Title: Austin v. Erickson
Citation: 195 N.W.2d 395
Docket Number: 10898
State: south-dakota
Issuer: south-dakota Supreme Court
Date: March 7, 1972

195 N.W.2d 395 (1972) Donna Jean AUSTIN, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. Donald R. ERICKSON, as the duly appointed, qualified and acting Warden of the South Dakota State Penitentiary, Defendant and Respondent. No. 10898. Supreme Court of South Dakota. March 7, 1972. Marvin K. Bailin, Christopherson &amp; Bailin, Sioux Falls, for plaintiff and appellant; Robert Allen Sedler, Lexington, Ky., of counsel. Gordon Mydland, Atty. Gen., Walter Andre, Asst. Atty. Gen., Roger A. Schiager, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Pierre, for defendant and respondent. WINANS, Judge. Donna Jean Austin, plaintiff and appellant in this proceeding, appeals from the judgment of the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, Minnehaha County, entered on October 28, 1970, denying her application for a writ of habeas corpus, and quashing the writ. Plaintiff had been convicted by a jury of the offense of first degree manslaughter in the Circuit Court, Seventh Judicial Circuit, Pennington County, on February 23, 1967, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Mrs. Austin and her companion, Ronnie Goode, were separately tried on the charge of killing Mrs. Austin's two and a half year old son, William L. Doty, who died October 8, 1966. Goode was sentenced to a term of 25 years in the state penitentiary. The defendants perfected separate appeals to this court. The conviction of Mrs. Austin was affirmed by this court, State v. Austin, Nov. 19, 1969, 84 S.D. 405, 172 N.W.2d 284. The conviction of Goode was reversed. State v. Goode, Nov. 5, 1969, 84 S.D. 369, 171 N.W.2d 733. The two cases cited give a complete resume and procedural history and should be referred to for a more complete understanding of the questions presented in this habeas corpus proceeding of Mrs. Austin. Even though they were tried separately on the charge of first degree manslaughter, both were represented by the same court-appointed attorney. It is this fact which gives rise to the issues presented by her. In the trial of the manslaughter charges, Mrs. Austin was tried first. At her trial Goode was called as a witness by their common counsel. Before Goode testified *396 the Court advised him of his privilege against self-incrimination, and specifically stated that it would permit Mrs. Austin's counsel, who would be examining him, to prompt him to claim the privilege. It is the claim of the plaintiff in this proceeding that she was denied the effective assistance of counsel in violation of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States because, she claimed, the representation of her by the same counsel who represented Goode, a defendant charged with the same offense arising out of the same transaction, necessarily created a conflict of interest with respect to both defendants, and that it is not necessary that each defendant specifically delineate the prejudice suffered as a result of the conflict of interest. She further claimed that, even if proof of specific prejudice is required, she has demonstrated she has been prejudiced by the multiple representation in that the conflict of interest prevented appointed counsel from impartially and adequately representing her. In State v. Buffalo Chief[*], January 24, 1968, 83 S.D. 131, 155 N.W.2d 914, the plaintiff assigned error because there was a consolidation of the action against him for manslaughter in the first degree with that of defendant Gayton. Buffalo Chief made the claim that he was deprived of his right to effective assistance of counsel, guaranteed by Amendment VI of the United States Constitution, "the claim being made defendants had conflicting interests yet were represented by the same counsel". This court held, "The fact one attorney represents two defendants charged with participation in the same crime is not ipso facto evidence of inadequate representation, Curry v. State, 36 Wis.2d 225, 152 N.W.2d 906, and the record does not indicate any such result." Glasser v. United States, 1942, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S. Ct. 457, 86 L. Ed. 680, relied upon by both appellant and the state in their respective briefs, must be read in light of the peculiar facts pertaining to the case. It is no doubt the final authority binding upon this court, as well as all other courts. We accept it as such. We distinguish our case, however, from Glasser, supra, in that in Glasser the court said, In our case the evidence of guilt is overwhelming. It was predicated on cruel and wanton acts and conduct against her little child. In Glasser, too, the United States District Judge had appointed Glasser's retained counsel to represent a codefendant. This was done despite the protestation of Glasser who notified the appointing judge that the interest of Glasser and his codefendant might be inconsistent and in conflict. The court asked attorney Stewart, Glasser's retained attorney, whether he could act as Kretske's attorney. Kretske was a codefendant. The attorney in reply to that question made this statement, Glasser in his appeal urged that the court's appointment of Stewart as counsel for Kretske embarrassed and inhibited Stewart's conduct of his defense in that it prevented Stewart from adequately safeguarding Glasser's right to have incompetent evidence excluded and from fully cross-examining the witnesses for the prosecution. The Supreme Court of the United States found this was true and said, "The important fact is that no objection was offered by Stewart on Glasser's behalf to the statements complained of, and this despite the fact that, when the court broached the possibility of Stewart's appointment, Stewart told the Court that statements of this nature were not binding on Glasser. That this is indicative of Stewart's struggle to serve two masters cannot seriously be doubted." The Court held there was an actual conflict of interest and stated, Even under all the peculiar circumstances of the Glasser case the opinion was by a divided court. Mr. Justice Frankfurter stated in a dissent, "The Chief Justice and I are of the opinion that the conviction of Glasser, as well as that of his co-defendant, should stand." Mrs. Austin in her prior appeal in State v. Austin, supra, asserted her claim that she should have been represented by a lawyer other than the one who was representing Goode, and that claim of error was decided adversely to her, in the following language: In State v. Goode, supra, decided a couple of weeks prior to the Austin case, this Court found that as to Goode there was prejudice because of the dual representation of the defendants by the same counsel, but in the Goode case the prejudice was particularly based on the fact that he had been called to testify for and on behalf of Mrs. Austin, which he did, and then at his own trial, such testimony as he had given in the Austin case was used against him and apparently supplied proof of his own *398 guilt as to certain elements of the crime which the State had otherwise not proven. The language taken from the Goode case is very interesting and in part is as follows: It appears that this Court has decided by its opinions in State v. Austin, supra, and State v. Goode, supra, that in having the defendant Goode testify in her case at a time when both were represented by the same counsel, she was benefited or at least the attempt was made to assist her by having Goode take the blame. Under these circumstances we cannot find that she has been prejudiced and as to her, at least, there was no conflict of interest. We quote from an Iowa Supreme Court case decided September 2, 1970, State v. Gatewood, Iowa, 179 N.W.2d 520: We have carefully examined the record and we are convinced from such examination and the authorities that Mrs. Austin has not shown a conflict of interest or any prejudice to her by the dual representation of herself and Goode by the same attorney. *399 It does not follow that because this court found there was prejudice and resulting harm to Goode by such dual representation the same result must of necessity be made as to Austin. We quote from Campbell v. United States, 1965, 122 U.S. App.D.C. 143, 352 F.2d 359: The judgment quashing the writ is affirmed. HANSON, P. J., and BIEGELMEIER, J., concur. WOLLMAN, J., dissents. DOYLE, J., not participating. WOLLMAN, Judge (dissenting). I believe that appellant has demonstrated that she suffered prejudice as a result of the conflict of interest under which her attorney labored. At the close of the state's case, if not before that time, it should have been apparent to all concerned that there was an obvious conflict between appellant's position and Goode's position. At that point in the trial defense counsel must have known that for all practical purposes the defense of mental illness had been destroyed by the testimony of the state's expert witness. This left appellant with only two possible defenses: (1) that she did not participate in or aid and abet the physical abuse of her child, or (2) that while she may technically have aided and abetted Goode by not actively taking steps to prevent him from physically abusing the child, she was incapable because of Goode's influence over her of preventing Goode from harming the child. Because the evidence was clear that the child had been physically abused by someone, appellant could develop her first defense only by pointing the finger of guilt at Goode. There was no way that her defense counsel could effectively do this without prejudicing Goode. Likewise, there was no way defense counsel could establish appellant's second defense other than by showing that Goode was such an evil, vicious, depraved person that he had subjugated appellant to his will and thus rendered her powerless to protest his abuse of the child. In one respect it can be said that appellant benefited from Goode's testimony and thus suffered no prejudice from the conflict, viz., because she was represented by the same attorney who represented Goode she had the benefit of Goode's testimony, whereas had Goode been represented by separate counsel undoubtedly he would have been explicitly advised by his separate counsel not to answer any questions concerning his participation in the disciplining of the child. This argument proves too much, however, because it demonstrates that it was in appellant's interest to point the finger of guilt at Goode, an avenue of attack that should have been unreservedly and vigorously pursued by an attorney who had absolutely no duty to protect Goode's interest. I am compelled to conclude that appellant was prejudiced by the conflict of interest *400 that was inherent in the very nature of the dual representation forced upon her attorney. Accordingly, the conviction should be reversed. [*] See 297 F. Supp. 687; 425 F.2d 271 (8 Cir. 1970)