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Church v. Gladden

Oregon Supreme Court
Sep 9, 1966
244 Or. 308 (Or. 1966)

Summary

holding that, when a petitioner's counsel fails to assert a ground for relief, the petitioner must inform the court of that failure in order to avoid the res judicata effect of ORS 138.550

Summary of this case from Worden v. Premo

Opinion

Argued July 5, 1966

Affirmed September 9, 1966

Appeal from Circuit Court, Marion County.

LOREN HICKS, Judge.

Lawrence A. Aschenbrenner, Public Defender, Salem, argued the cause and filed the brief for appellant.

Wayne M. Thompson, Assistant Attorney General, Salem, argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief was Robert Y. Thornton, Attorney General, Salem.

Before McALLISTER, Chief Justice, and PERRY, SLOAN, O'CONNELL, GOODWIN, DENECKE and HOLMAN, Justices.


IN BANC


AFFIRMED.


Petitioner, an inmate of the state penitentiary, appealed from an order of the trial court quashing his petition for post-conviction relief. The defendant's motion to quash was based on the contention that petitioner had previously prosecuted another petition for post-conviction relief in which he either raised, or should have raised, all of his present adequately-stated grounds for relief.

Petitioner was indicted for first-degree felony murder on April 18, 1961, and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, receiving a sentence of life imprisonment. The four grounds asserted in his petition and relied on for relief in this appeal are as follows:

1. The trial court was without jurisdiction to receive petitioner's plea of guilty to second-degree murder because second-degree murder is not a lesser included crime of first-degree felony murder.

2. Petitioner's plea of guilty was involuntary by reason of coercion, duress and promises of leniency.

3. The indictment against petitioner was based solely on testimony which was legally inadmissible.

4. Petitioner made incriminating statements to police officers following his arrest without being advised of his constitutional right to counsel and to remain silent, which statements induced his subsequent plea of guilty.

ORS 138.550(3) provides in part as follows:

"All grounds for relief claimed by petitioner in a petition pursuant to ORS 138.510 to 138.680 must be asserted in his original or amended petition, and any grounds not so asserted are deemed waived unless the court on hearing a subsequent petition finds grounds for relief asserted therein which could not reasonably have been raised in the original or amended petition."

Petitioner alleges that the first and third grounds for relief stated above were not raised in his previous post-conviction proceeding, but could not reasonably have been raised then because his court-appointed attorney failed and refused to do so, although requested to pursue such course of action by the petitioner. Petitioner also alleges that he did raise the second ground for relief in his previous post-conviction proceeding but that he was not given a fair and complete hearing on the issue because three of his witnesses were not present and did not testify, although petitioner requested his attorney to have them present and his attorney promised that he would do so. For the purposes of this opinion we will assume, without deciding, that each of the first three points raised by petitioner states an adequate ground for relief. The question is squarely raised whether petitioner has alleged sufficient reasons for failing to assert two of the present grounds for relief in his first petition, and for failing to exhaust all of his evidence on another ground at the prior hearing.

If petitioner has stated grounds for post-conviction relief which fall without the res judicata provision of ORS 138.550(3), it is absolutely impossible that there be any finality to this type of litigation. In each successive post-conviction proceeding all a petitioner need do is allege that his attorneys in each of his previous proceedings were unfaithful to their trust, and the door is open wide to relitigate ad infinitum.

In our opinion petitioner has not alleged sufficient reasons to escape the application of the res judicata provision of ORS 138.550(3). If petitioner's attorney in the first post-conviction proceeding failed to follow any legitimate request, petitioner could not sit idly by and later complain. He must inform the court at first opportunity of his attorney's failure and ask to have him replaced, or ask to have him instructed by the court to carry out petitioner's request. This is not too great a burden to place upon a petitioner when the attorney's failure to follow legitimate instructions takes place in petitioner's presence. All petitioner had to do was to speak to the court during his hearing on the first petition. He had immediate access to the judge by merely raising his voice. The words of this court in Delaney v. Gladden, 232 Or. 306, 308, 374 P.2d 746, cert. den. 372 U.S. 945, 83 S Ct 940, 9 L Ed 2d 970 (1963), are equally applicable to the factual situation here:

"* * * The state is not obliged to provide a forum to hear and rehear cases that have already reached a lawful termination. The issues attempted to be raised in this case were just as available at the time of the direct appeal as they are now."

Petitioner acquiesced in his attorney's failure to raise the issues and to call the witnesses when he did not call to the court's attention his desire to have additional matters presented.

Petitioner cites Fay v. Noia, 372 U.S. 391, 83 S Ct 822, 9 L Ed 2d 837 (1963), and the concurring opinion of Mr. Justice Brennan in Case v. Nebraska, 381 U.S. 336, 85 S Ct 1486, 14 L Ed 2d 422 (1965), for the proposition that state post-conviction procedure should eschew rigid and technical doctrines of forfeiture, waiver or default, and should be sufficiently comprehensive to embrace all federal constitutional claims.

He contends that the rule of res judicata should not be applied so as to prevent a petitioner from securing an opportunity for at least one full and fair hearing on all issues. Townsend v. Sain, 372 U.S. 293, 83 S Ct 745, 9 L Ed 2d 770 (1963). He also asserts that a waiver must amount to an intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege. Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458, 58 S Ct 1019, 82 L Ed 1461 (1938). With these propositions we agree. However, taking these decisions into full consideration, petitioner has not, in our opinion, shown sufficient reasons for failing to avail himself of the opportunity to litigate completely his first three grounds for relief on his first petition.

Petitioner's fourth ground fails to state sufficient facts to entitle him to relief. He alleges that he could not have raised this ground on his previous post-conviction hearing because Escobedo v. Illinois, 378 U.S. 478, 84 S Ct 1758, 12 L Ed 2d 977 (1964), which gave him this ground for relief, had not yet been decided. The rule of Escobedo has been held not to be of retroactive application. Elliott v. Gladden, 244 Or. 134, 411 P.2d 287 (1966); Johnson v. New Jersey, 384 U.S. 719, 86 S Ct 1772, 16 L Ed 2d 882 (1966). Petitioner may not take advantage of any new rights bestowed by Escobedo because his conviction was final before Escobedo was decided.

Petitioner complains that a demurrer rather than a motion to quash was the proper method of presenting defendant's position. When a motion by its content tests a petition's legal sufficiency and the trial court treats it as a general demurrer, this court will do likewise. Schultz v. First Nat. Bk. of Portland et al, 220 Or. 350, 355, 348 P.2d 22. The motion in this case adequately showed it was contesting the legal sufficiency of petitioner's first three grounds and stated the reasons. No harm was done petitioner by the dismissal of his fourth ground on the motion to quash because it is obvious it could never state adequate grounds for relief.

The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.


Summaries of

Church v. Gladden

Oregon Supreme Court
Sep 9, 1966
244 Or. 308 (Or. 1966)

holding that, when a petitioner's counsel fails to assert a ground for relief, the petitioner must inform the court of that failure in order to avoid the res judicata effect of ORS 138.550

Summary of this case from Worden v. Premo

holding that a similarly worded "res judicata" provision of ORS 138.550 should not be applied "so as to prevent a petitioner from securing an opportunity for at least one full and fair hearing on all issues"

Summary of this case from Winstead v. State

determining whether "grounds" asserted by petitioner, including that guilty plea was coerced and that indictment was based on inadmissible testimony, should have been raised in an earlier petition for post-conviction relief

Summary of this case from Datt v. Hill

In Church v. Gladden, 244 Or. 308, 311-21, 417 P.2d 993 (1966), the Oregon Supreme Court held that where a litigant wishes to pursue claims that his attorney refuses to pursue, he must inform the court of an attorney's failure to follow a legitimate request.

Summary of this case from Knight v. Reyes

In Church v. Gladden, 244 Or. 308, 311-21, 417 P.2d 993 (1966), the Oregon Supreme Court held that where a litigant wishes to pursue claims that his attorney refuses to pursue, he must inform the court of an attorney's failure to follow a legitimate request, and he may ask to have counsel replaced or ask the court to require the attorney to comply with the litigant's request.

Summary of this case from Richards v. Fhuere

In Church v. Gladden, 244 Or. 308, 311-21, 417 P.2d 993 (1966), the Oregon Supreme Court held that where a litigant wishes to pursue claims that his attorney refuses to pursue, he must inform the court of an attorney's failure to follow a legitimate request, and he may ask to have counsel replaced or ask the court to require the attorney to comply with the litigant's request.

Summary of this case from Benjamin v. Kelly

In Church, the Oregon Supreme Court held that a litigant must inform the court of an attorney's failure to follow a legitimate request, and that the litigant can ask to have counsel replaced or ask the court to require the attorney to comply with the litigant's request.

Summary of this case from Gannon v. Bowser

In Church v. Gladden, 244 Or. 308, 311-21, 417 P.2d 993 (1966), the Oregon Supreme Court held that where a litigant wishes to pursue claims that his attorney refuses to pursue, he must inform the court of an attorney's failure to follow a legitimate request, and he may ask to have counsel replaced or ask the court to require the attorney to comply with the litigant's request.

Summary of this case from Tapia-Martinez v. Taylor

In Church v. Gladden, 244 Or. 308, 311-21, 417 P.2d 993 (1966), the Oregon Supreme Court held that where a litigant wishes to pursue claims that his attorney refuses to include, he must inform the court of the attorney's failure to follow a legitimate request, and he may ask to have counsel replaced or ask the court to require the attorney to comply with the litigant's request.

Summary of this case from Heath v. Bowser

In Church v. Gladden, 244 Or. 308, 311-12 (1966), the Oregon Supreme Court held that a PCR petitioner must inform the court at his first opportunity if his attorney fails to follow any legitimate request.

Summary of this case from Sanders v. Cain

In Church v. Gladden, 244 Or. 308, 311-312, 417 P.2d 993 (1966), the Oregon Supreme Court held that a litigant must inform the court of an attorney's failure to follow a legitimate request, and that the litigant can ask to have counsel replaced or ask the court to require the attorney to comply with the litigant's request.

Summary of this case from Galindo v. Cain

In Church, the petitioner was convicted of murder and, after an unsuccessful direct appeal, he filed a petition for post-conviction relief. The post-conviction court denied relief and dismissed the petition.

Summary of this case from Bogle v. State

In Church, this court held that, for the purposes of ORS 138.550(3), the fact that a petitioner's attorney declined to raise a ground for relief does not mean that the ground could not reasonably have been raised.

Summary of this case from Bogle v. State

In Church, this court recognized that ORS 138.550(3) was intended to limit serial litigation of post-conviction cases arising out of a single criminal prosecution, and in Johnson this court held that post-conviction petitioners do not have a right to hybrid representation.

Summary of this case from Bogle v. State

In Church, the petitioner was convicted of second-degree murder and, following an unsuccessful direct appeal, filed a petition for post-conviction relief under the PCHA, alleging various deficiencies in his criminal trial counsel's performance.

Summary of this case from Johnson v. Premo

In Church v. Gladden, 417 P.2d 993 (Ore. 1966), the court, relying upon the Uniform Post-Conviction Procedure Act (adopted by Oregon in 1959), held that petitioner's allegation in his second petition that he wanted to raise the issues in his first petition, but was prevented by his attorney, was specious.

Summary of this case from Rogers v. Warden

In Church, the petitioner brought a successive petition for post-conviction relief and argued that the grounds for relief "could not reasonably have been raised [in his earlier petition] because his court-appointed attorney failed and refused to do so, although requested to pursue such course of action by the petitioner."

Summary of this case from Winstead v. State

In Church, introduced above, the issue was whether claims were precluded from relitigation in a subsequent or second PCR proceeding.

Summary of this case from Phillips v. Premo

In Church, the Supreme Court enforced ORS 138.550(3), which bars relitigating claims in a second PCR proceeding, when the PCR claims already were or reasonably could have been asserted in a prior PCR proceeding.

Summary of this case from Phillips v. Premo

concerning the effect of a petitioner's failure to complain of post-conviction counsel's failure to allege claims in post-conviction proceeding

Summary of this case from Phillips v. Premo

requiring post-conviction petitioner to “inform the court at first opportunity of his attorney's failure and ask to have him replaced, or ask to have him instructed by the court to carry out petitioner's request”

Summary of this case from McCallister v. Nooth

In Church, the petitioner alleged that he could not reasonably have asserted in his first post-conviction proceeding the grounds raised in his second, because his post-conviction counsel refused to comply with his request that those grounds be raised.

Summary of this case from Page v. Cupp
Case details for

Church v. Gladden

Case Details

Full title:CHURCH v. GLADDEN

Court:Oregon Supreme Court

Date published: Sep 9, 1966

Citations

244 Or. 308 (Or. 1966)
417 P.2d 993

Citing Cases

Phillips v. Premo

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Bogle v. State

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