Opinion

People v. Wims

  • 10 Cal. 4th 293
  • 41 Cal. Rptr. 2d 241
  • 95 Daily Journal DAR 7199
  • 895 P.2d 77
  • 95 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4194
Court
California Supreme Court
Filed
Jun 5, 1995
Status
Published
Author
Mosk
On the bench
Werdegar, Mosk, Kennard
Cited by
118 cases
Authority
More cited than 12.7%

Overruled on other grounds by People v. Sengpadychith, 109 Cal. Rptr. 2d 851 (2001)

conc. & dis. opn. of Mosk, J.

How later courts described this case

  • conc. & dis. opn. of Mosk, J.

Written by the judges who cited it.

Later courts went against this

  • Overruled on other grounds by People v. Sengpadychith, 109 Cal. Rptr. 2d 851 (2001)

    10 Cal.4th 293, 303 , overruled on other grounds as stated in People v. Sengpadychith (2001) 26 Cal.4th 316
    California Supreme CourtOct 17, 20015 citing opinionsother groundsRead it

The opinion

MOSK, J., J., Concurring and Dissenting.

In all respects save one, I concur in the judgment. The Court of Appeal was correct to uphold the second *317 degree robbery convictions of defendants Clifton C. Wims and Wilbert Ford under Penal Code sections 211 and 212.5 and also the sentence enhancement of defendant Ford for a prior serious felony conviction under Penal Code sections 667, subdivision (a), and 1192.7, subdivision (c).

As to the sentence enhancements of defendants Wims and Ford for personal use of a deadly or dangerous weapon in the commission or attempted commission of a felony under Penal Code section 12022, subdivision (b), I dissent. The Court of Appeal was correct to set aside the underlying findings, and to vacate the resulting one-year terms, because the omission of an instruction on the elements was prejudicial error under the United States Constitution. As a general matter, I fully join in Justice Kennard’s analysis: it is irrefutable. But I cannot agree with her conclusion that the error was harmless as to defendant Ford on the ground that “overwhelming” evidence was introduced against him at trial. (See People v. Harris (1994) 9 Cal.4th 407, 440-442, 447 [ 37 Cal.Rptr.2d 200 , 886 P.2d 1193 ] (conc. & dis. opn. of Mosk, J.).)

For the foregoing reasons, I would affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeal in its entirety.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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