Opinion ID: 2092505
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Liability for Restitution

Text: At different times during this litigation, two sources of authority for the restitution judgments have been invokedthe unauthorized use statute itself, Article 27, § 349, and the restitution law set forth in Article 27, § 808, as it existed when the conduct at issue occurred. [2] At the State's urging, the Court of Special Appeals effectively merged or piggy-backed those provisions to provide a basis for the restitution ordered in this case. They cannot be so combined. Article 27, § 349 provides, in relevant part, that any person, including any aider or abettor, who enters upon the premises of another and, against the other's will and consent, takes and carries away a motor vehicle or other property, out of the other's custody or use, shall upon conviction thereof in any of the courts of this State having criminal jurisdiction be adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall restore the property so taken and carried away, or, if unable to do so, shall pay to the owner or owners the full value thereof and is subject to a fine of between $50 and $100 and imprisonment for between six months and four years. (Emphasis added.) Section 808, dealing specifically with restitution that may be ordered by a juvenile court, provided, in relevant part, that the juvenile court may enter a judgment of restitution against a child, the parent of a child, or both, in any case in which the court finds a child has committed a delinquent act and during or as a result of the commission of that delinquent act has ... [s]tolen, damaged, destroyed, converted, unlawfully obtained, or substantially decreased the value of the property of another. In approving the restitution judgment in this case, the Court of Special Appeals turned first to § 349 and concluded that a person is guilty of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle if, knowing that the car has been stolen, the person participates in the continued use of it after the initial taking, as that continued participation manifests an intent to deprive the owner of possession of the vehicle. That is a correct statement. Anello v. State, 201 Md. 164, 167-68, 93 A.2d 71, 72 (1952); Spence v. State, 224 Md. 17, 19, 165 A.2d 917, 918 (1960). The appellate court then noted the further provision in § 349 requiring a violator to restore the property so taken and carried away or, if unable to do so shall pay the owner or owners the full value thereof and held that [o]n this basis, the juvenile court lawfully awarded restitution for those damages caused during or as a result of the unauthorized use. Levon A., supra, 124 Md.App. at 139, 720 A.2d at 1249. That is where the court went astray. There is no doubt that, based on his participation as a passenger in the car, with knowledge that it was stolen, Levon committed a violation of § 349 and thus committed a delinquent act. Had he been an adult, charged and convicted in criminal court, he could have been required, as one jointly liable with Antonio, to pay to Mr. Andrews the full value of the property taken and carried away. That restoration/restitution provision does not apply to the situation at hand, however, for at least three reasons. For one thing, it requires a conviction in a court having criminal jurisdiction. A finding that a juvenile committed a delinquent act is not a conviction, and a juvenile court does not have criminal jurisdiction. See In Re Victor B., 336 Md. 85, 92-94, 646 A.2d 1012, 1015-16 (1994). Moreover, the restoration or payment provision in § 349 applies only to the person or persons who commit the criminal act and does not authorize, or even purport to authorize, a restitution order against the parents of such persons. Finally, the restoration or payment authorized by § 349 is to be made to the owner or owners, and, to the extent that, despite its actual wording, the judgment in this case was intended to run in favor of State Farm, rather than Mr. Andrews, it would not be authorized by § 349. Section 349 does not provide a self-contained basis for a restitution order by a juvenile court against the parent of a child found only to have committed a delinquent act. Nor did § 808. As the Court of Special Appeals pointed out in In Re Jason W., supra, 94 Md.App. 731, 736-37, 619 A.2d 163, 166: The statute is worded in the active voice. In order to enter a restitution judgment, the court must find that `a child has committed a delinquent act and during or as a result of the commission of that delinquent act has ... damaged, destroyed ... or substantially decreased the value of the property of another ....`As worded, three findings (and evidence to justify them) are required to support a restitution judgment: (1) that the child committed a delinquent act; (2) that the child damaged, destroyed, or decreased the value of another's property; and (3) that such damage, destruction, or diminution in value caused by the child occurred during or as a result of the delinquent act. (Emphasis added.) Upon that interpretation, the court in Jason W. went on to conclude that [t]he statute does not allow restitution simply because property damage results from a delinquent act. It requires that the child have caused that damage. Id. at 737, 619 A.2d at 166. Jason W. is a case that is close in point. A sheriff noticed a motorcycle being driven on a public highway without registration tags and, together with another sheriff, gave chase. The cyclist, Jason W., sped up, went through a school yard, and began driving down a path through some woods, with the two sheriff's vehicles in pursuit. One of the sheriff's vehicles was a standard police cruiser, and, while driving it through the woods, the sheriff collided with a tree, causing extensive damage to the car. Jason was captured and charged, in juvenile court, with a variety of offenses. Through a plea agreement, he was found delinquent with respect to only one of themoperating an unregistered vehicle. Upon that finding, Jason and his mother were ordered to pay restitution for the damage done to the sheriff's car. The Court of Special Appeals reversed, noting that (1) Jason's conduct did not damage the sheriff's car, and (2) while the damage might be said to have resulted from Jason's fleeing and eluding the officers, it did not ensue from his merely driving an unregistered vehicle, which was the only delinquent act found. Id. The holding in Jason W. is consistent with the decision of this Court in In Re Jose S., supra, 304 Md. 396, 499 A.2d 936 (1985). There, two boys, Jose and Samuel, broke into a home and stole goods worth $829. They were each charged in juvenile court with daytime housebreaking, breaking and entering, and theft of goods of a value under $300. Samuel admitted to the breaking and entering, and all other charges against him were dismissed. Jose admitted to theft of goods of a value under $300, and all other charges against him were dismissed. The court then entered restitution judgments against Samuel and his mother for $414.50 (one-half of the value of the goods taken) and against Jose and his mother, in a like amount. We reversed the judgment against Samuel and his mother and directed a modification of the judgment against Jose and his mother. As to Samuel, we noted that there was no evidence that he stole anything; the only charge, and the only evidence, dealt with his breaking into the house. We agreed with his mother's contention that the court could not order restitution against her as the parent of Samuel B. without first finding that her child had `stolen, damaged, or destroyed' the property. Id. at 401, 499 A.2d at 939. For similar reasons, we concluded that the judgment against Jose and his mother could not exceed $300, for the evidence failed to establish that anything more than that was taken by Jose. Id. at 400, 499 A.2d at 938. The State urges that the damage to the Andrews vehicle was the direct result of Levon A.'s unauthorized use of that vehicle, but that is simply not so. The damage (other than that resulting from the process of breaking into and stealing the car, which has already been excluded from consideration) resulted entirely from the collision with the shrubbery and the fence. There is no evidence that Levon, as a passive passenger in the car, had anything to do with that collision. There is nothing to show that he urged Antonio on, that he directed Antonio's actions, that he ever controlled, or attempted to control, the vehicle, or that he did anything to cause Antonio to drive into the obstructions. Had there been any such evidence, the court might properly have found a causal connection between Levon's delinquent behavior and the damage. See In Re Gloria T., supra, 73 Md.App. 28, 532 A.2d 1095, cert. denied, 311 Md. 718, 537 A.2d 272 (1988). In the absence of that evidence, however, there was no basis for the restitution judgment against petitioner. JUDGMENT OF COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS REVERSED; CASE REMANDED TO THAT COURT WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO VACATE JUDGMENT OF RESTITUTION AGAINST PETITIONER; COSTS IN THIS COURT AND IN COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS TO BE PAID BY RESPONDENT. RAKER and CATHELL, JJ., dissent. RAKER, Judge, dissenting. I respectfully dissent. Levon A. committed a delinquent act and, during or as a result of the commission of that delinquent act, he substantially damaged or decreased the value of the property of another. Accordingly, I would affirm the judgment of restitution against both Levon A. and Mrs. A., his mother. The majority finds that Levon did nothing, directly or indirectly, to cause the car to be damaged. Maj. op. at 573. The majority refers to Levon as a passive passenger, maj. op. at 579, implying that he could not have caused the damage to the vehiclethat he did not have anything to do with the collision. This theory of causation, in my opinion, is too narrow. The power to impose restitution is derived from statutes. In the juvenile context, at the time of this offense, restitution could be imposed only for losses in which the court found that a child had committed a delinquent act and, during or as a result of the commission of that act, the child had stolen, damaged, destroyed, converted, unlawfully obtained, or substantially decreased the value of the property of another. See Maryland Code (1957, 1996 Repl. Vol.) Art. 27, § 808 (current version at Maryland Code (1957, 1996 Repl.Vol., 2000 Supp.) Art. 27, § 807). Absent a plea agreement, the award of restitution must be based upon a causal relationship between the delinquent act and the victim's loss or damages. To establish the causal connection, at a minimum, the damages or losses suffered must have been a foreseeable consequence of the juvenile's acts. Levon was a passenger in a car driven by Antonio M., a 15-year old who obviously had no driver's license and no permission to operate the car. The ignition was popped, and the window was broken. Antonio M. was driving when the two fled from the police, and the car was damaged when it collided into some shrubbery and a fence. Although, at the delinquency hearing, Levon denied knowing that the car was stolen, he was found to be delinquent as a result of his unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. That finding of delinquency is not before this Court, and the majority assumes, for the purposes of this appeal, that the finding of delinquency is valid. See maj. op. at 574. [1] This case is not a situation where restitution was ordered simply because property damage resulted from a delinquent act. Levon A. was enjoying the common use of the stolen car with the driver, Antonio M. Unauthorized use of a vehicle is a high risk activity. Surely, Levon must have been able to anticipate the likelihood of detection by law enforcement and a potential chase. Damage to Mr. Edwards's vehicle was certainly foreseeable, yet Levon continued with the joy ride. A teenager's shared unauthorized use of the vehicle with the driver supports and contributes to the damage that results. Without question, the damage to the vehicle occurred during the commission of the delinquent act. As a result of Levon's delinquent act, i.e., the unauthorized use of the motor vehicle, the car was damaged. As such, restitution was properly ordered. The restitution statute in effect when this matter came before the trial court did not require that the damage or injury to property be caused solely by the hand of the juvenile. See § 808. Rather, the juvenile is responsible for restitution for any loss to the property that he or she causes or that is caused by a co-conspirator, aider, abettor, or other principal, so long as the injury sustained by the victim is of such a nature that a reasonable person could have foreseen or anticipated that the damage was a natural and probable consequence of the delinquent act. Other jurisdictions similarly have construed the causation factor for the purposes of restitution consistently with the interpretation that I propose here. For example, the Washington Court of Appeals has consistently applied foreseeability and but-for causation analysis in interpreting the Washington Juvenile Justice Act, WASH.REV.CODE § 13.40.190(1) (2000), [2] which, like § 808, grants the authority to impose restitution to victims who have suffered loss or damage as a result of the offense committed by the respondent (emphasis added). In State v. Barrett, 54 Wash.App. 178, 773 P.2d 420 (1989), the court upheld the imposition of restitution against a juvenile who had pleaded guilty to taking a motor vehicle without permission for voluntarily riding as a passenger in the unlawfully taken car. The court held that there was a sufficient causal link between the conduct committed and the damage that occurred while he was a passenger in the car. Accord State v. Harrington, 56 Wash.App. 176, 782 P.2d 1101 (1989) (holding that a juvenile who had pleaded guilty only to possession of a stolen car, rather than theft, still had caused damage to the car because the damage occurred during, and was a foreseeable result of, his illegal possession of the car). Similarly, in State v. Massey, 106 Or.App. 242, 806 P.2d 193 (1991), sentence rev'd on other grounds, cert. denied, State v. Massey, 311 Or. 643, 815 P.2d 1273 (1991), the court held that it was not error to impose restitution against a defendant who was convicted of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, where there was no evidence that he had taken the vehicle, because the victim's pecuniary damages were the result of the defendant's continued illegal possession of the car. In People v. Rivera, 135 Misc.2d 350, 515 N.Y.S.2d 397 (Dist.Ct.1987), the court held that a passenger in a stolen car, who had pleaded guilty to attempted unauthorized use of a vehicle and knew that the car was stolen, could be held liable to pay restitution for damage that resulted when the vehicle collided with another car, even though he had yelled at the driver to stop the car. See id. at 398 (finding that due care had no bearing on the issue of liability because the damage was still caused by the defendant's participation in the driver's unauthorized use of the motor vehicle). The majority bases its decision, in part, on the case of In Re Jose S., 304 Md. 396, 499 A.2d 936 (1985). See maj. op. at 579. That case, however, is distinguishable from the one at bar. In that case, the two boys were found delinquent for different acts that were separated chronologicallyone had been found delinquent of breaking and entering and the other of theft. We held that the two boys could not be made to pay restitution for the acts that occurred prior and subsequent to their respective participation in the illegal activity. In this case, Levon was a principal in the unauthorized use at all times after he discovered that the car was stolen, and he is responsible for the reasonably foreseeable damage that occurred. See Maryland Code (1957, 1996 Repl.Vol., 2000 Supp.) Art. 27, § 349. The parallel to Jose S. in this case, if any, would be that Levon can not be made to pay restitution for damage that occurred to the vehicle prior to his participation in the unauthorized useprecisely the holding of the Court of Special Appeals. Accordingly, I dissent. Judge CATHELL has authorized me to state that he joins in the views expressed in this dissenting opinion