District of Columbia, June, 2007, State Case law

Access State and Federal Case Law, plus U.S. Supreme Court cases — for free!

Click on any of the case links below to view the full text of that case — for free — through lexisONE®, a legal research and news service from LexisNexis®. Login is required — registration is free!

State Courts - District of Columbia - June 21 - June 28, 2007

Cosio v. United States, Nos. 98-CF-1906 & 02-CO-1453, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Having shown deficient performance on the part of trial counsel and consequent prejudice to his defense, defendant established that he did not receive effective assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment. Counsel had strong reasons to investigate the prosecution's claim that the victim was afraid of defendant, and no good reason not to do so.

Search Cases for Free

In re Estate of Wilson, No. 05-PR-428, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Court did not abuse its discretion by ordering an attorney to pay to the decedent's estate a portion of the attorney's fees paid to the attorney by the personal representative of the decedent's estate from her personal funds for services the attorney performed because court approval of the fees should have been obtained under D.C. Code ? 20-751.

Search Cases for Free

In re Ukwu, No. 05-BG-788, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: When an attorney had violated D.C. R. Prof. Conduct 8.4(c) and other rules, in light of his inducement of a client to present a false letter and the substantial evidence that his pervasive neglect amounted to intentional misconduct, the attorney would have to prove his fitness to practice before being reinstated after a two-year suspension.

Search Cases for Free

Moore v. United States, Nos. 00-CF-1111 & 00-CF-1016, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Convictions were affirmed because sufficient evidence showed that defendants maintained a crack house under D.C. Code ? 33-542(a)(5) (recodified as D.C. Code ? 48-904.02(a)(5)) and possessed a machine gun under D.C. Code ? 22-3214(a) (recodified as D.C. Code ? 22-4514(a)), and their motions for severance and suppression were properly denied.

Search Cases for Free

Steward v. United States, Nos. 03-CF-1124 & 06-CO-393, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Order denying defendant's motion under D.C. Code ? 23-110 for ineffective assistance of counsel was vacated, and the case was remanded to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing because defendant made a colorable claim which, if true, would have provided a basis for relief. Therefore, the trial court should not have summarily decided the matter.

Search Cases for Free

Structural Pres. Sys. v. Petty, No. 02-CV-1147, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Injured party's treating chiropractor should not have been permitted to testify about appropriateness of doctor's recommendation for physical therapy or reasonableness of fees charged for MRI. There was sufficient evidence to submit case to jury as there was strong argument back injury was new, rather than an aggravation of preexisting hip injury.

Search Cases for Free

Ventura v. United States, NO. 04-CF-475, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Trial court did not err in denying defense counsel's request for DNA testing under D.C. Code ? 22-4132(b)(1). DNA testing was not done and thus, it did not result in inclusion of defendant or victim as a source of the biological material. Statements of complainant introduced through testimony of complainant and others did not amount to plain error.

Search Cases for Free

Williams v. United States, No. 02-CM-73, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 21, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Given that defendant's trial was a bench trial, because portions of his trial were not transcribed, it was appropriate to defer to the trial court, even though defendant did not follow D.C. Ct. App. R. 10(d), to determine whether additional reconstruction of the record was possible or whether, in the interest of justice, a new trial was necessary.

Search Cases for Free

Joseph v. United States, No. 00-CF-942, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 28, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Suppression of evidence was not required because information received from an informant was presumptively reliable, given that informant provided his name, address, and phone number, and reliability was further enhanced by the exchange between the dispatcher and the informant during which the informant described the scene at time of the 911 call.

Search Cases for Free

Wright v. United States, No. 05-CF-1236, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT OF APPEALS, June 28, 2007, Decided
View this case - free

Overview: Defendant was convicted of possession of an unregistered firearm, under D.C. Code ? 7-2502.01(a), and carrying a dangerous weapon outside the home or business, under D.C. Code ? 22-4504(a)(1), because police officers saw him pull an object out of his pants, place it on a fence, and walk away before they recovered a shotgun from behind the fence.

Search Cases for Free

Communities Portal