Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-02080/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-02080-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 540
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Mandamus and Other
Cause of Action: 28:1651 Petition for Writ of Coram Nobis

---

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

1

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

DAVID DANIEL CEPEDA, 

Petitioner, 

v. 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE 

OF CALIORNIA, 

Respondent. 

No. 2:14-cv-2080 AC P 

ORDER 

 Petitioner, a former state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed a petition for a writ of 

coram nobis pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1651. Petitioner has paid the filing fee and has consented to 

the jurisdiction of the magistrate. 

I. Summary of the Petition 

 On August 19, 1999, petitioner “entered a plea of nolo contendere to a single count of 

Penal Code section 288(a) and was sentenced to six years in prison.” ECF No. 1 at 3. Petitioner 

later filed a petition for habeas corpus relief in the Eastern District of California alleging that his 

due process rights were violated when the trial judge coerced him to change his plea from “not 

guilty” to “no contest.” Id. at 3, Exh. B at 37. The habeas petition was granted on March 14, 

//// 

//// 

Case 2:14-cv-02080-AC Document 5 Filed 04/30/15 Page 1 of 3
1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

2

2008.1 Id. at 35-41. However, petitioner was not released from custody. Id. at 3. On May 5, 

2008, the district attorney amended the information to include six additional counts. Id. 

Petitioner initially pleaded “not guilty,” but on June 30, 2008 he “inadvertently change[d] his plea 

from not guilty to no contest.”2 Id. at 4. Petitioner appears to challenge the 2008 conviction on 

the grounds that the judge coerced him to change his plea. Id. 

II. Legal Standards 

Coram nobis is an extraordinary form of relief, available to challenge the validity of a 

conviction after the sentence has been fully served, “under circumstances compelling such action 

to achieve justice.” United States v. Morgan, 346 U.S. 502, 511 (1954). The writ of coram nobis 

allows a court to vacate its judgment “for errors of fact . . . in those cases where the errors [are] of 

the most fundamental character, that is, such as rendered the proceeding itself invalid.” United 

States v. Mayer, 235 U.S. 55, 69 (1914). To qualify for coram nobis relief, a petitioner must 

demonstrate that: (1) a more usual remedy is not available; (2) valid reasons exist for not 

attacking the conviction earlier; (3) adverse consequences exist from the conviction sufficient to 

satisfy the case or controversy requirement of Article III; and (4) the error is of the most 

fundamental character. United States v. Riedl, 496 F.3d 1003, 1006 (9th Cir. 2007). 

The court’s review of the petition indicates that petitioner seeks to challenge the validity 

of the judgment of conviction entered against him in the Sacramento County Superior Court. See 

ECF No. 1 at 1, 11, 33. While this court has the power to issue the writ of coram nobis, “[c]oram 

nobis relief is not available in federal court to attack a state court conviction.” Rothwell v. 

California, 2012 WL 423641, at *2 (E.D. Cal. Feb. 8, 2012) (quoting Castrillon v. Warden, No. 

04-56262, 2008 WL 267335 at *1 (9th Cir. Jan. 8, 2008)).3 See also Madigan v. Wells, 224 F.2d 

 

1

 The March 14, 2008 order attached as Exhibit B indicates that petitioner’s conviction and 

sentence for violation of California Penal Code 288(a) were vacated. The state was given 60 days 

to initiate trial proceedings against petitioner for violation of Penal Code Section 288(a). 

2

 The transcript of the state court proceedings indicates that petitioner pled “no contest” to one 

count of Penal Code 288(a). ECF No. 1 Exh. A at 16, 27, 33. 

3

 Pursuant to Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3(b), the court may cite unpublished Ninth Circuit opinions 

issued on or after January 1, 2007. 

Case 2:14-cv-02080-AC Document 5 Filed 04/30/15 Page 2 of 3
1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

3

577, 578 n.2 (9th Cir. 1955) (“However, this is not a case where the sentence has been served or 

where the movant has not begun to serve the sentence he attacks. To hold coram nobis available 

in this case would also destroy the progress made by § 2255. In addition, the writ can issue, if at 

all, only in aid of the jurisdiction of the Texas court in which the conviction was had.”); 

Finkelstein v. Spitzer, 455 F.3d 131, 134 (2d Cir. 2006) (agreeing with the Third, Fourth, Fifth, 

Seventh, Eighth and Tenth Circuits “that the district courts lack jurisdiction to issue writs of 

coram nobis to set aside judgments of state courts.”); Gonzales-Cervantes v. Napolitano, No. 

1:10-cv-00510 MJS (HC), 2010 WL 4813564 at *2 (E.D. Cal. Nov. 19, 2010) (the district court 

lacks jurisdiction to entertain a petition for coram nobis relief challenging a state court 

conviction). Rather, “[a] writ of error coram nobis attacking the . . . conviction may only be 

brought in the sentencing court.” United States v. Monreal, 301 F.3d 1127, 1130-31 (9th Cir. 

2002). Accordingly, if petitioner believes he is entitled to coram nobis relief, he is advised to file 

his petition in the state court in which he suffered his conviction. 

 In accordance with the above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

 The petition for writ of coram nobis (ECF No. 1) is dismissed without prejudice to 

refilling in state court. 

DATED: April 30, 2015 

Case 2:14-cv-02080-AC Document 5 Filed 04/30/15 Page 3 of 3