The People, Plaintiff and Respondent v. Richard Lacy Letner and — Werdegar, J., Concurring in Part and Dissenting…

Summary

Justice Werdegar agreed with Justice Kennard that the traffic stop and detention violated defendants’ Fourth Amendment rights because the officer lacked reasonable cause to believe a law had been violated. She nevertheless concurred in affirming the convictions, concluding beyond a reasonable doubt that the evidence directly obtained from the stop was minimally significant or cumulative and that defendants lacked a qualifying privacy interest in the later-searched vehicle. Justice Kennard, dissenting, would have reversed because the stop was unlawful and the evidence identifying defendants in the victim’s car may have contributed to the verdict.