Court Opinion

ID: 9718666
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:29:36.563396+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:01.327069
License: Public Domain

KARLTON, J.*
I concur in the majority’s determination that under compulsion of People v. Gainer (1977) 19 Cal.3d 835 [139 Cal.Rptr. 861, 566 P.2d 997], the conviction of defendant Little must be reversed. I must respectfully dissent from the majority’s failure to reverse the Remiro conviction on the same 1
Under present law a retrial free of the error condemned in People v. Gainer, supra, is required in both the Little and Remiro cases. The issue presented to this intermediate tribunal is neither the guilt nor innocence of the defendants (that is a matter for the jury), nor whether “Gainer” error should be per se reversible (that having been determined by the Supreme Court). Our function in this case is to apply the law explicated by the Supreme Court to proceedings in the trial court; when we do so, reversal is required.
In People v. Gainer, supra, the Supreme Court held, in terms leaving no room for interpretation, “in criminal trials an Allen instruction ‘should never again be read in a California courtroom’. ” (People v. Gainer, supra, at p. 857.) An Allen-type instruction was read in this case. In Gainer, the Supreme Court determined its ruling would be applicable “to all cases not yet final as of the date of this decision.” (Id., at p. 853.) This case was not yet final as of the date of this decision. In Gainer, the court held that the portion of the Allen instruction admonishing minority jurors to reexamine their position is per se reversible error (id., at pp. 854-855). Such an admonition was given in this case. The three elements being present, the result seems inevitable.
The majority argues that it does not violate the “per se” rule of Gainer “because it is evident that the jury had already concluded its deliberations with respect to Remiro before the giving of the erroneous instruction on June 9.” It must first be observed that the nature of a per se rule is that it is per se. This court is precluded from making the very determination which the majority undertakes. Moreover, because of the extremely limited circumstances under which a jury’s deliberations may *850be made of record (see, e.g., Silverhart v. Mount Zion Hospital (1971) 20 Cal.App.3d 1022 [98 Cal.Rptr. 187, 54 A.L.R.3d 250]) at best the majority may only infer that the Allen instruction had no effect. Indeed, an examination of the majority opinion demonstrates that very fact. For instance the majority observes, “The identity of that defendant was established circumstantially when the verdicts were returned in open court. . . . That these dates were not inaccurate can be inferred from the court’s instruction . . . .” (Italics added.)
Moreover, I cannot concur in the majority’s denial that the giving of the Allen instruction affected the jury’s reconsidering its verdict. The majority argues that “that possibility, theoretical only, finds no support in the record.” This is a per se rule, and the appellant has no burden whatsoever to demonstrate support in the record. Moreover, the giving of the Allen instruction, in itself, might well preclude jurors with doubt from raising the doubt subsequent to the signing of the verdict but before that verdict was recorded and thus became final. Again, any such doubts cannot be the subject of an admissible affidavit and thus cannot be part of the record. (Silverhart v. Mount Zion Hospital, supra, 20 Cal.App.3d 1022.) The court’s determination “that the erroneous instruction could have had no effect” is simply untenable. We certainly may reasonably assume that it did not affect the jury’s determination, and undoubtedly the record would support such an assumption, but such determinations or assumptions are simply not open to us under Gainer.
The majority makes a very persuasive case that, at least insofar as defendant Remiro, the law ought not to be per se reversal, since the Allen instruction did not affect the verdict. The majority is free to use the peculiar facts in this case to demonstrate what the law ought to be; however, with the greatest of respect, I suggest the majority is not free to substitute a prejudicial error doctrine for a per se rule (Auto Equity Sales, Inc. v. Superior Court (1962) 57 Cal.2d 450 [20 Cal.Rptr. 321, 369 P.2d 937]). To use Mr. Witkin’s felicitous phrase, “we are bound but not gagged.” (Witkin, Manual on Appellate Court Opinions (1977) pp. 168-169.)
Aside from stare decisis, the majority opinion fails to address a critical basis for the per se rule—judicial economy. The Supreme Court recognized that the partial retroactivity of Gainer would have a significant *851impact on the courts. It chose that the impact would fall on trial rather than appellate courts.2
The Supreme Court, in explaining its ruling, noted “This conclusion also has the beneficial effect of removing a fertile source of criminal appeals. Were the giving of an Allen-type charge potentially proper, the appellate courts of this state would be required to sift the facts and circumstances of each case in which the charge was delivered to determine whether the charge placed undue pressure on the jury to agree. . . . Other courts which have banned Allen have also done so in the name of appellate economy. [Citations.]” (People v. Gainer, supra, 19 Cal.3d at pp. 852-853, fn. 17.)
As I have indicated, the majority makes a good case that exception to the per se rule is appropriate—but as to the question of reversal, that argument is irrelevant. What Justice Jackson said concerning the United States Supreme Court is equally true of our Supreme Court: “[They] are not final because [they] are infallible, but [they] are infallible only because [they] are final.” (Brown v. Allen (1953) 344 U.S. 443, 540 [97 L.Ed. 469, 533, 73 S.Ct. 397] (cone. opn. of Jackson, J.).)
Inasmuch as I concur in the judgment concerning the reversal of the Little conviction, extended discussion of that portion of the opinion is not required.
The Supreme Court briefly discussed the issue of retroactivity in its decision and, noting that the purpose of the Gainer decision was to rectify “judicial error which significantly infects the fact-finding process at trial,” determined that the rule there announced would “apply to the instant matter and to all cases not yet final as of the date of this decision.” (People v. Gainer, supra, 19 Cal.3d at p. 853.) The issue of retroactivity is one of extreme complexity, and reasonable people might well disagree as to the application of the criteria to a given situation.
I am less certain than my brethren of the majority that the “tarnished reputation” of the judiciary is related to our high court’s efforts to ensure criminal trials consistent with values inherent in our Constitution and *852fundamental notions of a fair trial. However that may be, our sworn duty is to protect those principles and I cannot help but believe that the abandonment of such principles would ultimately only lead to the people’s justified contempt for the courts. We need not fear, however. I have confidence in both our courts and our people. I suspect that someday in the future, the majority’s hyperbole will be viewed with bemused wonder.
A petition for a rehearing was denied March 23, 1979, and the petitions of appellant Remiro and respondent for a hearing by the Supreme Court were denied May 3, 1979. Clark, J., and Richardson, J., were of the opinion that the petitions should be granted.

 Assigned by the Chairperson of the Judicial Council.

 Because I believe the conviction of both defendants must be reversed, and because the majority has decided otherwise, I will not discuss the various other issues raised by the defendants. Given the majority’s ruling, such a discussion would merely extend this opinion beyond tolerable limits for no perceptible purpose. I simply note that I do not concur in all of the court’s other rulings.

As a trial judge, under the famous determinative doctrine of “whose ‘ox is being gored,’ ” I might have preferred a different choice—but like my brethren, no one asked us.