State v. Griffith

Citation716 P.2d 1385,110 Idaho 613
Decision Date02 April 1986
Docket NumberNo. 15859,15859
PartiesSTATE of Idaho, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Dennis GRIFFITH, Defendant-Appellant.
CourtCourt of Appeals of Idaho

August H. Cahill, Ada County Public Defender's Office, Boise, for defendant-appellant.

Jim Jones, Atty. Gen. by Lynn E. Thomas, Sol. Gen., and Myrna A.I. Stahman, Deputy Atty. Gen., Boise, for plaintiff-respondent.

BURNETT, Judge.

This is a sentence review case. Dennis Griffith is a former retailer of hearing aids. While in business he took money from customers, and converted it to his own use, but failed to deliver the products. Pursuant to a negotiated agreement, he pled guilty in Ada County to two counts of grand theft under I.C. § 18-2403(3). He received two concurrent, indeterminate sentences of ten years. We affirm.

The Ada County charges were among several filed against Griffith in western Idaho. He was prosecuted on similar charges in Canyon and Gem Counties. Griffith also pled guilty in those counties and was sentenced there before he was sentenced in Ada County. In judgments entered by the Hon. Edward J. Lodge, Griffith received a ten-year indeterminate sentence in Canyon County and a consecutive, indeterminate five-year sentence in Gem County. The Canyon County sentence was stayed while Griffith completed an alcohol treatment program. For reasons not disclosed in the record before us, the Gem County sentence--unlike the Canyon County sentence--recited that jurisdiction would be retained for 120 days under I.C. § 19-2601(4). Neither of those sentences has been appealed.

The Canyon and Gem County sentences generated some debate when sentencing occurred in Ada County. At that time Griffith had completed the alcohol treatment program and had begun serving his Canyon County sentence. Griffith's attorney (a lawyer different from his counsel on appeal) recommended that the judge in Ada County impose indeterminate ten-year sentences on the two counts, making them concurrent with each other as well as with the Canyon County sentence. In contrast, the prosecutor asked for consecutive sentences of ten years and five years on the two counts, paralleling both the Canyon and Gem County sentences. Griffith's attorney resisted this suggestion, arguing that the ultimate outcome of retained jurisdiction in the Gem County case was not yet known. He warned against creating a "ping pong match" between Ada and Gem Counties. The judge followed defense counsel's recommendation and imposed concurrent, indeterminate ten-year sentences. This appeal followed.

Griffith now contends that the sentences are excessive. However, we need not fully examine that contention on its merits. The invited error doctrine is well settled in Idaho. A defendant may not request a particular ruling by the trial court and later argue on appeal that the ruling was erroneous. State v. Owsley, 105 Idaho 836, 673 P.2d 436 (1983). This doctrine applies to sentencing decisions as well as to rulings during trial. See, e.g., Williams v. State, 417 So.2d 780 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1982); State v. Clevenger, 235 Kan. 864, 683 P.2d 1272 (1984).

There are, of course, limits to this doctrine. It would not apply to a requested sentence that violates the court's...

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74 cases
  • State v. Studd
    • United States
    • Washington Supreme Court
    • April 1, 1999
    ...duty fully to instruct the jury." People v. Maurer, 32 Cal.App.4th 1121, 1127, 38 Cal.Rptr.2d 335 (1995). See also State v. Griffith, 110 Idaho 613, 716 P.2d 1385, 1386 (1986) (invited error doctrine inapplicable where counsel sought the instruction "without any apparent tactical To adhere ......
  • State v. Pentico
    • United States
    • Idaho Court of Appeals
    • October 17, 2011
    ...754, 758 (Ct.App.1996). This doctrine applies to sentencing decisions as well as rulings made during trial. State v. Griffith, 110 Idaho 613, 614, 716 P.2d 1385, 1386 (Ct.App.1986). As such, by filing a motion in limine which sought to limit any testimony regarding other crimes, wrongs or a......
  • State v. Jones, Docket No. 33372 (Idaho App. 9/9/2008)
    • United States
    • Idaho Court of Appeals
    • September 9, 2008
    ...758 (Ct. App. 1996). This doctrine applies to sentencing decisions as well as rulings made during trial. State v. Griffith, 110 Idaho 613, 614, 716 P.2d 1385, 1386 (Ct. App. 1986). In this case, the record reveals that, although the district court made an initial ruling on whether Mandy wou......
  • State v. Edghill
    • United States
    • Idaho Court of Appeals
    • January 10, 2014
    ...754, 758 (Ct.App.1996). This doctrine applies to sentencing decisions as well as rulings made during trial. State v. Griffith, 110 Idaho 613, 614, 716 P.2d 1385, 1386 (Ct.App.1986). Here, the specific relief Edghill sought is not what was granted by the district court. The procedural histor......
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