Commonwealth v. Martinez

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The Supreme Judicial Court reformulated ten reported questions regarding the scope and application of the due process obligations established in Nelson v. Colorado, 137 S. Ct. 1249, 1252 (2017), providing guidance to trial courts and litigants regarding the repayment of probation fees, restitution victim-witness assessments, forfeitures, fines, and court costs after a conviction has been invalidated.In Nelson, the United States Supreme Court held that when a criminal conviction is invalidated and no retrial will occur, the state is required under the Due Process Clause to refund fees, court costs, and restitution exacted from the defendant as a consequence of the conviction. In these cases, after Defendants’ convictions were dismissed with prejudice, Defendants moved for refunds of the money paid in forfeitures, probation fees, and other costs. The judges reported the matters and questions of law to the Appeals Court. The Supreme Judicial Court answered the reported questions and remanded the cases to the reporting courts for proceedings consistent with this opinion. View "Commonwealth v. Martinez" on Justia Law