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Brown v. Walker

United States District Court, E.D. New York
Aug 20, 2003
00-CV-7479, 03-MISC-0066 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 20, 2003)

Opinion

00-CV-7479, 03-MISC-0066

August 20, 2003


MEMORANDUM, ORDER AND JUDGMENT


The petition for a writ of habeas corpus is denied. No hearing on this matter is necessary. This memorandum briefly addresses petitioner's claims.

I. Facts and Procedural History

This habeas corpus petition by a prisoner in state custody was originally commenced in the Northern District of New York on June 26, 2000, under 00 CV 999. The petition was transferred to the Eastern District on December 7, 2000, and assigned civil action number 00 CV 07479.

Petitioner claims in his petition drafted by counsel in the proceeding:

Denial of due process and fair trial — unlawful conviction for "propensity"

Ten specifications are listed in support.

Illegal hold and indictment — speedy trial issue and jurisdiction — ineffectiveness assistance.

Twelve specifications are listed in support.

Prosecutorial misconduct in the charging and pre-trial process.

One specification is listed in support.

Ineffective assistance of counsel — the unauthorized plea bargain issue and misconduct by the people in imposing an illegal hold and confinement on defendant to coerce him to accept the "deal".

Four specifications are listed in support.

Ineffective assistance — the investigator conflict-of-interest issue.

Two specifications are listed in support.

Ineffective assistance on appeal — failure to pursue complainant's STD condition and the rape shield law.

Two specifications are listed in support.

Ineffective assistance at trial and on appeal — failure to pursue the capacity/intoxication issue as relevant to criminal intent.

Two specifications are listed in support.

Ineffectiveness of trial and appeal counsel — the failure to develop the lack of forensic evidence to support the rape/sodomy charges.

Three specifications are listed in support.

Ineffectiveness of trial and appeal counsel — the phantom knife issue/complainant's credibility.

Seven specifications are listed in support.

Ineffectiveness of trial and appeal counsel — possible conflict of interest of trial counsel — Ex. 35 — defendant's letter to the judge.

Three specifications are listed in support.

Ineffectiveness of trial and appeal counsel — the prompt outcry/bolstering issue.

One specification is listed in support.

Ineffectiveness of trial and appeal counsel — prosecutorial misconduct in imputing criminal conduct to the witness Helen Baier.

One specification is listed in support.

Ineffectiveness of trial and appeal counsel — inadequacy of motions at the close of the close of the People's case and at the close of proofs; failure to make post-trial motion for a new trial.

One specification is listed in support.

The sentence was unlawful — cruel and unusual punishment.

One specifications is listed in support.

While the petition indicates that a writ of error coram nobis is pending, all state collateral attacks have now presumably been completed. See affirmation by petitioner's counsel filed September 26, 2000.

Petitioner challenges his incarceration on a judgment of conviction entered against him on June 13, 1996 on one count of Rape in the First Degree (count one), one count of Sodomy in the First Degree (count two) and one count of Burglary in the Second Degree (count three). He was sentenced, as a prior felony offender, to concurrent indeterminate terms of incarceration of in twelve and one-half to twenty-five years on counts one and two, and to a consecutive, indeterminate term of incarceration of seven and one-half to fifteen years on count three.

Petitioner, in his direct appeal of his conviction to the Appellate Division, argued that: the trial court's Moleneux ruling was improper; the trial court's Sandoval ruling was improper; and that his sentence should be reduced. In a decision dated May 3, 1999, the judgment of conviction entered against Petitioner was affirmed. [People v. Brown, 261 A.D.2d 410, 691 N.Y.S.2d 532 (2d Dept. 1999)]. Leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals was denied on June 28, 1999 [ 93 N.Y.2d 967, 695 N.Y.S.2d 53, 716 N.E.2d 1098 (1999)].

Next filed was a motion in state court for post-conviction relief under C.P.L. § 440.10, presenting a long list of contentions, many of which were repetitive and overlapping. He contended that his conviction should have been overturned because of: (a) an alleged "fraudulent indictment"; (b) a purported denial of his right to testify before the Grand Jury; (c) the failure to pursue a 30.30 claim; (d) an "unauthorized plea bargain" and attempted coercion of a guilty plea; (e) an "investigator conflict-of-interest issue"; (f) impermissible prompt outcry/bolstering testimony; (g) error as to the admissibility at trial of the fact that the complainant allegedly had a sexually transmitted disease, which was precluded intoxication defense; (i) the court's failure to permit publication to the jury of a letter Petitioner sent to the court; (j) weight/sufficiency of the evidence claim — as concerned lack of forensic evidence and the "phantom knife"; (k) prosecutorial misconduct as to questioning of Helen Baier; (1) trial counsel's failure to file a post-verdict motion; and (m) ineffective assistance of trial counsel — based on the individual grounds asserted above.

The County Court denied petitioner's motion in a decision and order dated July 24, 2000. The court found petitioner's claims to be "either (1) unfounded and controverted by the record; (2) previously determined by the trial court as matters of evidence; or (3) related to issues which the defendant could have raised upon direct appeal or which were previously determined on the merits upon direct appeal. See CPL § 440.10(2)(a) and (c)." Leave to appeal from the denial of the 440 motion was itself denied on September 18, 2000.

Concomitantly with the post-conviction motion, petitioner filed an application for a writ of error coram nobis in the intermediate appellate court challenging the effectiveness of his appellate counsel's representation. That application presented virtually the same list of complaints as was raised in the 440.10 motion.

The court denied petitioner's application in a decision and order dated October 23, 2000, People v. Brown, 276 A.D.2d 707, 715 N.Y.S.2d 861 (2d Dept. 2000). The court held that "appellant has failed to establish that he was denied the effective assistance of appellate counsel (see, Jones v. Barnes, 463 U.S. 745, 103 S.Ct. 3308, 77 L.Ed.2d 987)." Id. 276 A.D.2d at 707-08. Petitioner sought leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals; this application was dismissed [People v. Brown, 95 N.Y.2d 961; 722 N.Y.S.2d 478 (2000)], since leave to appeal does not lie from the denial of coram nobis application.

Factual Background of Charges

The underlying facts of the case at bar involve the sexual assault of Judy Borowski, who had been in an on-again-off-again relationship with petitioner. On August 12, 1994, Ms. Borowski asked petitioner to move out of her apartment, which he did; but then he repeatedly returned to the apartment and to Ms. Borowski's place of employment requesting that he be given another chance at their relationship. Petitioner, moreover, made threatening telephone calls to Ms. Borowski and her daughter.

These events led up to the sexual assault on Ms. Borowski on September 15, 1994. Prior to the crime, a neighbor had seen petitioner, in an extremely agitated state, approach the apartment, rip the screen, reach in and grab Ms. Borowski. Sometime early the next morning, Ms. Borowski was awakened by the sound of her bedroom door squeaking; when she looked up, petitioner was standing by the side of her bed. Petitioner proceeded to grab her by the hair and drag her into the living room. In the ensuing hours, petitioner punched her; smacked her; threw hot coffee at her; threatened her; and then ordered her to take her pants off. He took her into the bedroom, sexually assaulting her.

II. AEDPA

Under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 ("AEDPA"), a federal court may grant a writ of habeas corpus to a state prisoner on a claim that was "adjudicated on the merits" in state court only if it concludes that the adjudication of the claim "(1) resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States; or (2) resulted in a decision that was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding." 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d).

An "adjudication on the merits" is a "substantive, rather than a procedural, resolution of a federal claim." Sellan v. Kuhlman, 261 F.3d 303, 313 (2d Cir. 2001) (quoting Aycox v. Lytle, 196 F.3d 1174, 1178 (10th Cir. 1999)). Under the "contrary to" clause, "a federal habeas court may set of materially indistinguishable facts." Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 412-13 (2000) (O'Connor, J., concurring and writing for the majority in this part). Under the "unreasonable application" clause, "a federal habeas court may grant the writ if the state court identifies the correct governing legal principle from this Court's decisions but unreasonably applies that principle to the facts of the prisoner's case." Id. at 413. Under this standard, "a federal habeas court may not issue the writ simply because that court concludes in its independent judgment that the relevant state-court decision applied clearly established federal law erroneously or incorrectly. Rather, that application must also be unreasonable." Id. at 411. In order to grant the writ there must be "some increment of incorrectness beyond error," although "the increment need not be great; otherwise, habeas relief would be limited to state court decisions so far off the mark as to suggest judicial incompetence." Francis S. v. Stone, 221 F.3d 100, 111 (2d Cir. 2000) (internal quotation marks omitted).

"[F]ederal law, as determined by the Supreme Court, may as much be a generalized standard that must be followed, as a bright-line rule designed to effectuate such a standard in a particular context." Overton v. Newton, 295 F.3d 270, 278 (2d Cir. 2002); see also Yung v. Walker, No. 01-2299, 2002 U.S. App. LEXIS 28137 (2d Cir. Aug. 1, 2003) (amended opinion) (district court's habeas decision that relied on precedent from the court of appeals is remanded for reconsideration in light of "the more general teachings" of Supreme Court decisions). The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has also indicated that habeas relief may be granted if a state court's decision was contrary to or an unreasonable application of "a reasonable extension" of Supreme Court jurisprudence. Berbary v. Torres, No. 02-2463, 2003 U.S.App. LEXIS 16167, at *25 (2d Cir. Aug. 7, 2003). Determination of factual issues made by a state court "shall be presumed to be correct," and the applicant "shall have the burden of rebutting the presumption of correctness by clear and convincing evidence." 28 U.S.C. § 2254(e)(1).

III. Limitations Period

Congress has set a one-year period of limitations for the filing of an application for a writ of habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant to a state court judgment. See 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1). This limitations period ordinarily begins to run on "the date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such review." Id. § 2244(d)(1)(A). A conviction becomes final for habeas purposes when the ninety-day period for filing a petition for a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court has expired. See McKinney v. Artuz, No. 01-2739, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 6745, at *22 (2d Cir. 2003); see also Sup.Ct. R. 13.

Prisoners whose convictions became final before the effective date of AEDPA, April 24, 1996, had a grace period of one year, until April 24, 1997, to file their habeas application. See Ross v. Artuz, 150 F.3d 97, 103 (2d Cir. 1998).

"[T]he district court has the authority to raise a petitioner's apparent failure to comply with the AEDPA statute of limitation on its own motion." Acosta v. Artuz, 221 F.3d 117,121 (2d Cir. 2000). "If the court chooses to raise sua sponte the affirmative defense of failure to comply with the AEDPA statute of limitation, however, the court must provide the petitioner with notice and an opportunity to be heard before dismissing on such ground." Id.

In calculating the one-year limitation period, the "time during which a properly filed creative, unrecognized motions for leave to appeal" does not toll the statute of limitations. Adeline v. Stinson, 206 F.3d 249, 253 (2d Cir. 2000); see also Artuz v. Bennett, 531 U.S. 4, 8 (2000) ("[A]n application is `properly filed' when its delivery and acceptance are in compliance with the applicable laws and rules governing filings. These usually prescribe, for example, the form of the document, the time limits upon its delivery, the court and office in which it must be lodged, and the requisite filing fee. . . . The question whether an application has been `properly filed' is quite separate from the question whether the claims contained in the application are meritorious and free of procedural bar." (emphasis in original; footnote omitted)).

The term "pending" in the statute has been construed broadly to encompass all the time during which a state prisoner attempts, through proper use of state procedures, to exhaust state court remedies with regard to a particular post-conviction application. See Bennett v. Artuz, 199 F.3d 116,120 (2d Cir. 1999), aff'd, 531 U.S. 4 (2000). "[A] state-court petition is `pending' from the time it is first filed until finally disposed of and further appellate review is unavailable under the particular state's procedures." Bennett, 199 F.3d at 120; Carey v. Saffold, 536 U.S. 214 (2002) (holding that the term "pending" includes the intervals between a lower court decision and a filing in a higher court for motions for collateral review). A motion for extension of time to file an appeal does not toll AEDPA's limitations period unless an extension is actually granted. See Bertha v. Girdich, 293 F.3d 577, 579 (2d Cir. 2002).

The period of limitations set forth in AEDPA ordinarily does not violate the Suspension Clause. See Muniz v. United States, 236 F.3d 122, 128 (2d Cir. 2001) ("[T]he Suspension Clause does not always require that a first federal petition be decided on the merits and not barred procedurally" (quotation omitted)); Rodriguez v. Artuz, 990 F. Supp. 275, 283 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) (AEDPA statute of limitations is not, "at least in general," an unconstitutional suspension of the writ).

A pro se litigant is accorded "some degree of latitude" in meeting filing requirements. Brown v. Superintendent, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1936, No. 97 Civ. 3303, 1998 WL 75686, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 23, 1998). But "[it] has long been recognized that ignorance does not excuse lack of compliance with the law." Velasquez v. United States, 4 F. Supp.2d 331, 334-35 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) (holding that Bureau of Prison's failure to notify prisoners regarding AEDPA's time limitation did not warrant acceptance of untimely petition); see also Brown, 1998 WL 75686 at *4 ("self-serving statement that the litigant is ignorant of the law is not grounds for equitable tolling of a statute of limitations").

The Supreme Court held in Duncan v. Walker that "an application for federal habeas corpus review is not an `application for State post-conviction or other collateral review' within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2)," and that therefore the section does "not toll the limitation period during the pendency of [a petitioner's] first federal habeas petition." 533 U.S. 167, 181-82 (2001). Duncan reversed a case in this circuit which held to the contrary. See Walker v. Artuz, 208 F.3d 357, 361-62 (2000). Although the Supreme Court has now declared that AEDPA's one-year limitations period is not tolled during the pendency of a properly filed federal habeas petition, this statute of limitations is not jurisdictional and may be tolled equitably. Smith v. McGinnis, 208 F.3d 13, 17 (2d Cir. 2000). "Equitable tolling . . . is only appropriate in `rare and exceptional circumstances.' To merit application of equitable tolling, the petitioner successful filing during that time." Smaldone v. Senkowski, 273 F.3d 133, 138 (2d Cir. 2001).

Although state prisoners are not entitled to counsel as of right in either New York state collateral or federal habeas corpus proceedings, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has stated that "an attorney's conduct, if it is sufficiently egregious, may constitute the sort of `extraordinary circumstances' that would justify the application of equitable tolling to the one-year limitations period of AEDPA." Baldayaque v. United States, No. 02-2611, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 15063, at *17 (2d Cir. July 30, 2003); compare Smaldone, 273 F.3d at 138-39 (attorney calculation error does not justify equitable tolling).

Prisoners cannot circumvent the strict AEDPA limitations period by invoking the "relation back" doctrine by arguing that a new petition should be treated as having been filed on the same day as a first petition. As the court of appeals has explained,

If [the limitations period] were interpreted as Petitioner argues, the result would be impractical. A habeas petitioner could file a non-exhausted application in federal court within the limitations period and suffer a dismissal without prejudice. He could then wait decades to exhaust his state court remedies and could also wait decades after exhausting his state remedies before returning to federal court to "continue" his federal remedy, without running afoul of the statute of limitations.
Warren v. Garvin, 219 F.3d 111, 114 (2d Cir. 2000) (quoting Graham v. Johnson, 158 F.3d 762, 780 (5th Cir.1999)).

IV. Exhaustion

In the past, a state prisoner's federal habeas petition had to be dismissed if the prisoner did not exhaust available state remedies as to any of his federal claims. See Rose v. Lundy, 455 U.S. 509, 522 (1989). "This exhaustion requirement is . . . grounded in principles of comity; in a federal system, the States should have the first opportunity to address and correct alleged violations of [a] state prisoner's federal rights." Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 731, 111 S.Ct. 2546, 115 L.Ed.2d 640 (1991). The exhaustion requirement requires the petitioner to have presented to the state court "both the factual and legal premises of the claim he asserts in federal court." Daye v. Attorney General, 696 F.2d 186, 191 (2d Cir. 1982) (en banc).

Pursuant to AEDPA, a district court may now, in its discretion, deny on the merits habeas petitions containing unexhausted claims — so-called "mixed petitions." See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b)(2) ("An application for a writ of habeas corpus may be denied on the merits, notwithstanding the failure of the applicant to exhaust the remedies available in the courts of the state."). In addition, the state may waive the exhaustion requirement, but a "State shall not be deemed to have waived the exhaustion requirement or be estopped from reliance upon the requirement unless the State, through counsel, expressly waives the requirement." Id. § 2254(b)(3); see also Ramos v. Keane, No. 98 CIV. 1604, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101, at * 10 (S.D.N.Y. 2000) (state's failure to raise exhaustion requirement does not waive the issue).

V. Procedural Bar

A federal habeas court may not review a state prisoner's federal claims if those claims were defaulted in state court pursuant to an independent and adequate state procedural rule, "unless the prisoner can demonstrate cause for the default and actual prejudice as a result of the alleged violation of federal law, or demonstrate that failure to consider the claims will result in a fundamental miscarriage of justice." Coleman, 501 U.S. at 750.

If a state court holding contains a plain statement that a claim is procedurally barred then the federal habeas court may not review it, even if the state court also rejected the claim on the merits in the alternative. See Harris v. Reed, 489 U.S. 255, 264 n. 10 109 S.Ct. 1038, 103 L.Ed.2d 308 (1989) ("a state court need not fear reaching the merits of a federal claim in an alternative holding" so long as it explicitly invokes a state procedural rule as a separate basis for its decision).

When a state court "says that a claim is `not preserved for appellate review' and then ruled `in any event' on the merits, such a claim is not preserved." Glenn v. Bartlett, 98 F.3d 721, 724-25 (2d Cir. 1996). When a state court "uses language such as `the defendant's remaining contentions are either unpreserved for appellate review or without merit,' the validity of the claim is preserved and is subject to federal review." Fama v. Comm'r of Corr. Svcs., 235 F.3d 804, 810 (2d Cir. 2000). Where "a state court's ruling does not make clear whether a claim was rejected for procedural or substantive reasons and where the record does not otherwise preclude the possibility that the claim was denied on procedural grounds, AEDPA deference is not given, because we cannot say that the state court's decision was on the merits." Su v. Filion, No. 02-2683, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 13949 at *15 n. 3 (2d Cir. July 11, 2003) (citing Miranda v. Bennett, 322 F.3d 171, 178 (2d Cir. 2003)). This congeries of holdings leaves it an open question whether there are "situations in which, because of uncertainty as to what the state courts have held, no procedural bar exists and yet no AEDPA deference is required." Id.

VI. Actual Innocence

"[A] habeas petitioner may also bypass the independent and adequate state ground bar by demonstrating a constitutional violation that resulted in a fundamental miscarriage of justice, i.e., that he is actually innocent of the crime for which he has been convicted." Dunham v. Travis, 313 F.3d 724, 729 (2d Cir. 2002).

Because habeas corpus "is, at its core, an equitable remedy," Schlup v. Delo, 513 U.S. 298, 319 (1995), the Supreme Court has stated that "in appropriate cases, the principles of comity and finality that inform the concepts of cause and prejudice must yield to the imperative of correcting a fundamentally unjust incarceration," id. at 320-21 (quotations omitted). To ensure that this exception remains rare and will be applied only in the extraordinary case, the Court has "explicitly tied" the miscarriage of justice exception to the petitioner's innocence. Id. at 321. "To be credible, such a claim requires petitioner to support his allegations of constitutional error with new reliable evidence . . . that was not presented at trial. Because such evidence is obviously unavailable in the vast majority of cases, claims of actual innocence are rarely successful." Id. at 324.

A showing of actual innocence serves merely as a gateway to the airing of the petitioner's defaulted claim and is not itself cognizable in habeas as a free-standing claim. See Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390, 400 (1993) ("[C]laims of actual innocence based on newly discovered evidence have never been held to state a ground for federal habeas relief absent an independent constitutional violation occurring in the underlying state criminal proceeding."). A habeas court is, in short, concerned "`not [with] the petitioners' innocence or guilt but solely [with] the question whether their constitutional rights have been preserved.'" Id. (quoting Moore v. Dempsey, 261 U.S. 86, 87-88 (1923)); cf. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979) (habeas court 362 U.S. 199 (1960) (reversing conviction of "Shuffling Sam" on direct review from conviction in Louisville's police court where there was no evidence that defendant violated city ordinances).

VII. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

The Counsel Clause of the Sixth Amendment provides that a criminal defendant "shall enjoy the right . . . to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense." U.S. Const, amend. VI. This right to counsel is "the right to effective assistance of counsel." McMann v. Richardson, 397 U.S. 759, 771 n. 14 (1970) (emphasis added). The Supreme Court has explained that in giving meaning to this requirement we must be guided by its purpose — "to ensure a fair trial" — and that therefore the "benchmark for judging any claim of ineffectiveness must be whether counsel's conduct so undermined the proper functioning of the adversarial process that the trial cannot be relied on as having produced a just result." Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 686 (1984). In order to prevail on a Sixth Amendment claim, a petitioner must prove both that counsel's representation "fell below an objective standard of reasonableness" measured under "prevailing professional norms," id. at 688, and that "there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different," id. at 694. See also Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. ___, No. 02-311, slip op. at 8-10 (June 26, 2003); United States v. Eyman, 313 F.3d 741, 743 (2d Cir. 2002). A "reasonable probability" is "a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome." Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694.

The performance and prejudice prongs of Strickland may be addressed in either order, and "[i]f it is easier to dispose of an ineffectiveness claim on the ground of lack of sufficient weight of error" in order to determine whether the prejudice "reache[s] the constitutional threshold." Lindstadt v. Keane, 239 F.3d 191, 202 (2d Cir. 2001). The court must also keep in mind that "a verdict or conclusion only weakly supported by the record is more likely to have been affected by errors than one with overwhelming record support." Strickland, 466 U.S. at 696, "The result of a [criminal] proceeding can be rendered unreliable, and hence the proceeding itself unfair, even if the errors of counsel cannot be shown by a preponderance of the evidence to have determined the outcome." Purdy v. Zeldes, No. 02-7468, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 2053, at *18 (2d Cir. Feb. 6, 2003) (quoting Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694). Ineffective assistance maybe demonstrated where counsel performs competently in some respects but not in others. See Eze v. Senkowski, 321 F.3d 110, 112 (2d Cir. 2003).

As a general matter, strategic choices made by counsel after a thorough investigation of the facts and law are "virtually unchallengeable," though strategic choices "made after less than complete investigation are reasonable precisely to the extent that reasonable professional judgments support the limitations on investigation." Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690-91. Counsel, in other words, "has a duty to make reasonable investigations or to make a reasonable decision that makes particular investigations unnecessary." Id. at 691. Where counsel fails to make a reasonable investigation that is reasonably necessary to the defense, a court must conclude that the decision not to call an expert cannot have been based on strategic considerations and will thus be subject to review under Strickland's prejudice prong. See Pavel v. Hollins, 261 F.3d 210, 223 (2d Cir. 2001) (counsel ineffective in a child sexual abuse case where his failure to call a medical significant trial decisions must be justified by a sound strategy — a significant raising of the bar that would appear to require an unrealistic degree of perfection in counsel. See Eze, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 2511, at *78-*79 (remanding to district court for factual hearing because it was "unable to assess with confidence whether strategic considerations accounted for . . . counsel's decisions").

There is "a strong presumption that counsel's conduct falls within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance." Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689.

Each factual claim made in support of an allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel must be fairly presented to a state court before a federal habeas court may rule upon it. See Rodriguez v. Hoke, 928 F.2d 534, 538 (2d Cir. 1991) (dismissing petition as unexhausted where petitioner's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel alleged more deficiencies before the habeas court than were presented to the state court, because "[t]he state courts should have been given the opportunity to consider all the circumstances and the cumulative effect of all the claims as a whole" (quotation omitted)). Where an additional factual claim in support of the ineffective-assistance allegation merely "supplements" the ineffectiveness claim and does not "fundamentally alter" it, dismissal is not required. Caballero v. Keane, 42 F.3d 738, 741 (2d Cir. 1994). Each significant factual claim in support of an ineffective-assistance allegation premised on appellate counsel's deficient performance must be exhausted. See Word v. Lord, No. 00 CIV. 5510, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19923, at *34-*35 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 18, 2002) (Magistrate's Report and Recommendation).

Although the Strickland test was formulated in the context of an ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim, the same test is used with respect to claims of ineffective appellate counsel. See Claudia v. Scully, 982 F.2d 798, 803 (2d Cir. 1992). Appellate counsel does not have a duty to advance every nonfrivolous argument that could be made, see Jones v. Barnes, 463 U.S. 745, 754 (1983), but a petitioner may establish that appellate counsel was constitutionally ineffective "if he shows that counsel omitted significant and obvious issues while pursuing issues that were clearly and significantly weaker," Mayo v. Henderson, 13 F.3d 528, 533 (2d Cir. 1994). Either a federal or a state law claim that was improperly omitted from an appeal may form the basis for an ineffective assistance of appellate counsel claim, "so long as the failure to raise the state . . . claim fell outside the wide range of professionally competent assistance." Id. (quotations omitted).

VIII. Errors of State Law

Federal habeas corpus relief does not lie for mere errors of state law. Estelle v. McGuire, 502 U.S. 62, 68 (1991). Nonetheless, the Due Process Clause requires that state courts conducting criminal trials "proceed consistently with `that fundamental fairness' which is `essential to the very concept of justice.'" Dunnigan v. Keane, 137 F.3d 117, 125 (2d Cir. 1998) (quoting Lisenba v. California, 314 U.S. 219,236 (1941)). Errors of state law that rise to the level of a constitutional violation may be corrected by a habeas court, but even an error of constitutional dimensions will merit habeas corpus relief only if it had a `"substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jury's verdict.'" Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U.S. 619, 623 (1993) (quotation omitted).

IX. Evidentiary Error

For a habeas petitioner to prevail on a claim that an evidentiary error amounted to a deprivation of due process, he must show that the error was so pervasive as to have denied him a fundamentally fair trial. United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 108 (1976). The standard is "whether the erroneously admitted evidence, viewed objectively in light of the entire record before the jury, was sufficiently material to provide the basis for conviction or to remove a reasonable doubt that would have existed on the record without it. In short it must have been `crucial, critical, highly significant'." Collins v. Scully, 755 F.2d 16, 19 (2d Cir. 1985) (quoting Nettles v. Wainwright, 677 F.2d 410, 414-15 (5th Cir. 1982). This test applies post-AEDPA. See Wade v. Mantello, No. 02-2359, slip op. at 13 (2d Cir. June 13, 2003).

X. Verdict Against the Weight of the Evidence

To the degree petitioner claims that his guilt was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the relevant question for this court is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979). Petitioner "bears a very heavy burden" when challenging the legal sufficiency of the evidence in a state criminal conviction. Einaugler v. Supreme Court, 109 F.3d 836, 840 (2d Cir. 1997). To the degree petitioner claims the verdict was against the weight of the evidence, such a claim does not present a federal constitutional issue.

XI. Legal Claims Frequently Raised in Habeas Corpus Applications

For an explication of the law concerning other claims that are frequently raised before this court in applications for a writ of habeas corpus, see Waters v. McGuiness, 99-CV-0615, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11077, at *4-*5 (E.D.N.Y. June 16, 2003) (grand 99-CV-3758, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11045, at *5-*6 (E.D.N.Y. June 20, 2003) (Wade claims); Brathwaite v. Duncan, 00-CV-0860, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11056, at *4-*5 (E.D.N.Y. June 10, 2003) (Sandoval claims); Thomas v. Kuhlman, 255 F. Supp.2d 99, 108-09 (E.D.N.Y. 2003) (perjured testimony); Martinez v. Greiner, 99-CV-4663, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11046, at *7 (E.D.N.Y. June 20, 2003) ( Fourth Amendment claims); Plunkett v, Keane, 97-CV-1992, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11048, at *8-*9 (E.D.N.Y. June 10, 2003) (Rosario claims); Beniquez v. Bennett, 00-CV-0985, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11032, at *15-*16 (E.D.N.Y. June 16, 2003) (prosecutorial misconduct); Sevencan v. Herbert, No. 01-2491, slip op. at 6-13 (2d Cir. Aug. 7, 2003) (public trial); Cox v. Donnelly, 99-CV-8216, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9886, at *12-*14 (E.D.N.Y. June 12 2003) (shifting burden of proof); Jelinek v. Costello, 247 F. Supp.2d 212, 266-67 (E.D.N.Y. 2003) (right to self-representation); Stewart v. Senkowski, 00-CV-0806, 03-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11028, at *6 (E.D.N.Y. June 16, 2003) (erroneous jury instructions); Jenkins v. Artuz, 98-CV-7837, 00-MISC-0066 (JBW), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11049, at *7-*8 (E.D.N.Y. June 13, 2003) (abuse of discretion in sentencing);

XII. Harmless Error

In order to be entitled to habeas relief, a petitioner must ordinarily demonstrate that any constitutional error "had substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jury's verdict," and that the error resulted in "actual prejudice." Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U.S. 619, 637, 113 S.Ct. 1710, 123 L.Ed.2d 353 (1993) (quotation marks omitted). When a claim was never adjudicated on the merits in the state courts and there is no ruling which commands AEDPA deference, it is unclear what the standard for review for harmlessness should be in a collateral attack when a federal court finds constitutional error. Should it proceed under the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard of Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967) (conviction infected by constitutional error must be overturned unless "harmless beyond a reasonable doubt") or under the "substantial and injurious effect or influence" standard of Brecht (for cases on collateral review, an error is generally considered harmless if it did not have a "substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jury's verdict")? The correct standard of review is an open question in this circuit. See Cotto v. Herbert, No. 01-2694, 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 8326, at *92 (2d Cir. May 1, 2003).

XIII. Certificate of Appealability

Petitioner has a right to seek a certificate of appealability from the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253; Miller-El v, Cockrell, 123 S.Ct. 1029 (2003). The court has taken into account the rule of section 2253(c)(3) of Title 28 of the United States Code that a certificate of appealability "shall indicate which specific issue or issues satisfy the [substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right] required by paragraph (2)." See also Shabazz v. Artuz, ___ F.3d ___, No. 02-2320, slip op. at 10 (2d Cir. July 18, 2003).

This opinion complies with Miranda v. Bennett, 322 F.3d 171, 175-77 (2d Cir. 2003), and Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. No other issue open to consideration by this court has merit. See Sumner v. Mata, 449 U.S. 539, 548 (1981) ("a court need not elaborate or give reasons for rejecting claims which it regards as frivolous or totally without merit").

XIV. Analysis of Claims

The carload of frivolous claims do not warrant an individual analysis of each one. Only the least unmeritorious are treated below.

The grand jury claims are factually without basis. Any errors — all on state grounds — were wiped out by the full jury trial.

No speedy trial claim was made before trial. The suppression hearing and trial proceeded with sufficient promptness after bail was granted.

Petitioner's original trial counsel engaged in sensible plea bargaining. He hired a competent investigator.

Petitioner argues that Mr. Graseck, the second trial counsel retained by petitioner himself, should have made a more specific argument for a trial order of dismissal. Since petitioner was convicted by legally sufficient evidence, no application for a trial order of dismissal, which requires the trial evidence to be viewed in a light favorable to the prosecution, would have obtained a different result.

Petitioner's claim as to the prosecutor's questioning of Helen Baier, one of his witnesses, is meritless.

Petitioner asserts a conflict of interest claim as to trial counsel's purported representation of a family with a wrongful death suit stemming from the death of an inmate at the jail, a Mr. Wright, who was mentioned in petitioner's letter to the court. Petitioner failed to establish either the existence of a conflict or that such a conflict somehow prejudiced his defense. The letter, wish at trial that it not be introduced into evidence.

Petitioner also raises an ineffective assistance claim based on trial counsel's alleged failure to advise petitioner as to a potential intoxication defense or to pursue such a defense. Whether or not petitioner was ever advised of the issue of intoxication, trial counsel, who was responsible for making the strategic decisions in the case, cannot be faulted for pursuing the defense posture that petitioner espoused — that he did not commit the crimes charged. While there was evidence before the jury that he had been drinking prior to the sexual assault on Ms. Borowski, there arguably was insufficient evidence to make out a defense of intoxication. Petitioner's defense, of course, was that the crime had never happened. Pursuing an alternative defense would have undermined this position. Petitioner's attorney, moreover, raised the issue of intoxication in his application for a trial order of dismissal made at the conclusion of the defense case.

Petitioner's ground, that his sentence represents cruel and unusual punishment, was never presented in the state courts and is unexhausted. In any event, because petitioner's sentence was within the permissible range of state court sentences, this claim is without merit in a constitutional sense.

Petitioner fails to establish a deprivation of any constitutional right so as to support the granting of the writ. He was afforded a fair trial, represented by experienced and competent trial, appellate and collateral attack counsel. Once the jury accepted as credible the complaining witness's testimony (as buttressed by other evidence) petitioner's denials were insufficient to gain an acquittal.

This habeas corpus application is an important matter to petitioner. The court has considered all of his claims. Those claims not discussed in this memorandum are patently frivolous.

There is no reasonable question of innocence.

XV. Conclusion

The petition for a writ of habeas corpus is denied.

No certificate of appealability is granted. Petitioner made no substantial showing of the possible denial of a constitutional right. He may as already indicated, seek a further certificate of appealability from the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

SO ORDERED.


Summaries of

Brown v. Walker

United States District Court, E.D. New York
Aug 20, 2003
00-CV-7479, 03-MISC-0066 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 20, 2003)
Case details for

Brown v. Walker

Case Details

Full title:JAMES BROWN, Petitioner -against- HANS WALKER, Respondent

Court:United States District Court, E.D. New York

Date published: Aug 20, 2003

Citations

00-CV-7479, 03-MISC-0066 (E.D.N.Y. Aug. 20, 2003)