New Mexico v. Cruz
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Defendant Debbie Cruz was convicted of issuing payroll checks with insufficient funds to cover them. Defendant was charged with four counts of issuing worthless checks, pursuant to the "Worthless Check Act." Convicted on each count, Defendant argued on appeal, among other issues, the lack of sufficient evidence to prove that she had issued a check "in exchange for anything of value." Because the worthless checks were issued a week after the last day of the pay period, the Court of Appeals reversed the convictions, relying on previous opinions of the Supreme Court to conclude that the Act applied only to a "contemporaneous exchange" and not to pre-existing or antecedent debts. Upon its review, the Supreme Court rejected that distinction as inconsistent with the clear legislative intent and purpose of the Act. Accordingly, the Court reversed and remanded the case back to the Court of Appeals for further proceedings.
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