In a case with potentially far-reaching effects, a state appellate court panel on Monday dismissed nearly three-year-old misdemeanor DUI charges against a defendant and took a swipe at San Francisco County Superior Court for continuing to cite the effects of the COVID pandemic as a blanket excuse for delaying trials.

The First District Court of Appeal said the trial court and its appellate division provided “no support” for factual findings they cited to delay the trial of Lynette Adabelle Mendoza seven times between March 9, 2023, and March 15, 2024. Superior Court judges overseeing the case repeatedly pointed to a standing “COVID order” warranting the continuances, even after the district attorney’s office declined to defend the delay.