State v. Goetzinger
State v. Goetzinger
Opinion of the Court
Defendant appeals a judgment of conviction for one count of criminal mistreatment in the second degree, ORS 163.200. The basis for the charge was defendant’s failure to seek medical attention for her infant daughter after discovering that her husband had bruised the child. Defendant assigns error to the trial court’s denial of her motion for a judgment of acquittal (MJOA), which was based on the insufficiency of the state’s evidence. She also assigns error to the trial court’s determination of guilt, contending that the trial court applied an incorrect legal standard in making that determination. We do not address defendant’s second assignment of error because we conclude that the trial court erred in denying the MJOA and, accordingly, we reverse.
In reviewing the denial of an MJOA, our task is to determine whether there was sufficient evidence — when viewed in the light most favorable to the state — from which a rational factfinder could find that the state proved each element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. E.g., State v. Wright, 253 Or App 401, 403, 290 P3d 824 (2012). We recite the following facts in accordance with that standard.
Defendant worked the night shift at Salem Hospital as a certified nursing assistant. After her shift ended, defendant went to do some shopping nearby. While she was shopping, she spoke with her husband, Kent, by telephone. Kent was at their Albany home. Defendant testified that Kent initially told her during that call that he had rolled over on their seven-month-old child, M, and that this had left “a bruise” on M. Later in the conversation, Kent admitted that he had gotten frustrated with the child for keeping him up all night and grabbed her. Defendant stated that her husband sounded “angry and frustrated” during the call. Kent asked defendant to come home, and defendant stated that she would do so. The trial court found that this call took place no later than approximately 9:30 a.m.
At 10:18 a.m., defendant called her mother to speak about the incident; that conversation lasted 43 minutes. Defendant’s mother testified, “We kind of both decided it would be best if she would just get home and check on the baby because it just sounded funny, fishy.”
Defendant gave Kent some money, and he left the house to do some shopping. The parties stipulated that defendant called her pediatrician’s office at 11:30 a.m. to report “bruises and scratches on the child.” Defendant asked for advice about whether she should bring M in for an examination. Somebody from the pediatrician’s office “[s]uggested [defendant] take child to [the emergency room] so that they could properly document visit and child [sic].” Mother replied that she would take M to the emergency room.
Defendant spoke with her mother several more times that day. Defendant had sent her sister images of M; when defendant’s mother saw one of the images, she testified that “it looked like there were marks on [M’s] back,” and that, upon seeing the image, she became “upset.” When defendant’s mother spoke with defendant again, she urged defendant to take M to the doctor and to leave the house; mother testified that defendant’s tone over the phone caused her to fear that Kent might harm M. Approximately 20 minutes after that conversation, defendant’s mother called the police.
Police officers Timm and Hammersley arrived at the house at approximately 2:15 p.m. Defendant was holding M when Timm met her at the door; Timm observed “bruising to [M’s] eye and her head and the side of her neck.” Timm requested to examine the child’s torso; he testified that he observed “[b]ruising to her arm, her side, some bruising on the back, a bruise on the stomach.” According to Timm, defendant had told him that the bruises had faded and did not look as bad as they had when she first saw them. Timm began questioning defendant about the incident; he testified that defendant told him that both her mother and sister had
A DHS worker, Brown, arrived at approximately 3:15 p.m. She testified that she immediately noticed bruising on M’s face and around her head and that she was “alarmed immediately.” She then proceeded to question defendant about the circumstances of defendant’s arrival home that day. After making some telephone calls, Brown told defendant that she was taking M into custody. She then took M directly to the All Because of Children (ABC) House so that M could be examined by a pediatrician, Dr. Chervenak.
After the state rested its case-in-chief, defendant moved for a judgment of acquittal. Defendant contended that the evidence was insufficient to establish that medical attention was “necessary” as required by ORS 163.200.
As part of defendant’s case, she put on the testimony of a pathologist, Dr. Brady, who provided the only
At the conclusion of the bench trial, the trial court found that defendant “did not “really * * * do anything * * * to try to take the child to see a doctor.” It also found that she had known by 9:30 a.m., if not before, that M had been bruised, but continued to shop for some time thereafter. The court also found that the reason defendant did not take the child to see a doctor was that she was concerned about getting her husband into trouble. The trial court adjudged defendant guilty of criminal mistreatment in the second degree, ORS 163.200. This timely appeal followed.
As noted, defendant assigns error to the denial of her MJOA at the close of the state’s evidence. ORS 163.200 provides, in relevant part:
“(1) A person commits the crime of criminal mistreatment in the second degree if, with criminal negligence and:
“(a) In violation of a legal duty to provide care for another person, the person withholds necessary and*225 adequate food, physical care or medical attention from that person [.]”
The Supreme Court explained, in State v. Baker-Krofft, 348 Or 655, 660, 239 P3d 226 (2010), that the crime of second-degree criminal mistreatment consists of three elements: “(1) the defendant acted with the requisite mental state; (2) the defendant had a duty to provide care for a person; and (3) the defendant ‘withheld necessary and adequate food, physical care or medical attention’ from that person.” (Brackets omitted.) In this case, the state charged that defendant had withheld both “necessary and adequate” physical care and medical attention. Accordingly, defendant contends, that the state’s evidence was insufficient to support a conviction under either theory. Her argument is limited, however, for she does not contend that the evidence was insufficient with respect to the first two elements of the crime, that she acted with a criminally negligent mental state and that she had a legal duty to M. Instead, she contends that the state cannot establish the “act” element of the crime, i.e., that she withheld “necessary and adequate physical care” or “medical attention” from M.
We conclude, in light of State v. Drown, 245 Or App 447, 462, 263 P3d 1057, rev den, 351 Or 401 (2011), that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction for withholding necessary and adequate physical care. Although we discuss Drown in more detail below in the context of withholding medical attention, it is sufficient here to note that “a person withholds necessary and adequate physical care when the person withholds care that is absolutely required to meet a dependent’s basic safety and survival needs.” Id. at 464. The state does not here contend — nor did it below in opposing the MJOA — that defendant withheld physical care that was absolutely required to meet M’s basic safety and survival needs; the only injuries that M suffered, when viewed in the light most favorable to the state, were deep bruises and some scratches.
The state nonetheless contends that there was sufficient evidence — for purposes of the MJOA — to support a determination that defendant had withheld “necessary and adequate * * * medical attention” from M. The parties present differing interpretations of the phrase “necessary and
Whether the withholding of medical attention constitutes criminal mistreatment depends on whether that attention was “necessary,” and it is on that point that the case hinges.
In Baker-Krofft, the defendants were convicted under the first- and second-degree criminal mistreatment statutes based on their individual failures to correct potential fire and choking hazards in their homes. 348 Or at 658. As in Damofle/Quintana, there was no evidence that the dependent children had actually been harmed. In overturning the convictions, the Supreme Court rejected our conclusion from Damofle/Quintana that the term “physical care” broadly encompassed potential environmental dangers. Baker-Krofft, 348 Or at 666-67. Instead, after a review of the text, context, and legislative history of the criminal-mistreatment statutes, the court concluded that “a person withholds necessary and adequate physical care from a dependent person when the person keeps back from the dependent person those physical services and attention that are necessary to provide for the dependent person’s bodily needs.” Id. (footnote omitted). Applying that definition, the court turned to consider whether creating, or failing to correct, fire and choking hazards in the home constituted a withholding of adequate and necessary physical care. In the first case, it noted that, although there was evidence of potential fire hazards, it was “uncontested that the child was in good health and that the fire dangers posed only a risk of future harm.” Id. at 667. Accordingly, the court concluded that there was no evidence that the defendant had withheld a physical service that was “necessary to provide for the child’s bodily needs, nor was there any evidence that defendant failed to protect her child from an immediate harm.” Id. In the second case, involving choking hazards, the court noted that the children were “well fed and healthy”; it concluded that the evidence was insufficient to support an inference that the “defendants had failed to provide for their children’s bodily needs or protect them from an immediate harm.” Id.
We first concluded that there was sufficient evidence to prove that the defendant had knowingly withheld necessary and adequate physical care from the oldest child, based on his vision problems. We then turned to examine whether the legislature intended to criminalize the remaining conduct at issue, viz., the withholding of dental care from the other children. We noted:
“‘Necessary’ and ‘adequate’ are terms of common usage, and we give them their ‘plain, natural, and ordinary meaning,’ [PGE v. Bureau of Labor and Industries, 317 Or 606, 611, 859 P2d 1143 (1993)].
“‘The definition of “necessary” includes “that cannot be done without : that must be done or had : absolutely required : ESSENTIAL, INDISPENSABLE <food is ~ for all> <was ~ to her peace of mind> * * * ctook all ~ steps>.” Webster’s [Third New Int’l Dictionary] * * * 1511 [(unabridged ed 2002)]. “Adequate” means, as relevant here “equal to, proportionate to, or fully sufficient for a specified or implied requirement, often : narrowly or barely sufficient: no more than satisfactory.” Id. at 25.’*229 “[State v. Bordeaux, 220 Or App 165, 172, 185 P3d 524 (2008)].
“Thus, the text of ORS 163.205 indicates that the statute was directed at the withholding of care that is ‘absolutely required.’ It was intended to criminalize the failure to provide for a dependent’s ‘essential’ needs in a ‘sufficient’ or ‘narrowly or barely sufficient’ manner. It applies to those who fail to provide for a dependent’s most basic needs— such as the need for food, which is specifically included in the statute — for safety and survival.”
Id. at 462 (omissions and some brackets in Drown). We then concluded:
“Considering the text and legislative history, we conclude that, for the purposes of ORS 163.205, a person withholds necessary and adequate physical care when the person withholds care that is absolutely required to meet a dependent’s basic safety and survival needs. That standard can be satisfied by withholding care for a condition that causes or will cause serious physical pain or injury.”
Id. at 463-64 (emphasis added). We also noted that “[flailing to treat pain and physical injuries can constitute criminal mistreatment, but whether it does depends on the nature of the pain or injury, including the intensity, duration, and consequences of the pain or injury.” Id. at 464. In light of that standard, we proceeded to assess the sufficiency of the state’s evidence for purposes of the MJOA. We noted that, although the state had introduced evidence to show that the children had suffered toothaches, there was no evidence regarding the “severity — either in degree or duration — ” of those toothaches. Id. at 465. Accordingly, we concluded that the trial court erred in denying the MJOA on those counts relating to the dental problems. Id. at 464-65.
Finally, in State v. Worthington, 251 Or App 110, 282 P3d 24 (2012), we addressed ORS 163.200 in the context of the trial court’s failure to give a requested jury instruction. There, the defendant’s 14-month-old child had developed a cyst on the side of her neck; eventually, the cyst began to swell, and the child developed cold symptoms and became congested. The defendant did not seek medical treatment, but instead — and consistently with his religious beliefs— began praying, laying hands on the child, and anointing her
“In order to find the defendant guilty of *** Criminal Mistreatment in the Second Degree, the State must prove that the defendant acted with knowledge that his * * * act or failure to act would bring about the death of [A]. Knowledge requires an awareness on the part of the defendant that the death of [A] would occur as a result of the defendant’s act or failure to act.”
Id. at 114-15 (second omission, brackets, and emphasis in Worthington). We concluded that the trial court did not err in refusing to give the requested instruction because it contained an incorrect statement of the law, stating, “Under ORS 163.200(l)(a), the gravamen of the offense is the failure to provide necessary and adequate medical care; the statute does not require that that conduct must lead to the death of another — or, indeed, to any particular result.” Id. at 115.
Thus, under Drown and the cases discussed above,
With that understanding of the foregoing case law, we turn to consider the trial court’s denial of defendant’s MJOA. When viewed in the light most favorable to the state, we conclude that there was insufficient evidence from which a reasonable factfinder could determine that the medical attention withheld by defendant was “necessary” to alleviate or prevent serious physical pain or injury. As noted in Drown, whether the failure to treat pain or injury constitutes criminal mistreatment “depends on the nature of the pain or injury, including the intensity, duration, and consequences of the pain or injury.” 245 Or App at 464. The only evidence as to the intensity or duration of M’s pain was that M had spent several hours with deep bruises and scratches.
Reversed.
Brown had contacted the ABC House before arriving at defendant’s residence; she did so based on what she had been told of the situation by Timm. It is not clear whether Brown brought M to the ABC House for the purpose of having her medically assessed or to document M’s injuries as part of a criminal investigation.
The text of ORS 163.200 is set out below, 262 Or App at 224-25.
Although Brady’s testimony was taken after the court had denied the MJOA, we still consider it for purposes of reviewing the denial of the MJOA. State v. Gardner, 231 Or 193, 195, 372 P2d 783 (1962) (“[T]he appellate court must consider all the evidence and if it is sufficient to sustain the conviction, the defendant cannot complain that his motion for acquittal made at the close of the state’s case was denied.”).
Defendant does not contend that the state’s evidence was insufficient to show that she withheld “adequate” medical attention. Thus, because the withheld medical attention must be both “necessary” and “adequate,” we need only to examine defendant’s arguments concerning the word “necessary.” We also need not dwell on the meaning of “medical attention,” for defendant does not dispute that a professional medical examination for the purpose of diagnosing internal injuries falls within the ambit of that term, nor could she plausibly do so.
Although many of those cases that we have discussed concerned the application of the first-degree criminal mistreatment statute, ORS 163.205, the principles discussed are equally relevant in the context of second-degree criminal mistreatment. As we explained in State v. Bordeaux, 220 Or App 165, 170 n 5, 185 P3d 524 (2008), ORS 163.200(1)(a) “employs language identical to that used in the pertinent phrase of ORS 163.205(l)(a), except with respect to the mental state required.” See Or Laws 1993, ch 364, § 2 (amending the pertinent language of ORS 163.205(1)(a) to mirror that in ORS 163.200(l)(a)).
There was no evidence that the bruises or scratches that M had suffered were indicative of internal injuries. The only medical evidence about potential internal injuries came from defendant’s witness, Brady, who testified that serious injuries, such as fractures, are “overwhelmingly associated” with “clear symptom [a] tology” that a mother could “easily recognize,” including crying, bleeding, a refusal of food, and an inability to be consoled. As noted, there was no evidence that tended to establish that M was displaying any of those symptoms. Although Brady did testify that he would have ordered x-rays in order “to be cautious,” that remark only emphasizes the heightened standard demanded by ORS 163.200, to wit, that the medical attention be “necessary.”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.