institutions Code section 827 petition to obtain in camera review of confidential juvenile records for Brady material.
Whether a juvenile court may deny a section 827 petition on the basis that the defendant must instead seek discovery from the district attorney.
Disposition. Granted in part and denied in part.
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“a section 827 petition is a proper avenue for a defendant to obtain review of confidential juvenile records for Brady material.”
“the juvenile court is required to conduct an in camera review.”
“we remand the matter to the juvenile court to evaluate petitioner's pleadings on the merits.”