Tag Archives: Sua Sponte


Consciousness of Guilt: False Statements–Duty To Instruct Sua Sponte Is Unclear
April 27th, 2015

  The bench notes to CC 362 were revised to delete the statement that “The court has a sua sponte duty to instruct on consciousness of guilt. . ..” The Committee concluded that it was ambiguous whether or not a sua sponte duty existed here. (Advisory Committee on Criminal Jury Instructions, Report to the Judicial […]


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Witness Credibility Factors: Sua Sponte Duty to Delete Inapplicable Factors
April 13th, 2015

  The court has a sua sponte duty to give an instruction on factors relevant to a witness’s credibility. However, not all of the factors will apply in each case. Therefore, the court should strike those factors inapplicable in a case. Failure to do so may cause jurors to speculate about what evidence was not […]


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Evidence Limited to Courtroom: Sua Sponte Duty to Admonish
April 10th, 2015

  The court has a sua sponte duty to give CC 101, limiting jurors to considering evidence that is presented in the courtroom. (See People v. Carter (2010)182 Cal. App. 4th 522.)   It is critical that jurors be instructed that they cannot conduct any independent research on a case and should not discuss the […]


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No Sua Sponte Duty To Instruct On Defense Theory That Negates An Element Of The Offense; IAC For Failure To Request Defense Theory Instruction
February 9th, 2015

  People v. Hussain (2014) 231 Cal. App. 4th 261, 269-72, extended the holding of People v. Anderson (2011) 51 Cal.4th 989, 998 [trial courts do not have a duty to instruct sua sponte on the defense of accident] to a situation where the defendant relied claim of right to negate the felonious intent to […]


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Reasonable Doubt: Sua Sponte Duty
May 20th, 2014

  The court has a sua sponte duty to give this instruction and there is probably no more important instruction that must be given. Failure to give a proper reasonable doubt instruction sua sponte may require automatic reversal. (People v. Phillips (1997) 59 Cal. App. 4th 952, 955-956, disapproved on other grounds by People v. […]


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Jurors Must Be Admonished At Every Adjournment
May 1st, 2014

When it revised CC 124 in August of 2012, the CC Committee stated, “Penal Code section 1122(a)(1), and Code of Civil Procedure section 1209(a)(6), now require the court to admonish jurors before each adjournment, not to use electronic or wireless communication.” Therefore the committee added such an admonition to CC 124. (Advisory Committee on Criminal […]


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CC 1600 Robbery: Intent To Apply Force Is Not An Element
March 30th, 2014

  People v. Anderson (2011) 51 Cal. 4th 989, 998-99, held, “the intent element of robbery does not include an intent to apply force against the victim or to cause the victim to feel fear. It is robbery if the defendant committed a forcible act against the victim motivated by the intent to steal, even […]


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CC 376 Possession Of Recently Stolen Property: CC 376 Not Required Sua Sponte
February 20th, 2014

  The CC Committee has concluded that the trial judge has no sua sponte duty to instruct with CC 376. (CC 376 Bench Notes, citing People v. Najera (2008) 43 Cal. 4th 132.) The CJ equivalent is CJ 2.15.


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CC 3406 Mistake Of Fact As Defense Theory: Not Required Sua Sponte
January 10th, 2014

  The trial judge does not have a sua sponte duty to instruct on mistake of fact. (People v. Lawson (2013) 215 Cal. App. 4th 108.)


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