Opinion ID: 2994713
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Timeliness of Suppression Motion

Text: The district court set June 12, 1998 as the deadline for the submission of pretrial motions, but Angle did not move to suppress the motion until September 14, 1998, just one day before the commencement of trial./10 In proffering a reason for the tardy motion, Angle’s counsel explained that because the parties were in plea negotiations and a guilty plea would have rendered a suppression motion moot, he waited to present the motion. The record indicates that Angle filed a motion to enter a guilty plea on September 9, 1998, and two days later, withdrew that motion. He then orally made the motion to suppress. Because a district court has discretion when considering an untimely motion, we may disturb the court’s ruling only for clear error. See United States v. Hamm, 786 F.2d 804, 806 (7th Cir. 1986). Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 12(f), [f]ailure by a party to raise defenses . . . at the time set by the court . . . shall constitute waiver thereof, but the court for cause shown may grant relief from the waiver. While Angle acknowledges the waiver requirement of Rule 12(f), he maintains that he had a legitimate explanation for the untimely motion. We disagree. Here, as indicated by counsel’s statements, Angle made a calculated decision not to file the suppression motion by the court-imposed deadline. Although it would have been wiser to file the suppression motion in the event the guilty plea was not entered, Angle chose not to comply with the motion cut-off date. That decision constitutes a clear waiver. Accordingly, the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Angle’s suppression motion for untimeliness.