People v. Trujillo
60 Cal. 4th 850
| Cal. | 2015Background
- Defendant Trujillo convicted of felony receiving stolen property and placed on probation; trial court ordered restitution and various fines/fees including presentence investigation fee (<= $300) and probation supervision fee (<= $110/month) under Penal Code §1203.1b.
- Probation officer prepared the presentence report without defendant's interview because she invoked the Fifth Amendment; no on-the-record waiver of the right to a court hearing under §1203.1b appears in the record.
- Defense counsel received the report and raised no objection at sentencing; defendant did not assert inability to pay or seek a hearing either at sentencing or in probation department (record ambiguous whether she complied with the Department of Revenue order).
- On appeal defendant challenged the booking fee (forfeited under People v. McCullough) and argued the court failed to follow §1203.1b procedures before imposing presentence and probation supervision fees.
- Court of Appeal reversed and remanded for compliance with §1203.1b; the Supreme Court granted review to decide whether the forfeiture rule applies to challenges based on noncompliance with §1203.1b.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether defendant forfeited appellate challenge to imposition of presentence investigation and probation supervision fees under §1203.1b by not objecting below | The People: forfeiture rule from sentencing context (and McCullough re: booking fee) applies; defendant should have raised noncompliance at sentencing | Trujillo: §1203.1b requires an express knowing and intelligent waiver and procedural safeguards, so lack of waiver is clear legal error reviewable on appeal despite forfeiture | Held: Forfeiture applies. Defendant forfeited the appellate challenge; failure to object at sentencing bars review of §1203.1b noncompliance (Court affirmed in part, reversed only as to clerical minute order corrections). |
Key Cases Cited
- People v. McCullough, 56 Cal.4th 589 (discusses forfeiture of appellate challenge to booking fee and reasons to apply forfeiture in fee context)
- People v. Scott, 9 Cal.4th 331 (explains forfeiture doctrine for sentencing discretion and distinction between factual sentencing errors and clear legal errors)
- People v. Welch, 5 Cal.4th 228 (held objections to probation conditions are forfeited if not raised at trial)
- In re Sheena K., 40 Cal.4th 875 (general principle that rights may be forfeited by failure to timely assert them)
- Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238 (establishes that waivers of significant constitutional rights require on-the-record assurances)
- Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806 (requires on-the-record advisement for waiver of right to counsel)
- People v. Valtakis, 105 Cal.App.4th 1066 (Court of Appeal decision holding §1203.1b noncompliance claim forfeited)
