Opinion ID: 2714924
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Use of Interpreters

Text: Ms. Gomez claims that she was denied her constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel because her attorney, Moser, failed to adequately consult with her through an interpreter. To support this claim, she relies on her own declaration as well as a declaration from Moser. Both declarations were drafted in May 2010, approximately six years after Moser began representing Gomez. Moser's declaration indicates that for the most part, he cannot remember whether he was using an interpreter while discussing specific issues with Gomez. Although they did communicate without an interpreter on some occasions, they also used court interpreters or 17 In re Pers. Restraint of Gomez No. 86711-9 friends of Gomez's. Moser even retained a court certified interpreter to interpret during three interviews he held with Gomez in jail during her trial. The burden is on Gomez to show that Moser's use of interpreters was deficient and ultimately prejudiced her at trial. Gomez has not met this burden. Prior to her personal restraint petition, Gomez never informed anyone of any ongoing problems communicating with her attorney. Despite being in court on numerous occasions during the three years pending trial-during which she was assisted by a court certified interpreter-she cannot point to a single instance where she complained about an inability to meaningfully communicate with Moser. Gomez neither raised this issue during her trial nor on appeal. The trial transcript also indicates that both Moser and Judge Antosz respected Gomez's use of interpreters, ensuring that she fully understood the proceedings. For example, at trial, Moser communicated to the court that Gomez had expressed a concern about one of the court interpreters. Specifically, she felt that this interpreter may have missed a few words because he was looking down during part of the testimony. Judge Antosz took this very seriously and questioned Gomez to ensure she had understood all the proceedings. The court also granted another request Gomez made to recuse a 18 In re Pers. Restraint of Gomez No. 86711-9 different court interpreter who had a potential conflict of interest. These incidents bring to light two key points. First, both Moser and Judge Antosz understood and respected the critical role of interpreters to Gomez's trial. Second, Gomez was capable of speaking up when she believed problems existed with communication. Even if Moser's use of interpreters was deficient, Gomez has not shown that she was prejudiced. Her version of the facts and defenses presented in her personal restraint petition are materially identical to those presented at trial. Despite the alleged communication problems she attributes to Moser's deficient representation, she has not pointed to where she would have said or done anything differently had the alleged miscommunication been addressed. In fact, she testified on her own behalf at trial, according the judge the opportunity to hear firsthand her own account of Rafael's injuries and the events leading to his death. Gomez relies on Chacon v. Wood, 36 F.3d 1459, 1464-65 (9th Cir. 1994), for the proposition that effective assistance of counsel requires complete translation for non-English speaking defendants. Such reliance is misplaced. In Chacon, the defendant claimed that he was grossly misinformed of the sentencing consequences of his plea when an interpreter 19 In re Pers. Restraint of Gomez No. 86711-9 mistranslated defense counsel's explanations. Id. at 1461. This led to the defendant pleading guilty to an offense that he believed would be punishable by 3 months in jail, but he was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. I d. at 1460-61. Chacon is inapposite because, here, there are no allegations that there was improper translation of any significant discussions between Moser and Gomez. We find no fault with Gomez and Moser's discussions on trial rights, the right to a jury trial, or her right not to testify. Gomez fails to meet her burden of proof that Moser's use of interpreters was outside the wide range of professionally competent assistance. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690. She also has not shown how any alleged deficiencies prejudiced her at trial.