Md. Court of Appeals Rules Victim Can't Seek to Undo Legal Sentence

Summary

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A crime victim had a right to be heard in appellate proceedings as if she were a party to the action, but her words have no legal effect, the state's highest court held Wednesday.

The Court of Appeals said a convicted batterer was entitled to the lighter sentence he received on a motion for reconsideration, rather than the 15-year term that was reinstated after his victim complained she had not been notified of the reconsideration hearing.

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Extract

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Md. Court of Appeals Rules Victim Can't Seek to Undo Legal Sentence

"The Legislature has not amended the law to permit a victim, based on a violation of the victim's rights, to seek invalidation of an otherwise legal sentence," Judge Glenn T. Harrell Jr. wrote for the unanimous court. "The victims' rights provisions i...

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