Opinion ID: 2396996
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Comcast Restitution Valid

Text: Redick alleges that there was insufficient evidence of Comcast's loss to justify the restitution amount ordered by the Superior Court. According to Redick, Comcast should have provided more information concerning the purchasers of devices in areas not exclusively serviced by Comcast. Redick also alleges that there is no rational basis for the calculations made by the Superior Court in determining its restitution award to Comcast. The evidence presented at the hearing established that no actual loss could be determined for this type of crime because the unlawful devices sold by Redick had accomplished their intended purpose of successfully blocking the billing signal. Consequently, by its very nature, the amount of restitution had to be quantified by the Superior Court according to some other reasonable analysis. [14] The record reflects that Redick presented no method of calculating the loss at the restitution hearing. The State submits that the Superior Court could have reasonably used the $275 per device per thirty-day period based on the uncontroverted evidence presented by Comcast at the hearing. Nevertheless, the Superior Court used $250 per device for any length of time as a basis for calculating the cable providers' loss. The rationale for the Superior Court's use of the $250 figure was apparently derived by analogy from the civil damages section of the relevant statute. Pursuant to that section, a court may award between $250 and $10,000 for each access device in lieu of actual damages. [15] Thus, the State submits, there was a reasonable basis for the Superior Court's starting point of $250 in determining the restitution amounts and, thereafter, exercising its discretion to reduce that amount to 60% in those areas where Comcast was the exclusive cable provider and to 20% in those non-exclusive areas. [16] We agree. [17] Section 4106(a) provides that a restitution award shall include compensation to the victim for expenses directly relating from the defendants criminal acts. [18] The award to Comcast for the costs of its investigation was based on the sworn testimony of O'Connor and the documentary evidence presented by Comcast at the hearing. O'Connor testified that at least 75 hours (37.5 hours each for two investigators) were devoted to the investigation in this case. O'Connor also testified that the $75 per hour rate was standard. Accordingly, the record does not support Redick's assertion that the estimated costs of investigation were mere speculation. [19] Moreover, Redick did not provide any evidence to demonstrate that the $75 per hour was not the standard rate in the industry or that time estimate by O'Connor was unreasonable. Comcast was an undisputed victim of Redick's crime. Therefore, Comcast was entitled to an award of restitution based on its loss. When, given the type of crime, there is no method for calculating a precise amount of loss, a reasonable estimate of the victim's loss can be awarded by the Superior Court. There was sufficient credible evidence presented at the restitution hearing for the Superior Court to find by a preponderance of the evidence that Comcast was entitled to restitution both for the costs of investigation in the amount of $5,625 and for loss of revenue associated with the unlawful devices sold by Redick in the amount of $18,350. [20] Accordingly, we hold that the Superior Court's restitution award to Comcast in the aggregate amount of $23,975 is supported by the evidence presented at the hearing and is the product of a logical deductive process. We note that the $23,975 awarded to Comcast in restitution is significantly less than the $85,425 it requested. The restitution award is not necessarily Comcast's exclusive remedy for recovering the damages it sustained as a result of Redick's criminal conduct. An award of restitution, based upon the evidence presented at the hearing, does not preclude a victim (like Comcast) from pursuing an action for civil damages. [21] In fact, the criminal statute that Redick violated provides specific guidelines for such a civil damage action. [22] The amount of any civil award will depend upon the evidence presented at that separate proceeding. Any payments of restitution, however, must be credited against a separate civil damage award. [23]