Case Title: Longmire v. State

Citation: 443 So. 2d 1265

Docket Number: 

State: alabama

Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Date: 1982-12-10T00:00:00Z

Document:
443 So. 2d 1265 (1982)
Ex parte State of Alabama
(Re: James LONGMIRE
v.
STATE of Alabama.)
81-309.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
December 10, 1982.
*1266 Charles A. Graddick, Atty. Gen., and Joseph G.L. Marston, III, Asst. Atty. Gen., for petitioner.
Raymond Johnson, Montgomery, for respondent.
MADDOX, Justice.
Petitioner James Longmire seeks a new trial. The Court must consider whether to affirm the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals, 443 So. 2d 1263, or whether Longmire is entitled, by virtue of a writ of error coram nobis granted by the trial court, to a new trial of the charge against him, or, alternatively, an appeal. We recite the following facts of this case as presented by the Court of Criminal Appeals in its earlier decision.
"On June 11, 1979, the [petitioner] was convicted of robbery and sentenced to thirty years imprisonment. He failed to appeal his conviction, but on April 6, 1981, filed a petition for writ of error coram nobis contending that he was denied his right to appeal. His petition cited as authority Daniels v. Alabama, 487 F.2d 887 (5th Cir.1973), asking that the court discharge petitioner, grant him a new trial, or grant him an appeal.
"On May 5, 1981, by agreement of the prosecution and defense, the trial court purported to grant Longmire an appeal to [the Court of Criminal Appeals]. On May 20, 1981, counsel for appellant filed a motion in the trial court stating that the order of May 5 was not in compliance with [the] holding in Goolsby v. State, 374 So. 2d 927 (Ala.Cr.App.1978-1979), and moved the trial court to grant him a new trial under his petition for writ of error coram nobis."
The trial court set aside its order of May 5, denied a new trial, and ordered a further hearing on the petition. In its order of June 29, 1981, the court found as follows:
On appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeals, both parties briefed the merits; the State did not move to dismiss the appeal. In dismissing the appeal, the Court of Criminal Appeals concluded by holding:
This Court has traditionally ruled that "[a] writ of error coram nobis issues for correction of a judgment entered in ignorance of certain matters of fact which, if they had been known to the court rendering the judgment, would not have been entered. Cauley v. State, 34 Ala.App. 111, 37 So. 2d 153." Ex parte Rudolph, 276 Ala. 392, 393, 162 So. 2d 486 (1964). In Ex parte Vaughn, 395 So. 2d 95 (Ala.1979), the Court further indicated the purpose served by this extraordinary writ as follows:
Id. at 96. This is consistent with the generally recognized reason for a court to grant a writ of error coram nobis. See generally 18 Am.Jur.2d Coram Nobis §§ 2, 3 (1965).
While the Court has emphasized that this writ is not intended to provide appellate review where the complaining party has not sought an appeal and the time to appeal has long since expired, Thomas v. State, 280 Ala. 109, 110, 190 So. 2d 542 (1966), the trial court's findings with regard to Longmire's petition for writ of error coram nobis is cause for this Court to re-examine its traditional application in this instance.
An appeal is deemed "perfected" if the defendant, upon rendition of judgment, expresses a desire to appeal. Ex parte Loyd, 275 Ala. 416, 421, 155 So. 2d 519 (1963); See also Goolsby v. State, 374 So. 2d 927, 929 (Ala.Cr.App.1978). Rule 3(a)(2) of the Alabama Rules of Appellate Procedure provides that notice of appeal may be made in either of the following two ways:
The findings made by the trial court indicate that although petitioner expressed his desire to appeal to his attorney, through no fault of his own, an appeal was never entered on his behalf. The use of a writ of error coram nobis to challenge the inadequacy of legal counsel where there would otherwise be no remedy has been previously recognized by the Court of Criminal Appeals, to-wit:
Summers v. State, 366 So. 2d 336, 341 (Ala. Cr.App.1978). Irrespective of the fact that petitioner was not apprised that he, as an indigent, was entitled to a free trial transcript and appointed counsel for purposes of an appeal, there was a showing that he was aware that he could appeal his conviction and that he expressed his desire to appeal to his court-appointed attorney. See Heflin v. State, 278 Ala. 106, 108, 176 So. 2d 37 (1965).
In reviewing several Alabama cases, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has made the following pronouncements which we believe apply to the circumstances of this case.
In Horsley v. Simpson, 400 F.2d 708 (1968), the Fifth Circuit stated:
Id. at 711-712. Five years later in Daniels v. Alabama, 487 F.2d 887 (1973), the Fifth Circuit remarked:
Id. at 888. See Malone v. Alabama, 514 F.2d 77, 79-80 (5th Cir.1975).
The Court of Criminal Appeals has held on past occasions that the notion of an out-of-time appeal does not exist in this state, Goolsby v. State, supra, at 928; Accord, Ex parte State v. Kebe, 399 So. 2d 348 (Ala.1981), and we do not attempt here to embrace such a concept; but, in an effort to assure that both justice and fairness prevail, the Court believes that the circumstances of this case warrant our granting the petitioner an appeal of his conviction. Although counsel for the defendant argues that the only remedy is a new trial where, as in this case, a writ of error coram nobis is involved, we conclude otherwise. The findings of the trial court are that the defendant desired an appeal of his conviction and informed his appointed counsel of his desire to appeal. Through no fault of his own, however, an appeal was never perfected and the time for petitioner's appeal lapsed. Since these are not newly discovered facts which would alter the judgment, thereby necessitating a new trial, coram nobis was inappropriate. Nevertheless, Longmire, based upon findings made by the trial court after judgment and after the time for appeal of that judgment had expired, made a sufficient showing under the doctrine of Daniels, to entitle him to an appeal; therefore, we reverse the Court of Criminal Appeals and remand this case to that court for a review consistent with this holding.[1]
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
*1270 FAULKNER and JONES, JJ., concur.
TORBERT, C.J., and ADAMS, J., concur in the result.
ALMON, SHORES, EMBRY and BEATTY, JJ., dissent.
SHORES, Justice (dissenting).
I dissent. I would quash the writ as improvidently granted.
EMBRY, J., concurs.
[1]  Proposed Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.1(f) provides for relief after judgment in criminal cases similar to that available in civil cases under Rule 60(b), ARCP. Rule 32.1(f) provides that a person who has been convicted of a criminal offense may file a petition in the court of original conviction to secure appropriate relief on the ground that failure to appeal within the prescribed time was without fault on the petitioner's part. The comment to this section reads in part:

"Section (f) includes the situation in which the defendant fails to appeal because the trial court despite the requirements of 26.11, did not advise the defendant of his appeal rights, and the situation in which the defendant intended to appeal and believed timely appeal had been filed by his attorney when in reality it had not."