Court Opinion

ID: 9735743
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 18:29:20.264709+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:27:01.190177
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE BARRY, dissenting: Defendant claims that he is entitled to reimbursement for the cost of retaining private counsel and that the basis for that claim is that he was erroneously held not to be indigent. However, it is undisputed in the record that defendant had title to a car with a bank evaluation of $1,895, and that, using the car as collateral, he was able to obtain a bank loan of $1,500 which he used to post a bail bond. By his own admission, the car and the cash were his own. Defendant has also indicated in the trial court that he had employment beginning four days after the indigency hearing and that he had counsel handling a claim for damages for a permanent disability resulting from being struck by a train. This, therefore, is a case where the defendant admittedly has assets, has no dependents, and has no room-and-board expenses. The test in such circumstances has been stated as follows: “[I]n cases where defendant has some assets available and, like defendant here, has some funds *** indigency for such persons becomes a matter of degree within the sound discretion of the trial court. We find no abuse of that discretion here. Defendant could have sold or encumbered his motorcycle.” People v. Maretti (1978), 61 Ill. App. 3d 762, 763, 378 N.E.2d 342, 344. It has been held, as the majority notes, that a defendant may be found indigent “if [he] lacks the financial resources on a practical basis to retain counsel to represent [him].” (People v. Castile (1979), 71 Ill. App. 3d 728, 730, 390 N.E.2d 426, 427, citing People v. Valdery (1976), 41 Ill. App. 3d 201, 204, 354 N.E.2d 7, 9.) In Valdery, defendant had no other financial resources except the bail bond posted by his relatives, and his relatives refused to permit the bond to be assigned for attorney fees. Consequently, defendant appeared pro se at his jury trial and was convicted of armed robbery. That conviction was reversed upon appeal and remanded with directions to secure additional information as to the defendant’s actual financial status and to appoint counsel if defendant lacked funds to retain an attorney. We were there cognizant of the fact that the trial judge refused to appoint counsel solely because funds were on deposit with the circuit clerk and that the record indicated that those funds were furnished by relatives who refused to allow defendant to use the bail money to hire an attorney. We said: “We are aware that in many cases the funds deposited for bail are unconditionally the defendant’s for use by him in retaining counsel. Had that been true here, the ruling of the trial court would have been appropriate.” People v. Valdery (1976), 41 Ill. App. 3d 201, 204, 354 N.E.2d 7, 10. In the case before us, the funds deposited for bail were unconditionally the defendant’s and could be used by him to retain private counsel. In fact, the funds were so used. According to the holding in Valdery, the ruling of the trial court in this case was proper, and I believe well within the discretion of the court. According to the transcript of the record, the trial judge expressly advised defendant to use an assignment of his bail bond for the purpose of retaining counsel. Thereafter, defendant appeared with retained counsel, and the bail bond assignment was executed as authorized by statute. (See Ill. Rev. Stat. 1981, ch. 38, par. 110 — 7(f).) Clearly, as a practical matter, defendant was not indigent because he did have sufficient financial resources to retain counsel. In my view the trial court did not err in refusing to find indigency under the circumstances, and most certainly no abuse of discretion occurred. Furthermore, I believe defendant waived this issue by not preserving any objection to the indigency ruling in his post-trial motion. The trial court had no opportunity to consider whether defendant was entitled to reimbursement for his attorney fees, and this court should not permit such a claim for reimbursement to be raised for the first time upon appeal. I also disagree with the majority as to the question of restitution. According to the record, at the sentencing hearing the court was advised once again that defendant had posted a cash bond which was available for costs, fees, and restitution. Defense counsel also advised the court that defendant had a claim pending for his disabling injury. The majority finds that the trial court erred in not making an express finding as to defendant’s financial status during the sentencing hearing, and relies upon People v. Johnson (1982), 106 Ill. App. 3d 171, 435 N.E.2d 799, as authority. The point in Johnson was that the record must disclose some evidence of factual basis for finding that defendant was financially capable of making restitution. Johnson does not require the recitation of a specific formula, and in fact, in that case we noted that any error would have been harmless if the trial court had inquired into whether the bond money was actually the defendant’s. Under the circumstances of this case, where the trial court knew the bond money belonged to defendant, I believe the court had a factual basis for concluding that defendant was able to pay restitution, and by ordering the restitution to be deducted from the bail bond money, the court indicated its consideration of those facts. Accordingly I would not find error in ordering of restitution here. Further when the trial court ordered restitution, both the State and defense counsel agreed that the missing property had a value of $203. The items which were missing, according to the victim, were a gold ring, which was about one year old; an electric shaver, which was less than one month old; and three 8-track tapes, about three months old. The difference between market value and replacement cost of these items would be minimal. In the case in In re F.D. (1980), 89 Ill. App. 3d 223, 411 N.E.2d 1200, cited by the majority, the court was concerned with the possibility of imposing upon a defendant the effect of inflation by using replacement cost. Because of the short length time between the purchase of the items and the theft, I see little chance that the $203 amount includes any measurable inflationary factor. In any event, defendant was admonished twice that he had 30 days to contest or refute the restitution order by filing a motion to reconsider. He did not file any motion or make any objection to the restitution order or to the amount. Hence, I would find no error, or if error did occur, that it was waived. For the reasons stated, I would affirm the judgment of the trial court.