Court Opinion

ID: 9947227
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-04 12:10:14.512192+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:26:12.613866
License: Public Domain

In the
        Court of Appeals
Second Appellate District of Texas
         at Fort Worth
     ___________________________

          No. 02-23-00159-CR
     ___________________________

  ASHLEY MARIE FOWLER, Appellant

                    V.

         THE STATE OF TEXAS

  On Appeal from the 355th District Court
          Hood County, Texas
        Trial Court No. CR15048

  Before Womack, Wallach, and Walker, JJ.
  Memorandum Opinion by Justice Wallach
                           MEMORANDUM OPINION

      Appellant Ashley Marie Fowler appeals from an adjudication of her guilt. Her

sole complaint is that the trial court should not have imposed court-appointed

attorney’s fees as costs. We affirm.

                                       Background

      Fowler was indicted in 2021 for possession of methamphetamine (between

four and two hundred grams) and tampering with evidence. In exchange for the State

dropping the tampering charge, Fowler pleaded guilty to possession of

methamphetamine. Fowler was placed on deferred adjudication probation for seven

years and was fined $1,500. The order deferring guilt also contained an order requiring

Fowler to pay “Court Appointed Attorney Fees” in the amount of $725. This

payment requirement was also included among the list of her probation conditions.

Fowler signed this document (combined deferred adjudication order and probation

conditions) and waived her appellate rights. Finally, the trial court certified that not

only had Fowler waived the right to appeal but that she had no right to appeal

because her guilty plea was the result of a plea bargain.

                                            2
      The State filed a motion to adjudicate in 2023. The trial court adjudicated

Fowler guilty and sentenced her to fifteen years in prison. The judgment indicated

that Fowler owed a total of $1,075.1

                                       Analysis

      Fowler claims that, because she was originally found to be indigent and there

was never any change in that status, the trial court was barred from collecting

reimbursement for her appointed attorney’s fees.

      The State responds that Fowler has forfeited her claim that she was unlawfully

imposed attorney’s fees because she failed to object to them when they were imposed

as a condition of probation. We agree that Fowler has forfeited her claim, but for a

slightly different reason: Fowler bargained for deferred adjudication, was aware of the

reparation amount, and waived her right to appeal.

      Normally, a sufficiency challenge to the imposition of attorney’s fees need not

be preserved at trial. Mayer v. State, 309 S.W.3d 552, 556 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010).

However, where a defendant plea bargains for deferred adjudication probation,

knowingly and voluntarily waives her right to appeal, and signs a judgment that

includes a special finding requiring her to pay attorney’s fees, she forfeits any

subsequent claim that the trial court’s order to repay attorney’s fees was improper. See

      1
       According to the District Clerk’s bill of costs, Fowler owed $350 in court costs
in addition to a required repayment for attorney’s fees. The trial court deleted the
$1,500 fine that it had previously imposed.

                                           3
Lewis v. State, 423 S.W.3d 451, 458 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2013, pet. ref’d); see also

Wiley v. State, 410 S.W.3d 313, 315–16 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) (holding defendant

forfeits his improper-fees claim where he waived his right to appeal and pleaded guilty

knowing the amount of fees and knowing he would be required to pay them).

      In Fowler’s case, the evidence shows that she signed a document indicating that

she had no right to appeal and that she affirmatively waived any right to appeal. In

addition, Fowler signed what appears to be one continuous document containing

both the order of deferred adjudication and a list of the conditions of her probation.

Both the order and the conditions made clear that Fowler owed $725 in attorney’s

fees. Accordingly, because the record reflects that Fowler knew she would be required

to repay $725—but still waived her right to appeal—she has forfeited any claim that

the imposition of $725 as attorney’s fees was improper. See Lewis, 423 S.W.3d at 458–

59.

      Having overruled Fowler’s sole issue, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

                                                     /s/ Mike Wallach
                                                     Mike Wallach
                                                     Justice

Do Not Publish
Tex. R. App. P. 47.2(b)

Delivered: February 29, 2024

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