UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Philip Geary

v. Case No. 07-cv-116-PB

Opinion No. 2008 DNH 036

Warden, NHSP

O R D E R

Philip Geary filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his

state court convictions for sexual assault and witness tampering. 

The Warden moves for summary judgment, contending that Geary’s

petition is barred by the one-year statute of limitation for

habeas corpus petitions established by the Anti-Terrorism and

Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (“AEDPA”), 28 U.S.C. § 2241

et seq.

A. Procedural History

Geary was sentenced on February 5, 2004. State v. Geary,

No. 2004-0580 (N.H. Apr. 7, 2005) (order dismissing appeal). He

filed a notice of appeal with the New Hampshire Supreme Court

several months later, on August 26, 2004. Id. On April 7, 2005,

the court dismissed Geary’s notice of appeal because Geary had

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not filed it within the thirty-day time limit set by New

Hampshire Supreme Court Rule 7(1)(A). Id.

Geary filed a motion for new trial on October 1, 2005. 

Motion for New Trial, State v. Geary, Nos. 02-S-0665, 0666, 0667,

0668, 0669, 0670-F (N.H. Super. Ct. Oct. 1, 2005). The Strafford

County Superior Court rejected the motion on December 6, 2006. 

State v. Geary, Nos. 02-S-0665, 0666, 0667, 0668, 0669, 0670-F

(N.H. Super. Ct. Dec. 6, 2006) (order denying motion for new

trial). Geary challenged this decision in a notice of appeal

filed with the New Hampshire Supreme Court on January 8, 2007. 

Rule 7 Notice of Discretionary Appeal, State v. Geary, Nos. 02-S0665, 0666, 0667, 0668, 0669, 0670 (N.H. Super. Ct. Jan. 8,

2007). The New Hampshire Supreme Court declined to hear his

appeal on April 2, 2007. State v. Geary, No. 2007-0022 (N.H.

Apr. 2, 2007) (order declining to hear discretionary appeal).

Geary filed his current federal petition on April 19, 2007.

ANALYSIS

AEDPA establishes a one-year limitation period for federal

habeas petitions filed by state prisoners. 28 U.S.C. §

2244(d)(1). In this case, the limitation period runs from “the

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 AEDPA also establishes alternative accrual dates but none 1

of them apply in this case. 

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date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion of

direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such

review.” 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A) (emphasis added). Excluded 1

from the limitation period is “[t]he time during which a properly

filed application for State post-conviction or other collateral

review with respect to the pertinent judgment or claim is pending

. . . .” 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2) (emphasis added). An untimely

pleading such as a late notice of appeal does not toll the

running of the limitation period. Pace v. DiGuglielmo, 544 U.S.

408, 417 (2005); Johnson v. Lambdin, No. 8:04-CV-094-T-27MSS,

2007 WL 521920, at *2 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 15, 2007).

Geary was sentenced on February 5, 2004. State v. Geary,

No. 2004-0580 (N.H. Apr. 7, 2005) (order dismissing appeal)

(noting that sentencing took place on February 5, 2004). The

time for seeking direct review of his conviction therefore

expired thirty days later, on March 6, 2004. See Sup. Ct. R.

7(1)(A) (establishing a 30-day period for filing a notice of

appeal). Because Geary did not file a notice of appeal within

that time period, AEDPA’s one-year statute of limitation began to

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run upon the expiration of that thirty-day deadline. His

untimely August 2004 notice of appeal did not toll the running of

the AEDPA limitation period. See Pace, 544 U.S. at 417.

Accordingly, the AEDPA limitation period expired on March 6,

2005, well before he filed his current petition. 

Geary argues that his conviction did not become final and,

therefore, the AEDPA limitation period did not begin to run,

until the state supreme court disposed of his October 2005 motion

for new trial. That argument is clearly wrong. Saucier v.

Warden, N.H. State Prison, 215 F.3d 1312, 2000 WL 739713, at *1

(1st Cir. 2000) (unpublished) (“Finality under § 2244(d)(1)(A)

occurs on the conclusion of direct review or the expiration of

the time for seeking such review, but is not determined by the

time for filing a new trial motion under state law, as petitioner

contends” (internal quotations omitted)); see also, e.g., Noland

v. Colo. Dep’t of Corr., 112 Fed. Appx. 719, 720 (10th Cir. 2004)

(unpublished) (“[Petitioner]’s conviction became final on

December 3, 1998 because he failed to file a direct appeal within

forty-five days of the date the trial court entered judgment

against him,” and its finality was not affected by the timing of

the state court’s disposition of his subsequently-filed motion

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for a new trial); Feenin v. Myers, 110 Fed. Appx. 669, 671 (6th

Cir. 2004) (unpublished) (“Since [petitioner] did not pursue a

direct appeal, his state court convictions became final on May

27, 2000, upon expiration of the 30-day time period during which

he could file a direct appeal to the Tennessee Court of Criminal

Appeals”); Wilkerson v. Blanks, 100 Fed. Appx. 622, 623 (9th Cir.

2004) (unpublished) (“[Petitioner] contends . . . [that AEDPA’s]

one-year limitation period did not begin to run until after the

California Supreme Court denied his state habeas petition. We

disagree. [Petitioner]’s judgment became final, and the

limitations period began to run, on December 4, 2000, at the

expiration of time in which to file an appeal”).

Geary fails to identify any other reason why his claim

should be saved from the statute of limitations. Accordingly, I

agree that the Warden is entitled to summary judgment. 

CONCLUSION

The Warden’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 16) is

granted. Geary’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 18) is

denied. The clerk is directed to enter judgment accordingly.

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SO ORDERED.

/s/Paul Barbadoro 

Paul Barbadoro

United States District Judge

February 14, 2008

cc: Philip Geary, pro se

Thomas E. Bocian, Esq.

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