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The Utah Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that defendants charged with class A misdemeanors — not just those accused of felonies — have a right to a preliminary hearing under the state's constitution.

The decision, made in the case of a 50-year-old Salt Lake City man charged with providing alcohol to a teenager who later died after falling down a stairwell, has raised concerns about the burden of its implementation.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said he anticipates as many as 3,000 additional hearings to be placed on court calendars in 3rd District Court alone. The move could tax an overburdened system, he said, although it's unclear exactly how much additional work for attorneys — and how big of a price tag for the courts — the ruling brings.

"It's going to have a fairly dramatic impact on the court system," Gill said. "Technically speaking, it's going to be adding one more step in the process, and, of course, it is going to mean other things are not going to be moving through the system as fast. Justice delayed is justice denied."

Class A misdemeanor defendants were previously arraigned and entered a plea — in some instances, receiving a sentence at that time. If a defendant entered a not-guilty plea, the case was set for trial. Now defendants can ask a judge to hold a preliminary hearing to decide if the case against them is strong enough to be scheduled for trial.

Kent Hart, executive director of the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, called the justices' ruling a victory for defendants' rights. Hart said class A misdemeanors are serious to many defendants: the offenses are punishable by up to a year in jail, and convictions can serve as sentencing enhancements for other crimes. For example, if a person is convicted of a class A misdemeanor driving under the influence, a second DUI could be elevated to a felony offense.

"A preliminary hearing does not require a lot of effort from a prosecutor," Hart said. "The formality of having to present a case to a judge requires a prosecutor to make sure their case is solid."

But Hart acknowledged the high court's ruling will have a fiscal impact.

Gill said that, in coming days, he'll study what the potential price tag of additional preliminary hearings will cost his office. The state courts will also research the issue, said spokeswoman Nancy Volmer.

The high court's ruling stems from the case of Victor Hernandez, who was charged with providing liquor to 16-year-old Dillon Whitney before the boy fell down a flight of stairs outside Hernandez's apartment on Nov. 24, 2007.

In Hernandez's case, witnesses told police that Whitney drank vodka provided by Hernandez and fell down 1½ flights of stairs. Hernandez and two of Whitney's teenage friends moved the boy into Hernandez's apartment and put him on a couch after the fall. The other teenagers then left.

Hernandez called police the next day and said there was a person lying in the stairwell near his apartment. Whitney died from a head injury.

Hernandez was later arrested and charged with four class A misdemeanors: negligent homicide, obstructing justice, supplying alcohol to a minor and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Hernandez's case has been tied up in appeals since 2008, when he requested — and was granted — a preliminary hearing.

Third District Judge Michele Christiansen — who now sits on the Utah State Court of Appeals — then reversed her decision. She ruled Hernandez's offenses didn't qualify for a preliminary hearing as an "indictable offense" under the Utah Constitution, drafted in 1895.

Hernandez's attorneys, Elizabeth Lorenzo and Neal Hamilton, argued he had the constitutional right to a preliminary hearing, even though he was charged with class A misdemeanors and not felonies.

The justices held that Hernandez deserved a preliminary hearing, although his offenses weren't cited word for word in the constitution when the document was created.

"Because the specific offenses with which Mr. Hernandez was charged did not exist under Utah territorial law, the district court concluded he was not entitled to [a preliminary hearing]," Justice Jill Parrish wrote in the court's unanimous opinion. "There is nothing to suggest that the framers of the Utah Constitution intended to forever restrict preliminary hearings to only those specific offenses addressed by Utah territorial law."

The Supreme Court sent the case back to District Court for a preliminary hearing. Whitney's family has previously said they would like to see Hernandez punished for giving the boy vodka, and it has already won a civil lawsuit in connection with his death.

Whitney, 16, was placed in the proctor care of a local family in August 2007 by a juvenile court judge because of delinquent acts at home. The state granted Whitney permission to visit his father for Thanksgiving, but the boy never returned to the proctor family's home on Nov. 23 after the visit.

Whitney's mother, Donna Whitney, filed a lawsuit against the Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Services, Utah Department of Human Services, Quest Youth Services and directors employed at the agencies, alleging that the proctor's home in which Dillon Whitney was placed didn't fulfill its duties to supervise the boy.

In January, U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball ordered Quest Youth Services ­— the company contracted to have Whitney in their care — to pay the family $1.9 million.

mrogers@sltrib.com Q & A: What is a misdemeanor?

An offense lower than a felony punishable by a county jail term and/or a fine but not prison. Misdemeanors are classified into three categories based on the severity of the offense — A, B and C. All can be decided by a jury trial.

How does a misdemeanor come to trial? • Before Tuesday's Utah Supreme Court ruling, defendants were arraigned at their first court appearance. If the defendant entered a guilty plea, he or she would usually be sentenced at the time of the plea hearing. If a not-guilty plea was entered, the case was set for trial. Now defendants charged with Class A misdemeanors have the right to a preliminary hearing.

What is a preliminary hearing? • A hearing in which a judge listens to witness testimony and evidence to determine whether probable cause exists to indicate that a crime has been committed and to indicate that the defendant was the person who committed the crime. Judges who determine there isn't probable cause can dismiss the case.

Source • Utah State Court, http://www.utcourts.gov