Opinion ID: 1702221
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: state's motion to strike portions of reply brief

Text: ¶ 50. The State has filed a Motion to Strike Exhibits and Appendices to, and Portions of, Petitioner's Reply Brief. The State argues that Bishop has raised a new legal issue for the first time in the reply brief and requests that the argument be stricken. The State also contends that Exhibits attached to the reply brief and the documents included in the Appendix, filed with the reply brief, were all available to Bishop at the time he filed his original PCR petition. The State argues that Bishop has filed these documents and asserted the related arguments in an attempt to circumvent this Court's May 16, 2003, order and the statute of limitations. The State moves to strike the new legal issues raised for the first time in the reply. The State also moves to strike all of the exhibits and appendices attached to the reply brief and the arguments related thereto. MOCPCC argues that Petitioner supplied additional documentation and additional case law to strengthen his position as rebuttal to the State's Response. ¶ 51. The State moves to strike paragraph 187 in Bishop's reply brief. The State contends that this paragraph contains a new legal issue raised for the first time in the reply. The State asserts that Bishop is attempting to recast barred issues as a question of ineffective assistance of counsel. The subject paragraph is included in the opening of the reply brief. Before addressing each numbered issue, Bishop makes general arguments that the procedural bars do not apply. He then states: 187. Further, Petitioner's claims are not barred because trial and appeal counsel was [sic] ineffective in bringing such claims and objections to the court. The United States Supreme Court has held that such failures are prejudicial especially when the information is available but counsel fails to present such evidence. Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510, 123 S.Ct. 2527, 156 L.Ed.2d 471 (2003). This Court has consistently held, First, the appellant did not address this point in his initial Appellant's Brief but instead raised it for the first time in his Rebuttal Brief. This Court has not determined if one may so introduce new assignments of error but the Fifth Circuit has, stating, We will not consider issues raised for the first time in an appellant's reply brief. U.S. v. Anderson, 5 F.3d 795 (5th Cir.1993), cert. denied, Barnett v. U.S., 510 U.S. 1137, 114 S.Ct. 1118, 127 L.Ed.2d 428, (1994). This is a fitting and obvious rule for this Court to adopt. Appellants cannot be allowed to ambush appellees in their Rebuttal Briefs, thereby denying the appellee an opportunity to respond to the appellant's arguments. Sanders v. State, 678 So.2d 663, 669-70 (Miss.1996). See also Dock v. State, 802 So.2d 1051, 1053 (Miss.2001). Paragraph 187 raises an ineffective assistance of counsel claim which was not raised in Bishop's original petition and which was raised for the first time in the reply. Accordingly, the State's motion to strike paragraph 187 is granted. ¶ 52. Additionally, the issue raised in paragraph 187 is completely without merit. Bishop argues trial and appeal counsel was [sic] ineffective in bringing such claims and objections to the court. This makes absolutely no sense. Even if this argument contains a typographical error, as has been discussed above, none of the claims raised by Bishop warrant post-conviction relief. If there was no error regarding the claims and objections, counsels' performance was not deficient. Bishop cannot meet either prong of Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. ¶ 53. The State next moves to strike all of the exhibits and appendices filed with the reply brief and all arguments related thereto. The State contends that all of these documents were readily available to Bishop, through the exercise of due diligence, when he filed his original petition. The State argues that, in its response, it clearly demonstrated numerous weaknesses in the petition. The State asserts that Bishop attached the documents to the reply in an attempt to ambush the State with records and affidavits, to which the State has no mechanism to respond. ¶ 54. The exhibits attached to the reply brief consist of affidavits from Bishop's family and his ex-wife. (Exhibits 8, 9, 10 & 11). There are also four affidavits from MOCPCC staff regarding their interviews with those affiants. [10] (Exhibits 12, 13, 14 & 15). There is also an affidavit from an investigator for MOCPCC wherein she states what Bishop told her and an MOCPCC attorney during a telephone interview. [11] (Exhibit 18). The State's response was filed on September 5, 2003. All of the affidavits are dated between September 12, 2003 and September 22, 2003. The remaining two exhibits consist of an uncertified copy of trial counsel's motion for compensation dated February 23, 2000, and an uncertified, undated copy of what appears to be a witness list. (Exhibits 16 & 17). The documents contained in the appendix include transcripts of the television news coverage before and during the trial. [12] (Appendix 1 & 2). The appendix also includes newspaper articles for the same period and the transcripts from 911 calls and police dispatch on the night of the murder. (Appendix 3 & 4). Finally the appendix includes two undated poems allegedly written by Bishop. (Appendix 5). Bishop's reply brief discusses these documents in paragraphs 189, 191, 196, 197, 199, 203, 213, 215, and 224-26. ¶ 55. The post-conviction relief statute requires that the petition contain: (d) A separate statement of the specific facts which are within the personal knowledge of the prisoner and which shall be sworn to by the prisoner. (e) A specific statement of the facts which are not within the prisoner's personal knowledge. The motion shall state how or by whom said facts will be proven. Affidavits of the witnesses who will testify and copies of documents or records that will be offered shall be attached to the motion. The affidavits of other persons and the copies of documents and records may be excused upon a showing, which shall be specifically detailed in the motion, of good cause why they cannot be obtained. This showing shall state what the prisoner has done to attempt to obtain the affidavits, records and documents, the production of which he requests the court to excuse. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-39-9(1). This Court has stated, Notions of notice pleading have no place in post-conviction applications, the very name of which implies that there has been a final judgment of conviction. Respect for the integrity of the judicial process mandates that we require of such applicants a far more substantial and detailed threshold showing, far in excess of that we deem necessary in the case of a plaintiff in a civil action or, for that matter, in the case of the prosecution in a criminal indictment. In this context we understand Section 99-39-9 suggest a regime of sworn, fact pleadings, based upon personal knowledge. Neal, 525 So.2d at 1280. The documents filed with the reply brief fail to meet the pleading requirements of the post-conviction relief statute. ¶ 56. The MOCPCC was appointed to represent Bishop on February 15, 2002 and the statute of limitations did not run until April 18, 2003. All of the affidavits and documents were readily available to MOCPCC prior to the running of the limitations period. On May 16, 2003, this Court denied the MOCPCC's request for additional time to supplement or amend the petition. MOCPCC is attempting to circumvent this Court's order by including these documents in the reply brief. The State's motion to strike all of the exhibits and appendices attached to the reply brief is granted. Additionally, the State's motion to strike the arguments in the reply brief which reference these documents is also granted.