From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

U.S. v. Kramer

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Nov 4, 1999
195 F.3d 1129 (9th Cir. 1999)

Summary

holding that “[b]y its clear terms, § 2255 is applicable only to prisoners in custody claiming the right to be released”

Summary of this case from United States v. Tutt

Opinion

No. 98-16849

Argued and Submitted September 17, 1999 — San Francisco, California

Decided November 4, 1999 As Amended November 18, 1999

Brett Nesin, Stockton, California, for the defendant-appellant.

Stephen H. Jigger, Assistant United States Attorney, San Francisco, California, for the plaintiff-appellee.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Fern M. Smith, District Judge, Presiding, D.C. Nos. CR-96-00261-FMS, v. CV-98-00196-FMS.

Before: CANBY and SILVERMAN, Circuit Judges, and SNYDER, District Judge.

The Honorable Christina Snyder, United States District Judge for the Central District of California, sitting by designation.


We hold today that a defendant seeking relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 not only must be in custody, he also must claim the right to be released from custody. In this case, the defendant's § 2255 motion sought only vacatur of a restitution order, not his release from custody. Consequently, the district court ruled that § 2255 relief was not available to him, and denied the motion. We agree with the district court, and affirm. We also decline to address the defendant's other claims of error because they were not included in the certificate of appealability issued by this court.

I.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, the defendant pled guilty to one count of aiding and abetting ERISA fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1027. He was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay a $50 special assessment and restitution of $156,000. While serving his prison sentence, the defendant, through counsel, filed a "Motion Attacking Sentence of Restitution Imposed by Court" under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. Alleging that the court's restitution order violated his due process rights and right to effective assistance of counsel, the defendant's motion sought only to have the restitution portion of the judgment vacated. The motion did not attack the legality of the defendant's prison sentence or seek his release from custody.

The district court denied the motion, holding "that the statutory remedy embodied in 28 U.S.C. § 2255 is unavailable when the petitioner does not seek a release from custody."

II.

We review de novo a district court's denial of a petition for writ of habeas corpus. United States v. Cruz-Mendoza, 147 F.3d 1069, 1071-72 (9th Cir.), as amended, 163 F.3d 1149 (9th Cir. 1998).

28 U.S.C. § 2255 provides:

A prisoner in custody under sentence of a court established by Act of Congress claiming the right to be released upon the ground that the sentence was imposed in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States, or that the court was without jurisdiction to impose such sentence, or that the sentence was in excess of the maximum authorized by law, or is otherwise subject to collateral attack, may move the court which imposed the sentence to vacate, set aside or correct the sentence.

(emphasis added).

By its clear terms, § 2555 is applicable only to prisoners in custody claiming the right to be released. This reading of the statute is shared by each of our sister circuits to have considered this issue — the First, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits. Each has held that § 2255's language clearly and unambiguously limits its applicability to defendants seeking release from custody. It is not available to those, like the defendant, who challenge only fines or restitution orders. See Smullen v. United States, 94 F.3d 20, 25-26 (1st Cir. 1996) (holding that petitioner cannot challenge restitution order in § 2255 proceeding, stating "[w]e are not aware of any court of appeals that, having addressed this issue, has reached a contrary result"); United States v. Segler, 37 F.3d 1131, 1136 (5th Cir. 1994) ("The plain language of § 2255 provides only prisoners who claim a right to be released from custody an avenue to challenge their sentences . . . ."); United States v. Watroba, 56 F.3d 28, 29 (6th Cir. 1995) ("Watroba is precluded from challenging the imposition of the cost of his imprisonment and supervised release in a § 2255 petition."); Barnickel v. United States, 113 F.3d 704, 706 (7th Cir. 1997) (holding that "§ 2255 is not available to challenge an order of restitution imposed as part of a criminal sentence"); Blaik v. United States, 161 F.3d 1341, 1343 (11th Cir. 1998) ("[W]e hold that § 2255 cannot be utilized by a federal prisoner who challenges only the restitution portion of his sentence because § 2255 affords relief only to those prisoners who claim the right to be released' from custody.").

We agree with our sister circuits and join them in holding that by its plain terms, § 2255 is available only to defendants who are in custody and claiming the right to be released. It cannot be used solely to challenge a restitution order.

III.

We decline to address the several other claims of error the defendant attempted to raise in this appeal because those claims were not certified as appealable by this court. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(3); Hiivala v. Wood, No. 98-35265, 1999 WL 705101, at *3 (9th Cir. Sept. 13, 1999) (per curiam). The district court's order denying the defendant's § 2255 motion is AFFIRMED.


Summaries of

U.S. v. Kramer

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Nov 4, 1999
195 F.3d 1129 (9th Cir. 1999)

holding that “[b]y its clear terms, § 2255 is applicable only to prisoners in custody claiming the right to be released”

Summary of this case from United States v. Tutt

holding defendant who solely challenged restitution order and did not seek release from custody could not bring a motion under section 2255

Summary of this case from United States v. Austin

holding defendant who solely challenged restitution order and did not seek release from custody could not bring a motion under section 2255

Summary of this case from United States v. Smeaton

holding defendant who solely challenged restitution order and did not seek release from custody could not bring a motion under section 2255

Summary of this case from United States v. Smeaton

holding that prisoner "not only must be in custody, he also must claim the right to be released from custody"

Summary of this case from Bolanos-Nunez v. United States

denying a federal defendant's motion to vacate a restitution order because "by its plain terms, § 2255 [like § 2254, despite certain textual distinctions] is available only to defendants who are in custody and claiming the right to be released"

Summary of this case from McCune v. Waid

affirming denial of challenge to restitution order and holding that a petitioner seeking relief under Section 2255 "must be in custody" and "claim a right to be released from custody"

Summary of this case from United States v. Johnson

rejecting claim that restitution order violated his due process rights and right to effective assistance of counsel because § 2255 is only available to prisoners seeking release from custody and not for challenging fines or restitution orders

Summary of this case from United States v. Mara-Figueroa

rejecting claim that restitution order violated his due process rights and right to effective assistance of counsel because § 2255 is only available to prisoners seeking release from custody and not for challenging fines or restitution orders

Summary of this case from United States v. Sperow

rejecting claim that restitution order violated his due process rights and right to effective assistance of counsel because § 2255 is only available to prisoners seeking release from custody and not for challenging fines or restitution orders

Summary of this case from United States v. Sperow

In United States v. Kramer, 195 F.3d 1129 (9th Cir. 1999), we held that a federal prisoner cannot challenge a restitution order on constitutional grounds under § 2255 because "by its plain terms, § 2255 is available only to defendants who are in custody and claiming the right to be released."

Summary of this case from Bailey v. Hill

interpreting 28 U.S.C. § 2255

Summary of this case from Taylor v. Hamlet

In Kramer, the defendant brought a § 2255 motion challenging a $156,000 restitution order on the grounds that the order violated his rights to due process and the effective assistance of counsel.

Summary of this case from U.S. v. Thiele

addressing challenge to restitution order

Summary of this case from United States v. Briciu

Interpreting 28 U.S.C. § 2255 and finding habeas relief is limited to those "seeking release form custody" and unavailable "to those ... who challenge only fines or restitution orders."

Summary of this case from Conley v. Lizarraga

In United States v. Kramer, 195 F.3d 1129, 1130 (9th Cir. 1999), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that "by its plain terms, § 2255 is available only to defendants who are in custody and claiming the right to be released.

Summary of this case from Oranga-Zuniga v. United States

Interpreting 28 U.S.C. § 2255 and finding habeas relief is limited to those "seeking release form custody" and unavailable "to those . . . who challenge only fines or restitution orders."

Summary of this case from Reed v. Knipp

noting that each of the circuits to have considered the issue have found that § 2255 is unavailable to those who challenge only fine or restitution orders

Summary of this case from Massenburg v. United States

interpreting 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to find no cause of action challenging a restitution order

Summary of this case from Workman v. Blades

noting that the First, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits have held that modification of an amount of restitution is not available under a § 2255 motion because the defendant is not "in custody" as the statute requires

Summary of this case from Park v. U.S.

interpreting 28 U.S.C. § 2255 and finding relief available only to defendants who are in custody and claiming the right to be released and not to those solely challenging a restitution order

Summary of this case from Andrews v. Carey

joining several sister circuits in holding that "by its plain terms, § 2255 is available only to defendants who are in custody and claiming the right to be released. It cannot be used solely to challenge a restitution order."

Summary of this case from Covey v. United States
Case details for

U.S. v. Kramer

Case Details

Full title:UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. BERNARD BARNEY KRAMER…

Court:United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Date published: Nov 4, 1999

Citations

195 F.3d 1129 (9th Cir. 1999)

Citing Cases

Engel v. U.S.

To state a cognizable claim under section 2255, a petitioner must claim the right to be released from…

U.S. v. Thiele

SILVERMAN, Circuit Judge. Today we clarify our holding in United States v. Kramer, 195 F.3d 1129 (9th Cir.…