Opinion ID: 1611878
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ineffective Assistance of Interpreter.

Text: Trial counsel may breach a duty owed to his client through the ineffective assistance of an interpreter. When an intermediary, such as an interpreter, is the only means of communication for a defendant and his attorney, any deficient conduct on the part of the intermediary can be imputed to the attorney as ineffective assistance. Chacon v. Wood, 36 F.3d 1459, 1464 (9th Cir.1994). Inaccurate and incomplete translations of attorney-client communications by an interpreter are an example of deficient conduct by an intermediary giving rise to an ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim. Id. at 1464-65. As Jose's primary interpreter, Ray Cota was Jose's main channel of communication with his trial counsel. Cota abused his powers as an officer of the court by acting outside the scope of his duties as a court-appointed interpreter. He falsely held himself out to be a licensed private investigator, accepting money from Martin Ledezma to investigate Jose and Gonzalo's cases. Cota interfered with the attorney-client relationship by directly answering Jose's questions concerning the case instead of communicating the inquiries to trial counsel. In addition, Cota provided extensive legal advice to Jose, telling him the prosecution's case was weak because it did not have sufficient evidence for a conviction. Cota also convinced Jose he could arrange for Jose's deportation to Mexico, claiming he had a special relationship with the court. Although it is not necessary for us to decide whether Cota's conduct may be imputed to trial counsel in this case, we do not condone such misconduct by court-appointed interpreters. Interpreters engaging in similar conduct may, in essence, deprive defendants of their constitutional right to an interpreter. See Ko v. United States, 722 A.2d 830, 834 (D.C.1998); State v. Gonzales-Morales, 138 Wash.2d 374, 979 P.2d 826, 828 (1999). Without a competent and impartial interpreter to assist defendants in their understanding of criminal proceedings, defendants will be unable to adequately confront witnesses or present a defense. See Chacon, 36 F.3d at 1464; Ko, 722 A.2d at 834; Aleman v. State, 957 S.W.2d 592, 594 (Tex.App.1997); Gonzales-Morales, 979 P.2d at 828. This could have serious consequences, and may constitute grounds for postconviction relief even if counsel's performance was otherwise effective. See Chacon, 36 F.3d at 1464.