N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
UNITED STATES OF AM ERIC A,

Pla i ntiff-Appe lle e , v. DONNELL THOM AS,

De fe nda nt-Appe l la

nt. No. 17-50244

D.C . No. 3:16-c r-02557-B EN-1
M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Southe rn Distric t of C a lifornia R oge r T. B e nite z , Distric t Judge , Pre s iding Argue d and Subm i tte d

Oc tobe r 5, 2017 Portla nd, Ore gon B e fore : O’ SC A

N NLAIN, PAEZ, a

nd B EA, C irc uit Judge s. Donne ll Thom a s a

ppe a ls thedistric t c ourt’ s orde r e xte n ding his pre tria l
c om m itm e nt. B e c a

use Thom a s did not file

the notic e of a

ppe a l within fourte e n da y s of the distric t c ourt’ s orde r a s re quire d by Fe de ra l R

ule of Appe lla

te Proc e d ure 4(b), we dismiss it a s untim e ly
. 

# FIL ED OCT 19 2017 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.Following a c om pe te n c y e va luation a

nd he aring, thedistric t c ourt found Thom a s inc om

pe te nt to sta

nd tria l. Pursua

nt to 18 U.S.C . § 4241(d)(1), thec ourt
c om m itte d Thom a s to a

m e nta l he a lth fa c ility

for up to 120 da

y s to de te rm ine whe the r the re wa s a

substa ntia l proba

bility he c ould a

tta in c om p e te nc y in the fore se e a ble future . Ove r Thom a s’ s obje c t ion, the c ourt subse que ntly e xte nde d his
c om m itm e nt unde r se c tion 4241(d)(2)(A) by up to 120 additional da

y s, sta ting in its orde r that “ t

he re is a substa ntia l proba

bility tha t with a n a dditional 120 da

y s of
c om m itm e nt the De fe nda

nt will a tta in the c a

pa c ity to pe rm it theproc e e dings to go forward.” 1 Forty -five da

y s a fte r the c o urt e nte re d the e xte nsion orde r, Thom a s file d his notic e of a

ppe a l. On a ppe a l, Thom a s c ha lle nge s the e xte nsion orde r on sta tutory an d
c onstitutiona

l grounds, a

rguing, inte r alia , tha

t prior to e xte nding his c om m itm e nt the d istric t c o urt wa s re quire d to hold a he aring to de te rm ine whe the r the re wa s a substa ntia l proba

bility tha t he would a

tta in c o m pe te nc y within a n a dditional
re a s ona ble tim e . The e xte n de d c om m i tm e nt pe riod wa s se t to e xpire on Nove m be r 11, 2017, but while

this a ppe a l wa s pe nding, Thoma s’ s prim ary c linic i an de te rm i ne d tha

t he ha d atta ine d c om

pe te nc y , thus triggering disc ha rge proc e e dings

1 The distric t c ourt la

te r a c knowle dge d tha

t it m ay not ha ve notic e d Thom a s’ s obje c t ion be fore signing the e xte nsion orde r. 2and a

c om pe te nc y he aring be fore the distric t c ourt. Se e §§ 4241(e ), 4247(d). The gove rnm e nt m ove d to dismiss this a ppe a l, a rguing tha

t the prim ary

c linic ia n’ s de te rm i nation re nde re d it m oot. W e do not re a c h the m e rits or de c i de whe the r this a ppe a l is m o ot, be c a

use we dismiss it a s untim e ly

unde r R ule 4(b). R

ule 4(b) is a

n “ i nfle x ible c la im proc e s sing rule .” Unite d State s v . Sadle r , 480 F.3d 932, 940 (9th C ir. 2007). Thus, if a de fe n d ant in a

c rim i na l c a se fa ils to file a notic e of a

ppe a l within fourte e n da

y s of the e ntry

of the orde r be ing a

ppe a le d, dismissa l is re quire d unle ss the g ove rnm e nt forfe its thede fe nse . Id. at 941-42; se e Fe d. R . App. P. 4(b)(1)(A). The de fe nse of untim e line ss is not forfe ite d whe n, a s he re , the gove rnm e nt ra ise s it in a n a ppe lla te brie f. Sadle r , 480 F.3d a t 941. The distric t c ourt e nte re d the e xte nsion orde r on the doc k e t on M ay 19, 2017. Unde r R

u le 4(b), Thom a s ha d until June 2, 2017 to file his notic e of a ppe a l. Inste a d, he file d his notic e of a ppe a l on July

3, 2017, a

m onth pa st thede a dline
. Thom a s a rgue s tha t he file d his notic e of a

ppe a l from

an orde r e nte re d at a he aring he ld be fore the distric t c ourt on June26, 2017. Thoma s a sse rts tha t the
a c tua l orde r he a

ppe a le d c an b e infe rre d fa irly from the notic e of a

ppe a l, whic h de sc ribe s the orde r unde r a ppe a l a s the “ C ourt’ s orde r to e xte nd tim e unde r 18 U.S.C . § 4241 e nte re d in this proc e e ding on the26th da y of June [,] 2017.”
3W e re je c t this a rgum e nt be c a

use the distric t c ourt did not ente r the
c om m itm e nt e xte n sion orde r, or a ny othe r orde r, on June26, 2017. The re c ord
re fle c t s tha

t the distric t c ourt did not inte nd to hold a

he aring on tha

t da te , ha ving pre v iously

va c ate d a nd re s c he dule d it to Novem be r 13, 2017, a s pa

rt of the
c om m itm e nt e xte n sion orde r. None the l e ss, for re a sons tha t a re unc le ar, the he aring
re m a ine d on the c a le nda

r and c o unse l a

ppe a re d
. At the he aring, thedistric t c ourt de c line d to re c onside r the e x te nsion orde r ove r the “ obje c tion” ora lly re ne w e d by Thom a s’ s c ounse l. 2 The distric t judgedid not sta te tha t he wa s e nte ring a

n orde r at the h e aring, nor doe s the m i nute e ntry on the doc ke t she e t sta te tha t a n orde r wa s e nte re d. Thus, them i nute e ntry did not c onstitute

an orde r for notic e of a

ppe a l purpose s . Se e Ingram v . Ac a ndS, Inc
. , 977 F.2d 1332, 1338-39 (9th C ir. 1992). Fina lly , Thom a s re que sts in the a lte rnative tha t we re m and this c a se to the distric t c o urt to de te rm ine whe t he r e x c usa

b le ne gle c t wa

rrants a thirty -day e xte nsion of the a

p p e a l pe riod, whic h would re nde r this a p pe a l tim e l y by

one da y . Se e R ule 4(b)(4). W e de c line to do so here . DISM ISSED.

2 Thom a s’ s c ounse l purporte d to ra ise an ora l obje c t ion a t the he a ring, but c ounse l wa s inste a d “ taking a n e xc e ption”to the c ourt’ s pre vious orde r. S e e Unite d State s v . Manc inas-Flore

s , 588 F.3d 677, 686 (9th C ir. 2009).

4