State v. Youren
State v. Youren, 2026 UT App 11 (Tenney, J.)
Criminal
The Utah Court of Appeals held:
- Defendant either had adequate notice of the charges against her or was not impaired by any alleged lack of notice.
- Defendant’s argument regarding unanimity was unpreserved. And the argument failed under the exceptions to preservation.
- Counsel was not ineffective by not objecting to various jury instructions or by not arguing that the exploitation statute was constitutionally vague.
- Practice tip: A special verdict form does not automatically preserve a claim regarding unanimity. The court recognized purposes for such forms that fall outside of concerns about unanimity.