RI - A P001 - I N F O Inf o r ma tio n o n A p p ea l P ro c e d u r e s F o r I nfr a c ti on s A pp r oved f o r Op t i o na l Use R i ve r s i d e S upe r i o r Cou r t F o r m RI - AP 001 - IN F O [Rev. 07/14/17 ] Ca l . R u l es of Cou r t, r u l es 8.901, 8.90 2 , 891 5 ; Local R u l e 80 1 0 r i v e r s i de.c o u r ts.ca . gov / l oc a l f r m s/ l oc a l f r m s.sh t m l 1 . Wha t doe s t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n s hee t c o v e r ? T h is i n f o r m at i o n s h e e t t e lls yo u a b o u t a pp e als in i n fracti o n cas e s. It is o n l y me a n t to g i v e y o u a g e n e ral i d e a o f t h e a pp e a l p r o c e ss, s o it do e s n o t c o v er e v er y t h i n g yo u m ay n eed to k no w a b o u t a pp e als in i n fract i o n cas e s. To learn mo r e a b o u t t h e p r o ce du r e s o n i n fra c ti o n a pp e als, r e ad r u l e s 8 . 9 0 0 8 . 9 2 9 o f t h e Calif o r n ia R u l e s o f C o u r t . A r e s o u r ce gu i d e is i n cl ud e d at t h e e n d o f t h is d o c um e n t t o h e lp y o u fi n d f o r m s, re l ated pub licati o n s a n d i n f o r m a t i o n o n li n e . 2 . Wha t i s a n i n f r a c t i on? I n fracti o n s a r e cr i m e s t h at can b e pun is h e d b y a fi n e , traffic sc ho o l, o r s o m e f o r m o f c o mm un i t y s e r v i c e . E x a m p l e s o f i n frac t i o n s i n cl ud e ve h ic l e c o d e v i o lat i o n s s u ch as r unn i n g a st o p si g n o r an o r d i n a n ce v i o l a ti o n s u ch as h a v i n g an un lic e n s e d d o g. 3 . Wha t i s a n appea l ? A n a pp e al is a r e qu e st to a h i gh e r c o u rt to r ev i e w a r u li n g o r d e cisi o n m a d e b y a l o w e r c o u rt. ( F o r an i n fract i o n , t h e h i gh e r c o u rt is called t h e App e llate D i v isi on. ) It is i m p o rta n t t o und e rs t a n d t h at an a pp e al i s N OT a n e w trial. T h e ap p e l late c o u rt will no t c o n si d er n ew e v i d e n ce, te s ti m o n y o f wit n es s es o r e x h i b its at t h e a p p e llate sta g e . T h e a pp e lla t e c o u j o b i s t o r e v i e w a r e c o rd o f w h a t h a pp e n e d in t h e t rial c o u rt a n d to s ee if ce r tain ki nd s o f l e g al e r r o rs w e r e m a d e in t h e c as e . F o r ex a m p le: P r e j udi ci a l e rr o r - T h e p ar t y t h at a pp e als ( called t h e a pp e lla n t ) m ay ask t h e a pp e llate c o u rt to d e te r m i n e w h et h er an e rr o r was m a d e a b o u t eit h er t h e law o r c o u rt p r o ce du res in t h e ca s e t h at ca u s e d s ub sta n tial h a r m t o t h e a pp e lla n t (t h is is cal l e d p r e j ud icial e rr o r ). P r e j ud icial e rr o r can i n cl ud e t h i ng s l i k e e r r o rs m a d e b y t h e j udg e a b o u t t h e l a w o r e r r o rs o r m i s c o ndu ct b y t h e la w ye rs t h at h a r m e d t h e a pp e lla n t. I t is yo u r r e s p o n si b ili t y t o s h o w t h e a pp e ll a te c o u rt t h at an e r r o r was m ade a n d t h at it was h a r m f u l. N o s ub s t an t i a l e vi den c e - Y o u m ay al s o ask t h e a pp e llate c o u rt to d e t er m i n e w h et h er t h ere was s ub sta n tial e v i d e n ce s upp o rti n g t h e j udg m e n t, o r d er o r o t h er d ecisi o n b ei n g a pp e al e d . T h e a pp e llate c o u rt o n ly l o o ks to see if t h e re was e v i d e n ce t h at r e as o n a b l y s upp o r t s t h e d e cis i o n . T h e a pp e lla t e c o u rt g e n e r ally will n o t r e c o n si d e r t h e trial c o u r t c o n cl u si o n a b o u t w h ich si d e h ad m o re o r s tr o ng e r e v i d e n c e o r w h et h er wit n e sses were telli n g t h e tr u th o r l y i ng. N OT E: T h e appe ll a te c ou r t g ene r a l l y w i l l no t c han g e / o v e r t u r n t h e t ri a l c ou r t s dec i s i o n un l e s s t h e r e c o r d cl ea r l y s ho w s t ha t a l e g a l e rr o r w a s m ade . 4 . Wh o c a n A ppea l ? O n ly a p ar t y in t h e tr i al c o u rt case can a pp e al a d e cisi o n in t h at c a s e . Y o u m ay n o t a pp e al o n b e h alf o f a frie nd , a s p o u se , a c h ild o r a no t h e r r e lati v e . 5 . Do I nee d a l aw y e r to appea l ? Y o u a r e no t re qu ired to h a v e a la w ye r r e p re s e n t yo u in y o u r a pp e al c a s e . H o w ev e r, if yo u c h o o se t o b e re p r ese n t e d , yo u m a y h ire a law ye r o f y o u r c h o ic e . 6 . C a n I appea l an y dec i s i o n t ha t t h e t r i a l c ou r t m ade ? N o , g e n e ral l y , yo u m a y a p p e al o n l y a fi n al j udg m e n t o f t h e trial c o u r t ( t h e d ec i si o n a t t h e e n d t h at d e ci d es t h e w h o le cas e) . 7 . H o w d o I s t a r t my appea l ? F irst, y o u m u st fi l e a n o ti c e o f a pp e al ( f o rm RI - A P 0 01 ). T h e n o t i ce o f a p p eal tells t h e o t h er p ar t y in t h e ca s e a n d t h e t r ial c o u rt t h at y o u are a pp e ali n g t h e trial c o u r d e cisi o n . 8 . I s t he r e a dead li n e f o r f i l i n g my no t ic e o f appea l ? Y e s. In an i n fr a ct i o n ca s e , yo u m u st file yo u r n o tice o f a pp e al wit h in 3 0 d a y s af t e r t h e trial c o u rt m a k e s i ts j udgm e n t i n yo u r case o r iss u e s t h e o r d er yo u a r e a pp e ali n g . T h e d a t e t h e trial c o u rt m a kes i ts j udgm e n t i s n o r m ally t h e d a te American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com RI - A P001 - I N F O Inf o r ma tio n o n A p p ea l P ro c e d u r e s F o r I nfr a c ti on s A pp r oved f o r Op t i o na l Use R i ve r s i d e S upe r i o r Cou r t F o r m RI - AP 001 - IN F O [Rev. 07/14/17 ] Ca l . R u l es of Cou r t, r u l es 8.901, 8.90 2 , 891 5 ; Local R u l e 80 1 0 r i v e r s i de.c o u r ts.ca . gov / l oc a l f r m s/ l oc a l f r m s.sh t m l t h e trial c o u rt o r d e rs yo u t o p ay a fi n e o r o r d e r s o t h e r pun is h m e n t in y o u r c ase ( s e n te n c es yo u ). T h is d e a d li n e f o r fili n g t h e n o tice o f a pp e al ca nn o t b e e x t e nd e d . If y o u r n o ti c e o f a pp e al is lat e , t h e App e als De p a r t m e n t will n o t h a v e j u ris d icti o n t o h e ar y o u r a p p e al a n d it will no t b e file d . 9 . H o w d o I f il e my no t ic e o f appea l ? Y o u m ay fax fi l e t h e No tice o f App e al f o r m a n d all s ub s e qu e n t d o c um e n ts d ir e ctly to t h e App e als De p a r t m e n t a t n o c h ar g e . T h is m e t h o d is st r o ng ly r e c om me nd e d t o e n s u r e t h e qu ick e s t p r o c e ssi n g a n d to a v o id e r r o rs a n d d e l a y s. V is i t t h e c o u we b si t e a t h tt p : / / r i v ersi d e. c o u rts. c a. g o v / a n d s ele c t d ire c t fax fili n g i n f o r m at i o n und e r t h e f o r m s a n d fili n g tab to o b t ain t h e f ax n u m b e r. If yo u f ax file t h e N o t i ce o f App e al f o r m a n d s ub s e qu e n t do c um e n ts, a f r e e file st a m p e d c o p y o f t h e d o c u me n ts will b e p r o v i d e d t o y o u if yo u g i v e an e - m ail o r m a i li n g a dd r e ss. Y o u m ay al s o b ri n g o r m ail t h e No tice o f App e al f o rm a n d s ub s e qu e n t d o c u me n ts t o t h e App e als De p ar t me n t l o cat e d at t h e H all o f Ju sti c e , 4 1 0 0 M ain S tr e e t, Ri v e rsi d e , C A , 9 2 5 0 1 f o r fili ng . A lter n ati v el y , t h e s e do c um e n ts m ay also b e filed at a n y c o u r t h o u s e w i t h in Ri ve rsi d e C o un t y . If yo u d o n o t f a x file a n d yo u w o u ld li k e a fi l e sta m p e d c o p y o f t h e do c u me n ts y o u are s ub m itti ng , yo u m u st s upp ly an e x tra c o p y t o b e r e t u r n e d t o yo u . If y o u w ou ld li k e t h e c o p y m ailed to y o u , y o u m u st al s o p r o v i d e an e n ve l o p e a n d c o r r e ct p o s t a g e . A ft e r y o u fi l e y o u r n o ti c e o f a pp e al, t h e cle r k will s e n d a c o p y o f y o u r n o tice t o t h e o ffice o f t h e p r o s e c u ti n g att o r n ey (f o r ex a m p le, t h e d istrict a t t o r n ey , c o un t y c oun s e l, ci t y a t t o r n e y , o r st a te A t t o r n ey Ge n e ral). 1 0 . I f I f i l e a no t i c e o f appea l , d