Opinion ID: 1916716
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sandstrom CLAIM

Text: The defendant acknowledges that this claim of error was not properly preserved in the court below. See Practice Book §§ 852, 854, 3063. We have held previously, however, that a claim of error under Sandstrom v. Montana, supra, falls within the exceptional circumstances rule of State v. Evans, 165 Conn. 61, 70, 327 A.2d 576 (1973), and, therefore, may be reviewed even though not properly preserved below. State v. Johnson, 185 Conn. 163, 167, 440 A.2d 858 (1981); State v. Arroyo, 180 Conn. 171, 173-74, 429 A.2d 457 (1980). During its instructions on intent, the trial court twice stated: Every person is presumed to intend the natural and necessary consequence of his acts. In Sandstrom v. Montana, supra, the United States Supreme Court held that a jury instruction that `[t]he law presumes that a person intends the ordinary consequences of his voluntary acts' violated the defendant's due process rights because a reasonable jury could have interpreted the instruction as a burden-shifting presumption like that invalidated in Mullaney v. Wilbur, 421 U.S. 684, 95 S. Ct. 1881, 44 L. Ed. 2d 508 (1975), or as a conclusive presumption like those invalidated in United States v. United States Gypsum Co., 438 U.S. 422, 98 S. Ct. 2864, 57 L. Ed. 2d 854 (1978), and Morissette v. United States, 342 U.S. 246, 72 S. Ct. 240, 96 L. Ed. 288 (1952). Sandstrom v. Montana, supra, 517-24. Although the instruction language in this case is similar to the language found to be erroneous in Sandstrom v. Montana, supra, the rule of Sandstrom may not be oversimplified. State v. Pina, 186 Conn. 261, 263, 440 A.2d 967 (1982). Sandstrom does not invalidate, for example, an `entirely permissive inference or presumption, which allows but does not requirethe trier of fact to infer the element fact from proof by the prosecutor of the basic one and that places no burden of any kind on the defendant.' Ulster County Court [v. Allen, 442 U.S. 140, 157, 99 S. Ct. 2213, 60' L. Ed. 2d 777 (1979)]. State v. Arroyo, supra, 175. It is not the use of the word presume itself which renders an instruction invalid; State v. Arroyo, supra; rather it is the lack of qualifying instructions as to the legal effect of the presumption, making it possible for a reasonable jury to interpret the presumption in an unconstitutional manner. Sandstrom v. Montana, supra, 517. On many occasions this court has found no error in instructions containing language similiar to that invalidated in Sandstrom because the challenged instructions contained other language not present in the Sandstrom instructions which was sufficiently precise or elaborate to prevent the jury from applying the instructions in an unconstitutional manner. State v. Pina, supra, 264; State v. Stankowski, 184 Conn. 121, 148-53, 439 A.2d 918, cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1052, 102 S. Ct. 596, 70 L. Ed. 2d 588 (1981); State v. Brokaw, 183 Conn 29, 34, 438 A.2d 815 (1981); State v. Truppi, 182 Conn. 449, 452-59, 438 A.2d 713 (1980), cert. denied, 451 U.S. 941, 101 S. Ct. 2024, 68 L. Ed. 2d 329 (1981); State v. Nemeth, 182 Conn. 403, 411, 438 A.2d 120 (1980); State v. Vasquez, 182 Conn. 242, 249-53, 438 A.2d 424 (1980); State v. Maselli, 182 Conn. 66, 77-78, 437 A.2d 836 (1980), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 1083, 101 S. Ct. 868, 66 L. Ed. 2d 807 (1981); State v. Perez, 181 Conn. 299, 311-16, 435 A.2d 334 (1980); State v. Arroyo, supra, 173-81. The charge in this case contained the same type of elaborate and precise language which cured the otherwise ambiguous use of the word presume and, thereby, prevented the jury from applying the instructions in an unconstitutional manner. [6] There was, therefore, no Sandstrom error.