Oregon Court of Appeals

Opinions Filed in July 2019

Mathis v. St. Helens Auto Center, Inc.

"ORS 652.200(2) does not contain any 'beat the offer' language. . . it simply provides for attorney fees in a particular type of action, subject to a few conditions. . . [and] is therefore unlike ORS 20.080(1), ORS 742.061(1), or ORCP 54 E."

Area(s) of Law:
  • Employment Law

Sanford v. Hampton Resources, Inc.

“To succeed on an IIER claim . . . [there must be] (1) the existence of a professional or business relationship (which could include, e.g. a contract or a prospective economic advantage), (2) intentional interference with that relationship, (3) by a third party, (4) accomplished through an improper means or for an improper purpose, (5) a causal effect between the interference and damage to the economic relationship, and (6) damages.” McGanty v. Staudenraus, 321 Or 532, 535, 901 P2d 841 (1995).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Business Law

State. Lachat

In a harmless-error analysis, a defendant’s testimony may be considered if it was obtained voluntarily and in such a manner as to not violate “constitutional protections against compelled confessions.” State v. McGinnis, 335 Or 243, 252-53, 264 P3d 1123 (2003).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Appellate Procedure

State v. Chapman

“Given . . . statutory and legislative history [of ORS 19.260(1)(a)(B)] we conclude that ordinary first-class mail was not what the legislature intended by the phrase. . . ‘mailed or dispatched by a class of delivery calculated to achieve within three calendar days . . ." The drafters intended to expand the categories of registered or certified mail to include expedited delivery services, but the drafters conspicuously refrained from substituting ordinary first-class mail.”

Area(s) of Law:
  • Civil Procedure

State v. Dickinson

In restitution cases, “the trial court [can] not simply rely on a review of [a victim’s medical bill] and ‘common sense’ to conclude that such charges were reasonable,” and the state is required to produce “additional testimony or evidence” to support that a medical bill is reasonable. State v. McClelland, 278 Or App 138, 141, 372 P3d 614 (2016).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Law

State v. Eatinger

When testimony is scientific, the State is required to lay foundation using the Brown/O’Key factors.  State v. O’Key, 321 Or 285, 899 P2d 663 (1995); State v. Brown, 297 Or 404, 687 P2d 751 (1984).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Evidence

State v. Ramirez

Pursuant to ORS 137.540, a defendant violates probation by violating a general or special condition of probation lawfully imposed by the court. 

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Law

Bank of America, N.A., v. Carlson

“Those statements were not admissible under the hearsay exception for business records under OEC 803(6), which, subject to various requirements, allows for the admission of a ‘memorandum, report, record, or data compilation, in any form’…‘no part of that rule purports to render testimony about [the records] admissible over a hearsay objection.’” U.S. Bank National Assn. v. McCoy, 290 Or App 525, 534-536, 415 P3d 1116 (2018) (emphasis in original).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Property Law

Card and Card

ORS 107.105(1) “generally does not authorize a court to award property as spousal support” unless “the assets awarded in the property division may also generate new income that may be considered in determining future spousal support payments.” Johnson and Price, 280 Or App 71, 79, 380 P3d 983 (2016).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Family Law

State v. Savath

"The warrant must be sufficiently specific in describing the items to be seized and examined that the officers can, with reasonable effort, ascertain those items to a reasonable degree of certainty. . .[and] it must not authorize a search that is broader than the supporting affidavit supplies probable cause to justify.” State v. Mansor, 363 Or 185, 212 (2018).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Procedure

Burley v. Clackamas County

Pursuant to ORS 659.001(4)(a), "for the purposes of chapter 659A, ’employer’ means any person who in this state, directly or through an agent, engages or uses the personal service of one or more employees, reserves the right to control the means by which such service is or will be performed. Additionally, ORS 659.001(9)(b) states “’[p]erson’ includes . . . [a] public body as defined in ORS 30.260.’”

Area(s) of Law:
  • Employment Law

Eberhardt v. Providence Health and Service

A “trial court d[oes] not abuse its discretion by granting summary judgment without giving plaintiff additional time to submit” a response to pleadings when “[t]he court had already granted plaintiff additional time to file [the] response and made it clear to plaintiff that it would not allow any additional postponements.”

Area(s) of Law:
  • Civil Procedure

Goodwin v. NBC Universal Media - NBC Universal

Under ORS 656.319(1), an employer must be able to connect a hearing request to the particular denial or matter to which it relates; so a request for a hearing must be related to a particular denial by referencing the particular denial that is being challenged, either directly or indirectly.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Workers Compensation

State v. Cooper

“The decision to revoke probation is discretionary and may be exercised upon a finding that the offender has violated one or more conditions of probation . . . .” OAR 213-010-0001.

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Law

State v. Olson

Substitution of counsel is required when there is a "'legitimate complaint concerning [appointed counsel]' that might rise to the level of requiring substitution." State v. Langley, 314 Or 247, 257, 839 P2d 692 (1992), adh’d to on recons, 318 Or 28, 861 P2d 1012 (1993).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Procedure

State v. Partain

Defendants are not required to preserve a challenge that is raised on appeal if the error appears for the first time in the judgment. State v. Lewis, 236 Or App 49, 52, 234 P3d 152 (2010).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Procedure

Carter v. Waste Management Disposal Services of Oregon

In SAIF, the Court held that a medical expert’s “opinion is persuasive” but “in all events, a medical expert’s opinion that an increase of symptoms signifies an actual worsening of a particular compensable condition satisfies the actual worsening standard” as found in ORS 656.273. SAIF v. January, 166 Or App 620, 624 (2000).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Workers Compensation

Dept. of Human Services v. J. G. K.

Evidence demonstrating a parent’s ability to sufficiently care for their child is relevant at both initial and established jurisdiction hearings; however, if it is clear such evidence would not influence the court’s ruling, its exclusion is considered harmless. Dept. of Human Services v. T.L., 279 Or App 673, 678, 684-85, 379 P3d 741 (2016).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Juvenile Law

State v. Curry

"The discriminatory use of peremptory challenges by the prosecution causes a criminal defendant cognizable injury. . . [r]ather it is because racial discrimination in the selection of jurors 'casts doubt on the integrity of the judicial process,' and paces the fairness of a criminal proceeding in doubt." Powers v. Ohio, 499 US 400, 411-12, 111 S Ct 1364, 113 L Ed 2d 411 (1991).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Procedure

State v. Payne

When the trial court errs, the reviewing court is required to affirm the judgment of the trial court if, “there is little likelihood that the error affected the verdict.” State v. Davis, 336 Or 19, 32, 77 P3d 1111 (2003).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Law

State v. Payne

Jury concurrence is necessary “when the indictment charges a single violation of a crime but the evidence permits the jury to find multiple, separate occurrences of that crime.” State v. Pipkin, 354 Or 513, 517, 316 P3d 255 (2013).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Criminal Law

State v. Smartt

In a restitution proceeding under ORS 137.106(1)(a), “the state can demonstrate the reasonable value of medical expenses by offering evidence that the medical expenses reflect the usual and customary rate for those services in the market wherein they occur.” State v. Campbell, 296 Or App 22, 31, 438 P3d 448 (2019).

Area(s) of Law:
  • Sentencing

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