FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT AUG 22, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 08- 10805 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 0 0 6 9 1 - C V- T - 1 7 - T GW F U L T O N Q . G R I F F I T H , P la in tif f - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s D E B R A J O H N S , p r o s e c u to r/a g e n t o f

F lo r id a , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lle e .

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( A u gu s t 22, 2008) B efo re D U B IN A , B L A C K an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: A ppe l l a ntF ul t on Q . G r i f f i th appe a l s the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s de ni a l of hi s m ot i on2

f orw r i tof

c or a m nobi s . G r i f

f i th f i l e d hi s m ot i on f

orw r i tof

c or a m nobi s f

ol l ow i ng the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s di s m i s s a l of hi s 42 U . S . C . § 1983 a c t i on a ga i ns tP r os e c ut or D eb ra Jo h n s, fi n d i n g th at(1 ) G ri ffi th ’ s cl ai m s w ere i n th e n atu re o f h ab eas co rp u s; (2) D ef endantD ebraJohn s, w ho form er l y prose cut ed the pl ai nt i ff , enj oyed pr os e c ut or i a l i m m uni ty ; a nd ( 3) G r i f f i th’ s c l a i m s w e r e ba rr e d by the s t a tut e of lim ita tio n s . T h is C o u rt d is m is s e d G r if f ith ’s ap p e a l o f

h is § 1 9 8 3 c la im a s f

r iv o lo u s . I n the pr e s e ntc a s e , G r i f f i th a r gue s tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourte rr e d i n c ons trui ng h is m o tio n f

o rw r it o f

e rr o rc o r a m n o b is a s a4 2 U .S .C . § 1 9 8 3 a c tio n . H e a s s e rts tha thi s m ot i on s houl d notha ve be e n di s m i s s e d be c aus e i tr a i s e d m a t e r i a l i s s ue s of fa ctand l aw , spec i fi ca l l y, thathe w as i nn ocentand thathe w as conv i ct ed un der

“ m i spl ac ed” l aw , show i ng a c om pl et e m i sc arri age of j ust i ce . W e r e v ie w ad e n ia l o f

c o r a m n o b is r e lie f

f o rab u s e o f

d is c r e tio n . A l i khan iv. U ni ted Stat es , 2 0 0 F .3 d 7 3 2 , 7 3 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) . C o r a m n o b is r e lie f is o n ly appr opr i a t e ( 1) w he n the r e i s a nd w a s no othe ra va i l abl e a ve nue of r e l i e f , a nd (2) “ w hen the error i nv ol ves am att erof fa ctof the m ostfund am ent al char ac t er w hi c h ha s notbe e n puti n i s s ue orpa s s e d upon a nd w hi c h r e nde r s the pr oc e e di ng i t se l f i rr egul arand i nv al i d. ” Id . ( c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . M or e ove r , “ [ c ] ont i nua t i on of l i t i ga t i on a f

t e rf i na l j udgm e nta nd e xhaus t i on orw a i ve rof a ny s t a tut ory r i ghtof re vi ew shou l d b e a l l ow ed throu gh thi s e xtra ordi naryre m edy onl y und er3

ci rc um st ance s c om pel l i ng ac t i on t o achi eve j ust i ce . ” Moo dy v. U ni ted Stat es , 874 F .2 d 1 5 7 5 , 1 5 7 6 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 8 9 ) ( c ita tio n o m itte d ) . G e n e r a lly , w r its o f

c o r a m n o b is h a v e b e e n ab o lis h e d a s r e m e d ie s in c iv il m a tte r s . See Fe d . R. Ci v . P. 6 0 ( e ) . H o w e v e r , th e 1 9 4 6 a me n d me n tn o t e s t o Fe d . R. C iv . P . 6 0 r e v e a l th a t w h ile th e 1 9 4 6 a m e n d m e n t ab o lis h e d c e rta in w r its in c iv il m a tt e r s , the c om m i tt e e “ e nde a vor e d the n t o a m e nd the rul e s t o pe rm i t. . . the gr a nt i ng of

va r i ous ki nds of

r e l i e f f r om j udgm e nt s w hi c h w e r e pe rm i tt e d i n the fe dera l court s pri or t o the adop t i on of these rul es . ” F ed. R . C i v. P . 60 advi sory c o m m itte e ’s n o te . A s to w h e th e ru n d e rth e a m e n d e d ru le “r e lie f b y c o r a m n o b is . . . is p e rm is s ib le , th e g e n e r a lly a c c e p te dv ie w is th a t th e r e m e d ie s a r e s till avai l abl e. ” Id . R ul e 60(b) offer s groun ds for r el i ef fr om a f i nal j ud gm entor order ba s e d on m i s t a ke , ne w l y di s c ove r e d e vi de nc e , f r aud, m i s r e pr e s e nt a t i on, or m i sco n d u ct , an d th u s ab so rb s th e g ro u n d s fo r rel i ef u n d er a w ri to f co ram n o b i s. F e d .R .C iv .P . 6 0 ( b ) . A ft erre vi ew i ng the re cord, and readi ng the part i es ’ bri ef s, w e c on cl ud e that th e d is tr ic t c o u rt d id n o t ab u s e its d is c r e tio n in d e n y in g G r if f ith ’s m o tio n f

o rw r it o f c o r a m n o b is b e c au s e G r if f ith f a ile d to r a is e a n y n e w is s u e s o f f a c t th a t w o u ld w a rr a nte xtr a or di na ry r e l i e f . A c c or di ngl y , w e a f

f i rm the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s de ni a l of G r if f ith ’s m o tio n f

o rw r it o f

c o r a m n o b is . AF F I RME D.