T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he H onor abl e D a ni e l M . F r i e dm a n, U ni t e d S t a t e s C i r c ui tJ udge f or ** the F e de r a l C i r c ui t , s i tt i ng byde s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J AV I ERJ UA RE Z, P et i t i on er , v. E R I C H . H O L D E R , J r ., A tto rn e yG e n e r a l, R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 06- 72387 A ge nc yN o. A 091- 815- 577 ME MOR AN DU M *

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the B o a r d o f I m m ig r a tio n A p p e a ls A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d A pr i l 8, 2010 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: F R IE D M A N , D . W . N E L S O N and R E IN H A R D T , C i rc ui tJudg es ** . O nce a gai n w e are pres ent ed w i th a ca se i n w hi ch an i nd i vi du al w as ordered de port e d in a b s te n tia , th r o u g h n o f au lt o f h is o w n , b u t r a th e rb e c au s e o f h is im m ig r a tio n c o u n s e l’s c o n d u c t: th is tim e h is a tto rn e yf a ile dto n o tif

yh im th a t h is h ea rin g d ate o n O cto b er2 1 , 2 0 0 5 h ad b ee n ca n ce ll ed b ec au se o f th e a tt o rn ey ’s 

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i l e the ne c e s s a ryappl i c a t i on; tha the ha d be e n or de r e d r e m ove d; tha tthe a tto rn e yh a d th e n s u c c e e d e d in r e o p e n in g h is c a s e ; a n dth a t an e w c a le n d a rd a te ha d be e n s c he dul e d f

orS e pt e m be r13, 2005. N one of the s e f a c t s w e r e m a de kn ow n t o the pet i t i on erby hi s c ou nsel or otherw i se . T h e B IA h eld th at th es e c ircu m stan ce s, in clu d in g th e f ac t th at Ju ar ez ’s c o u n s e l f a ile d to n o tif

yh im o f th e S e p te m b e r1 3 , 2 0 0 5 h e a r in g , d idn o t c o n s titu te

“ e xc e pt i ona l c i r c um s t a nc e s ” tha te xc us e d J ua r e z ’ s f a i l ur e t o appe a ra ttha the a r i ng, or w arrant ed re sc i ss i on of the in a b s te n tia r e m o v a l o r d e ra n dr e o p e n in g o f th e c a s e . B u t s e e L o v . A s h c r o

ft , 3 4 1 F .3 d 9 3 4 (9 th C ir. 2 0 0 3 ) ( h o ld in g th at a law ye r’s se cr et ary’ s f

ai l ure t o i nform a pet i t i on erof the corre ctdat e of an i m m i grat i on court he a r i ng, w hi c h r e s ul t e d i n the pe t i t i one r ’ s nonappe a r a nc e , c ons t i tut e d i ne f f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e of

c ouns e l a nd the r e f

or e “ e xc e pt i ona l c i r c um s t a nc e s ” r e qui r i ng the r e s c i s s i on of

a n in a b s te n tia r e m o v a l o r d e r ) . T he B I A s t a t e d tha ti tw a s “ unabl e t o f i nd the r e s ponde ntde m ons tr a t e d a cl ear c as e of i neff

ec t i ve as si st ance of coun se l ” f or tw o rea sons. F i rs t , i tst at ed that J ua r e z ’ s a tt orne ya nd hi s s t a f f “ m a de s e ve r a l a tt e m pt s t o not i f y[ J ua r e z ] of

the he a r i ng, butw e r e unabl e t o c ont a c thi m . ” T hi s r e a s on i s c ontr a di c t e d bythe u n d isp u ted ev id en ce in th e r ec o rd . A t th e m o st, th e e v id en ce re flec ts th at co u n se l’ s st af f l ef ta c ou pl e of m es sa ges f or Juar ez af

t erthe new hear i ng dat e w as es t abl i shed3

buttha ti n none of

the s e m e s s a ge s w a s J ua r e z a dvi s e d of a nyc ha nge i n the he a r i ng dat e, or thatthere w ou l d b e any hear i ng before the O ct ob er21 , 20 05 dat e of w hi ch he had p re vi ou sl y bee n p er sonal l y i nform ed by the IJ . A l tho ug h the IJ ’ s order s ta te s th a t c o u n s e l s a idth a t h e m a ile dale tte rto J u a r e z in a n a tte m p t to n o tif yh im of hi s ne w he a r i ng da t e , thi s i s a l s o obvi ous l ye rr one ous ; the l e tt e rc oul d notha ve m ent i on ed a new hear i ng dat e bec ause i tw as m ai l ed t o Juare z on Jul y 20, before th e n ew h eari n g d at e h ad b een set . W i th resp ectt o th e p h o n e m essag es, w e al so n o te th a t it ap p e a r s h ig h lyim p r o b ab le th a t c o u n s e l’s s ta f f w o u ldh a v e b e e n u n ab le t o rea ch Juar ez by ph on e, as w hen i ttri ed t o d o so o n the m orni ng of the S ept em ber 1 3 h e a r i n g , i tr e a c h e d h i m i mme d i a t e l y , w i th o u ta n yd i f f i c u l ty , a n dJ u a r e z c a me w ith o u t d e la yto th e im m ig r a tio n c o u rt. S ec on d, the B IA st at ed thatJuar ez “ w as dere l i ctby no tm ai nt ai ni ng cont ac t w i th h i s a tt orney. ” T he re cord, ho w ever , show s unequ i vo ca l l y thatJuar ez “ w orked w i th” hi s c ouns e l “ t o pr e pa r e hi s appl i c a t i ons f orr e l i e f a nd ga the rhi s s upport i ng do cum ent s and other e vi dence, ” and cont ai ns no sugg es t i on or i m pl i ca t i on that Ju arez fail ed t o d o an yth i n g n ecessary to th e p resen t at i o n o f h i s p et i t i o n . Iti s al so u n d i s p u t e dth a tJ u a r e z “ c a me i n t o [ th e a tt o rn e y ’ s ] o f f i c e t o d r o p o f

f s o me do cum ent s” du ri ng the w ee k p re ce di ng the S ept em ber 13 h eari ng , bu tthathe w as n o t to ld , e v e n th e n , ab o u t th e h e a r in g o rh is o b lig a tio n to b e th e r e .4

B o th o f th e r ea so n s th at th e B IA ad v an ce din su p p o rt o f its d en ial o f J u ar ez ’s m ot i on t o reopen are di re ct l y c on trovert ed by the un di sput ed fa ct s of the re cord a nd ne i the rs upport s the B I A ’ s a c t i on. T he other argum entre l i ed on by the IJ , bu tno tby the B IA , i s thatJuar ez f a ile dto s h o w “e x c e p tio n a l c ir c u m s ta n c e s ” b e c au s e h e f a ile dto c o m p lyw ith M at te rof L oz ada , 1 9 I . & N . D e c . 6 3 7 , 6 3 9 ( B I A ) , af f’d , 85 7 F . 2d 10 (1stC i r. 1988) . W e r e

j e c t e d as i m i l a ra r gum e nti n Lo . 341 F . 3d a t937. A n a l i e n s e e ki ng t o est abl i sh “ i neff

ec t i ve as si st ance of coun se l ” and thu s “ exce pt i on al ci rc um st ance s” i s notre qu i re d t o fol l ow m ec hani st i ca l l y e ac h o f the procedures s et f orth i n L oz ada . I

d. C om pl i ance w i th eac h o f the L oz ada p r o c e d u r e s is u n n e c e s s a ryw h e n , a s in J u a r e z ’s c a s e , th e in e f f e c tiv e a s s is ta n c e o f

c o u n s e l is

“ pl ai n o n the fa ce of the adm i ni stra t i ve re cord, ” Es c o b a r - G r i j a lv a v . I NS , 206 F . 3d 1 3 3 1 , 1 3 3 5 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) , w h ic h d e m o n s tr a te s th a t c o u n s e l “c o m p le te lyf a ile d in hi s dut i es t o h i s c l i ent . ” Ca s t i l lo - Pe r ezv . I NS , 2 1 2 F .3 d5 1 8 , 5 2 6 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) . N o ris s u c h c o m p lia n c e n e c e s s a ryw h e n , a s in J u a r e z ’s c a s e , it is p o s s ib le “to as se ss the bo na f

i des of the . . . i ne f

f e c t i ve a s s i s t a nc e c l a i m s a s s e rt e d, t o di s c our a ge b a s e le s s a lle g a tio n s a n d m e r itle s s c la im s , a n dto h o lda tto rn e y s to th e ap p r o p r ia te st andards of perf

orm ance . ” Lo , 3 4 1 F .3 da t 9 3 7 .5

Juar ez cl earl y e st abl i shed i neff ec t i ve as si st ance of coun se l and there fore “e x c e p tio n a l c ir c u m s ta n c e s ” w a rr a n tin g r e o p e n in g a n dth e B I A ab u s e dits d is c r e tio n in d e n y in g h is m o tio n f o rr e o p e n in g . Se e Ro dr i g u ez -La r i

zv . I NS , 282 F . 3d 1218, 1222 ( 9th C i r . 2002) . A c c or di ngl y , w e gr a ntJ ua r e z ’ s pe t i t i on a nd rem an dth i s case fo r fu rth er p ro ceed i n g s. GR AN T E D a n d RE MAND E D.