Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and State Expert Witness Testimony

By: Derek Hawkins//December 14, 2017//

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WI Court of Appeals – District III

Case Name: State of Wisconsin v. Lonnie L. Sorenson

Case No.: 2016AP1540-CR

Officials: SEIDL, J.

Focus: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and State Expert Witness Testimony

Lonnie Sorenson appeals a judgment of conviction entered upon a jury verdict for second-offense operating a motor vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration (PAC) and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also appeals an order denying his postconviction motion. Sorenson contends: (1) the circuit court erred in denying him a Machner hearing on his trial counsel’s alleged ineffective assistance; (2) the State failed to disclose before trial a State expert witness’s estimation of the time when Sorenson ingested tetrahydrocannabinols (THC); and (3) he was denied his constitutional right to confrontation when the State’s expert witness testified about the results of a blood-alcohol-concentration test that the expert did not perform. We reject Sorenson’s arguments and affirm.

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.

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