People v. Barraza

The petitioner, attorney Fred M. Morelli, Jr., represented the defendant, Armando Barraza, at his trial conducted in absentia. After the defendant was convicted, the trial court disposed of the defendant’s bond, which had been forfeited, by allocating approximately one-third each to the petitioner’s attorney fees, the City of Aurora, and the County of Kane. The petitioner now appeals, claiming that he was entitled to have the full amount of his attorney fees paid from the defendant’s forfeited bond before any amount was allocated to the State. We reverse and remand for further proceedings.

The…