Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-16-01452/USCOURTS-ca10-16-01452-1/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
David Tunget
Petitioner

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT

_________________________________

In re: DAVID TUNGET, 

 Petitioner.

No. 16-1452

(D.C. No. 1:10-CR-00458-PAB-1)

(D. Colo.)

_________________________________

ORDER

_________________________________

Before TYMKOVICH, Chief Judge, EBEL and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges.

_________________________________

Federal prisoner David Tunget was convicted in 2011. He alleges that in 2012 and 

again in 2013, he sent letters to his former attorney, Colleen B. Scissors, seeking a copy 

of his criminal defense file. He received no response. In September 2015, he began 

trying in earnest to obtain the file from Ms. Scissors. He alleges that she acknowledged 

his request in January 2016, and he provides a copy of a letter from her dated March 24, 

2016, stating that she had his file in electronic form as well as hard copy. But she did not 

send the file. Therefore, in September 2016, Mr. Tunget filed a motion to compel in the 

district court. He subsequently filed a petition for a writ of mandamus requesting that 

this court order the district court to rule on that motion. In December 2016, the district 

court appointed new counsel, Marna M. Lake, to coordinate the production of the file. 

We therefore dismissed the mandamus petition as moot. 

Mr. Tunget, however, has not yet received a copy of his file. At his request, we 

reopened the mandamus proceeding and invited the district court to respond. The district 

court ordered Ms. Lake to file a status report, which she did as scheduled on March 15, 

FILED

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

March 24, 2017

Elisabeth A. Shumaker

Clerk of Court

Appellate Case: 16-1452 Document: 01019784768 Date Filed: 03/24/2017 Page: 1 
2

2017. Ms. Lake stated that she has not been able to obtain a copy of the file because 

Ms. Scissors has been dealing with certain difficult personal circumstances, and that she 

would continue to communicate with Ms. Scissors in an effort to obtain the file. The

status report currently is the final entry in the district court’s docket. 

These circumstances are unfortunate, and we are not unsympathetic to 

Ms. Scissors. But this situation cannot continue indefinitely. Mr. Tunget was convicted 

of a serious criminal offense and sentenced to a lengthy period of incarceration, and he 

seeks his file in an attempt to pursue a collateral attack on that judgment. At this point, 

more than a year has passed since Ms. Scissors acknowledged Mr. Tunget’s request, but

he still does not have a copy of the file. We also note that Colorado attorneys have 

professional obligations with regard to client files. See Colo. RPC 1.16A. 

For these reasons, we grant Mr. Tunget’s petition for a writ of mandamus. We 

direct the district court to order Ms. Lake to take the necessary steps to obtain the file 

from Ms. Scissors by a date certain. The file may be transmitted in hard copy or 

electronically to Ms. Lake, who will be responsible for transmitting the materials to 

Mr. Tunget. If Ms. Scissors informs Ms. Lake that she no longer has the file, Ms. Lake 

shall file a certification to that effect with the district court. 

Entered for the Court

ELISABETH A. SHUMAKER, Clerk

Appellate Case: 16-1452 Document: 01019784768 Date Filed: 03/24/2017 Page: 2