Opinion ID: 2521154
Heading Depth: 1
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Heading: Timely Filing of Interlocutory Appeal

Text: The People have a right to file an interlocutory appeal from a trial court's suppression of evidence. § 16-12-102, 6 C.R.S. (2001); see also People in re J.C., 844 P.2d 1185, 1187 (Colo.1993). The notice of appeal must be timely filed or the right to take an interlocutory appeal will be lost. People v. Donahue, 750 P.2d 921, 922 (Colo.1988). The time for filing a notice of interlocutory appeal is no later than ten (10) days after entry of the contested suppression order. C.A.R. 4.1(b); see also People v. Hampton, 696 P.2d 765, 771 (Colo.1985). The time limits set forth in C.A.R. 4.1 may be enlarged by order of the appropriate court, but only before the existing time limit has expired. C.A.R. 4.1(h) (2001). The time limit for filing an interlocutory appeal is separate and distinct from the trial court's ability to reconsider its ruling on a motion to dismiss. A trial court should have an opportunity to reconsider its suppression orders. See In re J.C., 844 P.2d at 1187 (holding that a trial court judge may correct a palpable error). Although C.A.R. 4.1 does not address motions for reconsideration, our case law makes it clear that the prosecution may appeal a trial court's modified ruling within ten days of the date of the modified ruling. C.A.R. 4.1; People v. Melton, 910 P.2d 672, 675 n. 4 (Colo.1996); see also People v. Gall, 30 P.3d 145, 149 n. 5 (Colo.2001); In re J.C., 844 P.2d at 1187. The relevant dates in this case were, as we have stated: (i) original order, October 5, 2001; (ii) motion to reconsider filed October 16, 2001; (iii) order on motion, October 19, 2001; and (iv) appeal filed October 29, 2001. The People filed this interlocutory appeal within ten days after the trial court denied their motion to reconsider its suppression order on October 19, 2001. However, the People did not file an interlocutory appeal, or a motion to reconsider, within ten days of the original suppression order issued on October 5, 2001. Instead, the People filed a motion to reconsider the original suppression order on October 16, 2001. Although the ten-day time limit established by C.A.R. 4.1(b) may be enlarged by the court prior to the expiration of the ten-day time limit, C.A.R. 4.1(h), an extension of time was not requested by the People. The trial court apparently recognized the need for some type of time limit for filing a motion for reconsideration of a suppression order and imposed a fifteen-day deadline on the filing of the motion to reconsider in this case. It is unclear why the trial court thought the appropriate time limit was fifteen days. There is no rule specifying the time in which a motion for rehearing or reconsideration of an interlocutory order must be filed in a criminal case. We have not previously addressed this issue. However, federal courts addressing the timeliness of an interlocutory appeal following a motion to reconsider a suppression order have required the motion to reconsider to be filed within the same time limit that applies to the filing of a notice of interlocutory appeal. See, e.g., United States v. Healy, 376 U.S. 75, 78-79, 84 S.Ct. 553, 11 L.Ed.2d 527 (1964); United States v. Martinez, 681 F.2d 1248, 1253 (10th Cir.1982). In the federal courts, rules governing the timeliness of the government's notice of appeal come from several authorities. United States v. Rothseiden, 680 F.2d 96, 97 (11th Cir.1982). First, 18 U.S.C. § 3731 provides that the government has thirty (30) days in which to appeal a suppression order. 18 U.S.C. § 3731 (2002). Second, Rule 4(b) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure provides that the period of time for filing an interlocutory appeal begins to run from the entry in the criminal docket of judgment or order appealed. Fed. R.App. P. 4(b). Additionally, the United States Supreme Court has held that a timely motion to reconsider tolls the running of the thirty-day period; the thirty days begin again once the trial court rules on the motion for reconsideration. United States v. Ibarra, 502 U.S. 1, 4 n. 2, 112 S.Ct. 4, 116 L.Ed.2d 1 (1991); United States v. Dieter, 429 U.S. 6, 8, 97 S.Ct. 18, 50 L.Ed.2d 8 (1976); Healy, 376 U.S. at 78-79, 84 S.Ct. 553. Once the motion to reconsider has been decided, would-be appellants are entitled to the full thirty days in which to file an interlocutory appeal. Dieter, 429 U.S. at 8, 97 S.Ct. 18. An untimely request for rehearing will not toll the running of the appeal period. Martinez, 681 F.2d at 1253. A motion for reconsideration does not bring new life to an order unless it is filed within the time period for taking the appeal, running from the date of the entry of the judgment or order appealed from. Id. Thus, under federal case law, if the applicable law requires a notice of interlocutory appeal to be filed within thirty days, any motion to reconsider must also be filed within thirty days. We find the reasoning of these cases persuasive. Without some type of rule governing the time for filing a motion to reconsider a suppression order, any motion to reconsider a suppression order would restart the ten-day time period for an interlocutory appeal established by C.A.R. 4.1(b). As a practical matter, the requirement that interlocutory appeals be filed within ten days would be weakened. The government could indefinitely extend the time for filing a notice of appeal at any time simply by filing a motion to reconsider. See United States v. Cardall, 773 F.2d 1128, 1130 (10th Cir.1985). Thus, requiring any motion to reconsider an order subject to the timing requirements of C.A.R. 4.1 to be filed within the same time frame furthers the purposes of that rule. We hold that a post-hearing motion that tolls the period for taking an interlocutory appeal must be filed within the ten-day time period allowed for filing an interlocutory appeal. Further, an untimely motion for reconsideration cannot revive the right to an interlocutory appeal. Otherwise, filing motions for reconsideration could indefinitely extend the right to an interlocutory appeal and there would be little finality to suppression orders. Thus, in order to toll the ten-day time period established by C.A.R. 4.1(b) for the filing of an interlocutory appeal, the People must file a motion for reconsideration of a suppression order within the ten-day time period established for the filing of the interlocutory appeal itself. After the trial court rules on a timely filed motion to reconsider, the People have ten days to commence an interlocutory appeal from the order on the motion to reconsider.