F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
PUBLISH
FEB 29 2000
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
TENTH CIRCUIT
CRAIG THOMAS RODGERS,
Petitioner-Appellant,
v. Nos. 98-8111 & 99-8022
WYOMING ATTORNEY GENERAL;
VANCE EVERETT, Warden of the
Wyoming State Penitentiary,
Respondents-Appellees.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF WYOMING
(D.C. No. 95-CV-206-J)
Submitted on the briefs:
Daniel G. Blythe of Blythe and Steiner, P.C., Cheyenne, Wyoming, for
Petitioner-Appellant.
Lori L. Gorseth, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Cheyenne, Wyoming,
for Respondents-Appellees.
Before BALDOCK , HENRY , and MURPHY , Circuit Judges.
MURPHY , Circuit Judge.
In appeal number 98-8111, Petitioner Craig Thomas Rodgers seeks to
appeal the district court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas petition, brought
on the ground of ineffective assistance of counsel. By construing his request for
a certificate of probable cause as the functional equivalent of a formal notice of
appeal, this court determines that Rodgers has complied with the jurisdictional
requirements of Rules 3 and 4 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. The
appeal may not proceed, however, because Rodgers has failed to make
a “substantial showing of the denial of [a] federal right.” Barefoot v. Estelle ,
463 U.S. 880, 893 (1983) (quotation omitted). 1
Accordingly, this court denies
a certificate of probable cause and dismisses the appeal. 2
In appeal number 99-8022, Rodgers appeals the district court’s denial of
his motion for relief from judgment, brought under Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b). That
appeal is dismissed as moot.
1
Rodgers filed his habeas petition before April 24, 1996, the effective
date of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA),
Pub. L. No. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214, so that AEDPA’s certificate of appealability
requirements do not apply. See United States v. Kunzman , 125 F.3d 1363, 1364
n.2 (10th Cir. 1997). Nevertheless, the pre-AEDPA version of 28 U.S.C. § 2253
required that a § 2254 habeas petitioner obtain a certificate of probable cause
before taking an appeal from a final order denying habeas relief. See 28 U.S.C.
§ 2253 (1994).
2
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination
of these appeals. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The cases
are therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
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I. BACKGROUND
In February 1994, Rodgers pleaded guilty to first degree sexual assault and
was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in the Wyoming State Penitentiary. He
did not appeal his conviction or sentence. Thereafter, he sought state post-
conviction relief alleging that, after his appeal time lapsed, he learned of the
existence of a potentially exculpatory report, produced by an investigator retained
by the attorney who represented Rodgers for a short time after his arrest. The
investigator allegedly provided his report to Rodgers’ second attorney.
Rodgers’ claim was that the second attorney provided ineffective assistance
of counsel by neglecting to probe into factual issues raised by the report and
failing to inform him of the report before entry of his plea. The state courts
denied relief. Rodgers then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in federal
district court, which determined that the petition was procedurally barred.
On appeal, this court reversed and remanded the case for further proceedings,
including an evaluation of the contents of the “allegedly exculpatory investigative
report.” Rodgers v. Ferguson , No. 96-8064 , 1997 WL 634110, **2 (10th Cir.
Oct. 14, 1997).
The district court held an evidentiary hearing to inquire into the report.
No comprehensive report, however, was introduced into evidence at the hearing.
The attorney’s file did contain, among other things, summaries of the
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investigator’s interviews. The summaries showed that the investigator had spoken
to the victim’s neighbors, who told of occasional abusive behavior on the part of
the victim’s boyfriend, and patrons of a bar, who said they had seen the victim
socializing with Rodgers on the evening of the sexual assault.
At the hearing, testimony focused on the investigator’s interview of
a police officer who had noticed Rodgers and the victim in their separate cars
after the assault occurred. The investigator testified that he had learned from the
police officer that the victim waved goodbye to Rodgers, an action which
arguably supported Rodgers’ claim that the sexual act was consensual. The
investigator, however, could not remember if he had reduced this information to
writing and included it with his other interview summaries. In any event, no such
writing was introduced into evidence. The police officer testified that he did not
recall seeing the victim wave to Rodgers but that, if he had, his own report would
have noted it. His report did not refer to the incident.
At the close of evidence, Rodgers argued that he could not have entered
an intelligent, knowing, and voluntary plea of guilty because his attorney did not
follow up on factual issues raised by the investigator or even inform him of the
results of the investigator’s activities. The district court rejected the argument,
stating on the record that trial counsel had acted appropriately with regard to
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Rodgers’ entry of a guilty plea and had not provided ineffective assistance
of counsel.
The court issued its order denying the habeas petition on October 13, 1998.
Seven days later, Rodgers filed a motion for a certificate of probable cause and
certificate of appealability, which the district court denied. On November 25,
1998, or forty-three days after entry of the order, Rodgers submitted a notice of
appeal. After docketing the matter as appeal number 98-8111, this court ordered
the parties to brief the jurisdictional issue of whether the appeal was timely filed.
We reserved a ruling on the jurisdictional issue.
Meanwhile, Rodgers filed a motion in the district court for relief from
judgment under Rule 60(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, asking the
court to “vacate the Order filed on October 13, 1998 and reenter that previous
Order so that a timely appeal may be filed.” R., vol. 3, tab 74. Rodgers’ attorney
based the motion on excusable neglect, claiming that he had misunderstood
the procedural effect of the certificate of probable cause requirement. On
February 18, 1999, the district court denied the motion. The next day, Rodgers
filed a notice of appeal of the Rule 60(b) order. The second appeal was docketed
as appeal number 99-8022.
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II. DISCUSSION
A. Appeal Number 98-8111
1. Jurisdiction
“This court cannot exercise jurisdiction absent a timely notice of appeal.”
United States v. Smith , 182 F.3d 733, 734 (10th Cir. 1999). The deadline for
filing a notice of appeal in a civil case expires “30 days after the judgment or
order appealed from is entered.” Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(A) (setting out the
general rule and cross-referencing certain exceptions not applicable here).
The three required elements of notice are: (a) a specification of “the party or
parties taking the appeal;” (b) a designation of “the judgment, order, or part
thereof being appealed;” and (c) the name of “the court to which the appeal
is taken.” Fed. R. App. P. 3(c)(1). “An appeal must not be dismissed for
informality of form or title of the notice of appeal.” Fed. R. App. P. 3(c)(4).
The Supreme Court has interpreted these rules, taken together, to mean that
notice of appeal requirements should be liberally construed. See Smith v. Barry ,
502 U.S. 244, 248 (1992). In that case, the appellant, who was a state prisoner
proceeding pro se , filed a brief within the time limits of Rule 4, but not a separate
notice of appeal. The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed his
appeal for want of jurisdiction. The Supreme Court reversed and remanded for
a determination of whether the brief was the “functional equivalent” of a notice
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of appeal. Id. at 250. The Court explained that the purpose of a notice of appeal
is “to ensure that the filing provides sufficient notice to other parties and the
courts.” Id. at 248. Therefore, “the notice afforded by a document, not the
litigant’s motivation in filing it, determines the document’s sufficiency as a notice
of appeal.” Id. at 248. A document “filed within the time specified by Rule 4
[which] gives the notice required by Rule 3 . . . is effective as a notice of appeal.”
Id. at 249.
Applying the Smith v. Barry standard in habeas cases, this court has often
permitted an application for a certificate of probable cause or a certificate of
appealability to serve as a notice of appeal. See Ray v. Cowley , 975 F.2d 1478,
1479 (10th Cir. 1992); Knox v. Wyoming , 959 F.2d 866, 867-68 (10th Cir. 1992);
United States v. Williamson , No. 99-3120, 1999 WL 1083750, **1, n.2 (10th Cir.
Dec. 2, 1999) (unpublished) ; United States v. Gonzalez, No. 98-3106, 1998 WL
847638, **1 (10th Cir. Dec. 8, 1998) (unpublished) . Generally, the application
“identif[ies] the parties to the appeal and the district court order appealed from,”
and consequently meets the requirements of Rule 3(c). Knox , 959 F.2d at 867. 3
3
This court has accepted a number of other documents as the functional
equivalent of a notice of appeal in pro se habeas cases. See, e.g. , Kenney v.
Colorado, Nos. 98-1317, 98-1324, 1999 WL 476014, **1 (10th Cir. July 9, 1999)
(unpublished) (financial affidavit); Coelho v. Romero, No. 98-2282, 1999 WL
430166, **1 (10th Cir. June 28, 1999) (unpublished) (appellate brief); Sule v.
Story, Nos. 96-1340, 97-1049, 97-1052, 96-1417, 97-1050, 96-1441, 97-1051,
(continued...)
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The appellants in these previous cases were proceeding pro se .
In recognition of their pro se status, this court noted that a “literal reliance on
the title of the document [would be] inconsistent with the liberal construction
afforded to pro se papers and would permit the district court to arbitrarily deny
appellate jurisdiction that is otherwise proper under the rules announced in Smith
[v. Barry] and Knox .” Ray , 975 F.2d at 1479.
The principles outlined in Smith v. Barry , however, are not confined to the
filings of pro se appellants. In analyzing the issue, the Court did not remark upon
the appellant’s pro se status or cite to the well-established body of case law
providing for a liberal view of papers filed by pro se litigants, see, e.g. , Haines v.
3
(...continued)
1997 WL 543366, **1 (10th Cir. Sept. 3, 1997) (unpublished) (motion and
affidavit for leave to proceed on appeal); Cattelan v. Utah, No. 94-4093, 1995
WL 511122, **1 (10th Cir. Aug. 30, 1995) (unpublished) (docketing statement).
This court has also applied Smith v. Barry in other types of pro se appeals.
See, e.g. , United States v. Smith , 182 F.3d at 734 (motion for out of time notice
of appeal in criminal case) ; Haney v. Addison, 175 F.3d 1217, 1219 (10th Cir.
1999) (docketing statement in criminal case) ; Kyler v. Montezuma County ,
No. 99-1052, 2000 WL 93996 (10th Cir. Jan. 31, 2000) (unpublished) (motion on
jurisdiction in civil rights case); Coleman v. Morall , No. 98-1332, 1999 WL
106803, **2 (10th Cir. Mar. 3, 1999) (unpublished) (docketing statement in
prisoner civil rights case); Mason v. Hutton, No. 97-1327, 1998 WL 161151, **1
(10th Cir. Mar. 31, 1998) (unpublished) (docketing statement and brief in tax
case); Harris v. Rocchio, No. 97-1020, 1997 WL 787185, **2 (10th Cir. Dec. 24,
1997) (unpublished) (“Motion for Registry of Actions” in civil rights case);
Punchard v. Luna County Comm’n, No. 97-2029, 1997 WL 346032, **1
(10th Cir. June 24, 1997) (appellate brief in civil rights case).
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Kerner , 404 U.S. 519, 520-21 (1972). Instead, it looked to its long-established
practice of liberally construing court rules. See Smith v. Barry , 502 U.S. at 248
(quoting Torres v. Oakland Scavenger Co , 487 U.S. 312, 316 (1988) for the
proposition that a filing “‘technically at variance with the letter of [Rule 3],’”
may satisfy the rule if it is “‘the functional equivalent of what the rule
requires’”); see also Torres , 487 U.S. at 316 (noting that “‘mere technicalities’
should not stand in the way of consideration of a case on its merits”) (quoting
Foman v. Davis , 371 U.S. 178, 181 (1962)).
Other circuit courts of appeal have not hesitated to construe a counseled
application for certificate of probable cause as a notice of appeal. See Ortberg v.
Moody , 961 F.2d 135, 137 (9th Cir. 1992) (determining that either a counseled or
pro se request for a certificate of probable cause “can serve double duty as notice
of appeal”). The Seventh Circuit has explicitly stated that whether a petitioner
has a lawyer does not “make[] a difference.” Bell v. Mizell , 931 F.2d 444, 445
(7th Cir. 1991). Although that court did “not condone the failure of [petitioner’s]
attorney to file a formal notice of appeal in timely fashion--and trust[ed] there
will be no repetition of the oversight by members of the bar,” it determined that
the omission did not “deprive [petitioner] of his appellate rights.” Id. ; see also
Intel Corp. v. Terabyte Int’l, Inc. , 6 F.3d 614, 617-18 (9th Cir. 1993) (analyzing
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filings under Smith v. Barry in counseled civil case); Kotler v. American Tobacco
Co. , 981 F.2d 7, 11 (1st Cir. 1992) (same). 4
We conclude that, for notice of appeal requirements, the filings of
counseled habeas petitioners should be given the same liberal construction as
those of pro se petitioners. A document, such as an application for a certificate
of probable cause or certificate of appealability, is the functional equivalent of
a notice of appeal if it contains the three elements of notice required by Rule 3(c).
If such a document is timely filed under Rule 4, the jurisdiction of this court is
properly invoked.
Here, it is uncontested that Rodgers’ designated notice of appeal was filed
thirteen days late. His motion for a certificate of probable cause and motion for
a certificate of appealability, however, was filed within thirty days of the order
4
We note that, although this court has not allowed another document to
substitute for a notice of appeal in a counseled case, it has supplemented the
contents of a deficient notice of appeal with information provided in a separate,
timely-filed document. See Denver & Rio Grande W. R.R. v. Union Pac. R.R.,
119 F.3d 847, 848-49 (10th Cir. 1997) (notice of appeal failing to designate
certain orders, in combination with a docketing statement); Ayala v. United
States , 980 F.2d 1342, 1344 (10th Cir. 1992) (notice of appeal failing to specify
the parties taking the appeal, in combination with a docketing statement). See
also Hatfield v. Board of County Comm’rs of Converse County , 52 F.3d 858, 862
n.3 (10th Cir. 1995) (discussing Smith v. Barry as grounds for accepting
document captioned as motion for reconsideration or, in the alternative, notice of
appeal).
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denying his habeas petition and contained the required elements of notice. This
court has jurisdiction to review the merits of appeal number 98-8111.
2. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claim
Rodgers asserts that his trial attorney provided ineffective assistance of
counsel by allowing him to accept a plea bargain without either ferreting out
additional information or specifically informing him of the material already
obtained by the investigator. He also faults counsel for failing to challenge
his decision to plead guilty when he was “down and depressed.” See Appellant’s
Br. at 11.
To establish an ineffective assistance claim, a defendant must demonstrate
both that his attorney’s representation was deficient and that the attorney’s
substandard performance prejudiced him. See Strickland v. Washington , 466 U.S.
668, 687 (1984). In this instance, deficient performance requires a showing that
counsel gave advice that was not “within the range of competence demanded of
attorneys in criminal cases.” Hill v. Lockhart , 474 U.S. 52, 56 (1985) (quotation
omitted). For prejudice, Rodgers must demonstrate there is a “reasonable
probability, but for counsel’s errors, he would not have pleaded guilty and would
have insisted on going to trial.” Id. at 59.
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This court has reviewed the record and determined that Rodgers has not
made a showing of either deficient performance or prejudice. We therefore deny
his request for a certificate of probable cause.
B. Appeal Number 99-8022
Appeal number 99-8022, concerning the denial of Rodgers’ Rule 60(b)
motion, is rendered moot by our determination that his motion for a certificate of
probable cause is the functional equivalent of a notice of appeal. In addition, we
note that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for
relief from judgment. See Yapp v. Excel Corp. , 186 F.3d 1222, 1230 (10th Cir.
1999). “Rule 60(b)(1) relief is not available for a party who simply
misunderstands the legal consequences of his deliberate acts.” Cashner v.
Freedom Stores, Inc. , 98 F.3d 572, 577 (10th Cir. 1996); see also FHC Equities,
L.L.C. v. MBL Life Assurance Corp. , 188 F.3d 678, 687 (6th Cir. 1999) (holding
that an attorney’s misinterpretation of the Federal Rules does not constitute
‘excusable neglect’ or mistake under Rule 60(b)); Advanced Estimating Sys., Inc.
v. Riney , 130 F.3d 996, 998 (11th Cir. 1997) (stating that “no circuit that has
considered the issue . . . has held that an attorney’s failure to grasp the relevant
procedural law is ‘excusable neglect’”).
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III. CONCLUSION
Appeal number 98-8111 is DISMISSED based on this court’s denial of
Rodgers’ application for a certificate of probable cause. Appeal number 99-8022
is DISMISSED as moot.
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