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We conclude that Lyons received constitutionally
ineffective assistance of counsel. We further conclude that a )LUVW WKH ZDUGHQ¶V UHOLDQFH RQ FLUFXLW FRXUW FDVHV LV
decision to the contrary on the facts of this case is an LPSURSHU7KH$('3$SURKLELWVXVHRIORZHUFRXUWGHFLVLRQV
unreasonable application of clearly established federal law. LQGHWHUPLQLQJZKHWKHUWKHVWDWHFRXUWGHFLVLRQLVFRQWUDU\WR
We therefore AFFIRM the federal district court’s conditional RU LV DQ XQUHDVRQDEOH DSSOLFDWLRQ RI FOHDUO\ HVWDEOLVKHG
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DGYLVHGKHVWLOOZRXOGKDYHSOHGJXLOW\ supports Lyons' claim of prejudice.
3HUIRUPDQFHRI&RXQVHO At the March 1990 plea hearing, Burgess told the court that
Lyons wished to offer a plea of guilty "on the basis of"
7KH SURSHU PHDVXUH RI DWWRUQH\ SHUIRUPDQFH LV ZKHWKHU Burgess's belief that he could convince Chief Judge Roberson
FRXQVHO¶V DVVLVWDQFH ZDV UHDVRQDEOH ³XQGHU SUHYDLOLQJ to sentence Lyons as a juvenile. Later, at the evidentiary
SURIHVVLRQDOQRUPV´DQG³FRQVLGHULQJDOOWKHFLUFXPVWDQFHV´ hearing on Lyons’ motion to withdraw his guilty plea,
6WULFNODQG 86 DW :H PDNH D FDVHE\FDVH Burgess acknowledged the possibility that, had he considered
H[DPLQDWLRQRIWKHHYLGHQFH:LOOLDPV 86DW DQG the possibility that the prosecutor would appeal a juvenile
³LQGXOJH D VWURQJ SUHVXPSWLRQ WKDW FRXQVHO¶V FRQGXFW IDOOV sentence, he might not have recommended that Lyons plead
ZLWKLQWKHZLGHUDQJHRIUHDVRQDEOHSURIHVVLRQDODVVLVWDQFH´ guilty. Both Lyons and his counsel testified that Lyons relied
6WULFNODQG86DW heavily on the attorney’s advice; thus, evidence that Burgess
might have changed his recommendation indicates that
7KH SURIHVVLRQDO QRUPV WKDW JXLGH XV UHVW XSRQ GHIHQVH Lyons would have been more likely to demand a trial rather
FRXQVHO¶VIXQGDPHQWDOGXWLHV³WREULQJWREHDUVXFKVNLOODQG than plead guilty.
NQRZOHGJHDVZLOOUHQGHUWKHWULDODUHOLDEOHDGYHUVDULDOWHVWLQJ
SURFHVV´ DQG ³WR FRQVXOW ZLWK WKH GHIHQGDQW RQ LPSRUWDQW Lyons testified at the plea withdrawal hearing that, when
GHFLVLRQVDQGWRNHHSWKHGHIHQGDQWLQIRUPHGRILPSRUWDQW first presented with Burgess's advice that he plead guilty,
GHYHORSPHQWVLQWKHFRXUVHRIWKHSURVHFXWLRQ´,GDW Lyons initially "wanted to fight" and put the government to its
7KH IHGHUDO GLVWULFW FRXUW DUWLFXODWHG WKH FLUFXPVWDQFHV burden of proof. Burgess corroborated Lyons’ belief that he
UHOHYDQWWRWKHSHUIRUPDQFHLQTXLU\LQWKLVFDVH had defenses to the first degree murder charge. In fact,
Burgess and Lyons had been concentrating almost exclusively
>7@ULDOFRXQVHO¶VSHUIRUPDQFHZDVGHILFLHQWZLWKLQWKH on trial preparation up until the date of the trial, when the case
PHDQLQJ RI WKH6WULFNODQG VWDQGDUG ZKHUH KH IDLOHG WR was transferred to Chief Judge Roberson. Given this
DGYLVH SHWLWLRQHU WKDW WKH SURVHFXWRU FRXOG DSSHDO D background, had Burgess advised Lyons of all the risks he
MXYHQLOHVHQWHQFHWRD0LFKLJDQDSSHOODWHFRXUWZLWKWKH was facing, Lyons might have pled not guilty.
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SHWLWLRQHU UHVHQWHQFHG DV DQ DGXOW %HFDXVH RI To meet the prejudice requirement under Strickland and
SHWLWLRQHU¶V\RXQJDJHSHWLWLRQHUZDVSDUWLFXODUO\UHOLDQW Hill, Lyons need only show a reasonable probability that he
RQKLVDWWRUQH\¶VDGYLFHWRSOHDGJXLOW\WRWKHRIIHQVHVLQ would have pled not guilty had Burgess’s performance been
WKLVFDVH,QOLJKWRIFRXQVHO
VH[WUDRUGLQDU\DGYLFHWR objectively reasonable. We conclude that Lyons' and
SHWLWLRQHUWKDWKHSOHDGJXLOW\WRDQRIIHQVHZKLFKFDUULHG Burgess’s testimony, along with reasonable inferences from
D PDQGDWRU\ VHQWHQFH RI OLIH LPSULVRQPHQW ZLWKRXW the facts and circumstances of this case, are sufficient to
SDUROHFRXQVHOKDGDGXW\ERWKWRFRQVLGHUDQGWRDGYLVH demonstrate not only a reasonable probability that Lyons
SHWLWLRQHURIWKHSURVHFXWRU¶VULJKWWRDSSHDODQ\VHQWHQFH would have decided to plead not guilty but also that a
WRWKH0LFKLJDQDSSHOODWHFRXUWVZLWKWKHSRVVLELOLW\WKDW contrary conclusion is objectively unreasonable.
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The warden maintains that if a defendant is aware of the /\RQVY-DFNVRQ1R &9'76OLS2SDW ('
maximum possible sentence he cannot be prejudiced by his 0LFK$XJ
counsel's failure to inform him of the prosecutor's right to
appeal. We decline to adopt the warden’s argument. An /\RQV¶WULDOFRXQVHO%XUJHVVEURXJKWWREHDURQWKLVFDVH
awareness of the sentencing range available to the trial judge KLV NQRZOHGJH RI &KLHI -XGJH 5REHUVRQ
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is not the same as an informed understanding that a SUDFWLFHV:LWKRXWDQ\GRXEWLQWKLVUHJDUG/\RQVLQLWLDOO\
sentencing judge's decision is subject to reversal. The rule EHQHILWWHGIURPFRXQVHO
VNQRZOHGJH)XUWKHUPRUH%XUJHVV
suggested by the warden would preclude courts from finding DGHTXDWHO\LQIRUPHG/\RQVUHJDUGLQJWKHULVNVDVWKH\UHODWHG
prejudice in any situation where the defendant knew the range WR&KLHI-XGJH5REHUVRQ¶VVHQWHQFLQJGHWHUPLQDWLRQ/\RQV
of penalties to which he was subject. understood that if he pled guilty Chief Judge Roberson could
opt to impose either a severe adult sentence of life
Furthermore, the circumstances of this case illustrate the imprisonment or a lenient juvenile sentence.
failings of the warden's argument. Lyons pled guilty in hopes
of avoiding life imprisonment without parole. A reduced However, Burgess acted incompetently in failing to
likelihood of being sentenced as an adult was the sole benefit consider the likelihood that the prosecutor would exercise his
of Lyons' guilty plea before Chief Judge Roberson. In reality, right to appeal the district court's imposition of a juvenile
the risk of being sentenced as an adult came in two parts: sentence. Any juvenile sentence imposed on Lyons would be
(1) being sentenced as an adult by Chief Judge Roberson; and less than five years in a juvenile facility. Given such a lenient
(2) having received a juvenile sentence from Chief Judge sentence for first degree murder, it was unreasonable for
Roberson, being subject to a successful appeal by the Burgess not to have considered that the prosecutor could
prosecutor. Lyons, however, was informed by his attorney, appeal and the juvenile sentence could be reversed. Yet
Burgess, of only the first risk. Burgess's failure to assess all Burgess did not factor this scenario into his advice to Lyons
the risks and inform his client left Lyons to make the most that pleading guilty was in Lyons’ best interest.
important decision of his life without essential information.
Presented with all the risks, Lyons might well have decided Thus, Lyons did not know that the prosecutor could appeal
to plead not guilty and to take his chances at trial. and that the juvenile sentence could be reversed, and, if so,
Lyons would serve a life sentence without possibility of
Indeed, Lyons puts forth evidence that he would have pled parole. Lyons was left unaware that, even if Burgess’s
not guilty. At the evidentiary hearing on his plea withdrawal assessment on his chances of receiving a juvenile sentence
motion, Lyons testified that he would not have pled guilty had from Chief Judge Roberson were correct, this was not a one-
he known of the prosecutor’s right to appeal. This testimony, act play in Chief Judge Roberson's courtroom.
though self-serving, may be enough by itself to satisfy the
prejudice prong under the circumstances here. See Magana Burgess should have considered these possibilities,
v. Hofbauer, 263 F.3d 542, 547 n.1 (6th Cir. 2001) (noting informed Lyons about them, and incorporated them into his
that, unlike the Seventh and Second Circuits, this Circuit has risk assessment when he advised Lyons about pleading guilty.
not explicitly adopted a requirement that in order to establish
prejudice a defendant must come forward with objective
evidence in addition to his post-conviction claim that he ,Q DGGLWLRQ %XUJHVV HQWLUHO\ IDLOHG WR FRQVLGHU WKDW DQ DSSHDOV
FRXUW IDFHG ZLWK WKH VDPH WZR UDGLFDOO\ GLIIHUHQW VHQWHQFLQJ SRVVLELOLWLHV
would have changed his mind about pleading guilty). We DV &KLHI -XGJH 5REHUVRQ PLJKW ZHOO UHYHUVH WKH WULDO FRXUW LQ IDYRU RI WKH
PRUH VHYHUH VHQWHQFH
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He failed to do so. Rather, he advised Lyons to plead guilty advising him." This case epitomizes the criminal defendant's
based solely upon his assessment of the relative risks in going need for what the Supreme Court has called the "guiding hand
to trial versus pleading guilty before Chief Judge Roberson. of counsel at every step in the proceeding against him."
As a result, Burgess misinformed Lyons regarding the Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, 69 (1932).
likelihood he would receive an adult sentence. Lyons was not
fully apprised of the risks he faced. We conclude that Lyons’ trial counsel was incompetent. It
is an objectively unreasonable application of Hill and
The duty of defense counsel to consult is paramount when Strickland for the Michigan Court of Appeals to hold
a client has to decide whether or not to waive a constitutional otherwise.
right, such as the right to trial. Because the decision whether
or not to plead guilty ultimately rests with the client, see 2. Prejudice
Jones v. Barnes, 463 U.S. 745, 751 (1983) ("the accused has
the ultimate authority to make certain fundamental decisions To determine whether Lyons was prejudiced by his
regarding the case, as to whether to plead guilty, waive a jury, counsel’s deficient performance, we ask whether there is a
testify in his or her own behalf, or take an appeal"); reasonable probability that, had he been advised of the
Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72, 93 n.1 (1977) (Burger, prosecutor’s right of appeal, he would not have pled guilty.
C.J., concurring) ("[o]nly such basic decisions as whether to A "reasonable probability" is a probability sufficient to
plead guilty, waive a jury, or testify in one's own behalf are undermine confidence in the outcome; it is less than a
ultimately for the accused to make"), counsel must ensure that preponderance of the evidence. Strickland86DW
the client's decision is as informed as possible. Failing even
to consider, let alone notify the client of, a factor that could The warden argues that Lyons could not have been
negate the entire benefit of the guilty plea is not within the prejudiced by any deficiency on the part of his trial counsel
range of professional norms. because Lyons acknowledged at the plea hearing in March
1990 that he could receive an adult sentence of life
Lyons’ age and his heavy reliance on Burgess, a reliance of imprisonment without parole. $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH ZDUGHQ
which Burgess was aware, enhanced Burgess’s duty to make "the fact that [Lyons] might not have been told that the
certain that Lyons understood all the risks associated with his prosecution could appeal [the juvenile] sentence he was never
guilty plea. Lyons was sixteen years old and had a seventh assured of receiving in the first place should be of no
grade education. His father knew nothing about the consequence."
applicable law. Burgess acknowledges that he was "placed in
the role where [he] was both [Lyons'] lawyer and like a parent
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