Opinion ID: 852539
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Right to Counsel and the Trial Court's Duty to Advise

Text: Second, Jackson waived his right to be represented by counsel, and the trial court had no duty to readvise Jackson on the right to counsel or admonish him on the perils of self-representation when it revoked Jackson's attorney's pro hac vice status. The right to be represented by counsel is also protected by both the Federal and Indiana Constitutions. U.S. Const. amend. VI; Ind. Const. art. 1, § 13. The right to counsel can be waived only by a knowing, voluntary, and intelligent waiver. Jones v. State, 783 N.E.2d 1132, 1138 n. 2 (2003). We recognize that a defendant's absence from trial does not constitute a waiver of the right to counsel in every case. We conclude that in this case, however, the record supports the trial court's specific finding that Jackson's absence from trial was a willful, knowing and voluntary act. The record in Jackson's case establishes that he repeatedly disregarded scheduled events. His last pretrial appearance in court ended with his counsel of record being discharged and an order setting a third and final trial date and directing Jackson to retain new counsel as he had said he would. He then failed to appear, failed to notify the court of his inability to retain counsel, and failed to request a continuance. We hold that this unexplained disregard of specific directions by the court and his own undertakings was sufficient to establish an intentional and inexcusable absence from trial and serves as a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver of counsel. Furthermore, the trial court had no duty to readvise Jackson on the right to counsel or admonish Jackson of the perils of self-representation when there was no indication that Jackson intended to proceed pro se or lacked funds to retain counsel. There is no doubt that the right to be represented by counsel includes the right of an indigent defendant in a criminal prosecution to have counsel provided for him at state expense. See, e.g., Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, 344-45, 83 S.Ct. 792, 9 L.Ed.2d 799 (1963); Pallett v. State, 269 Ind. 396, 401, 381 N.E.2d 452, 456 (1978). Jackson contends the trial court had a duty to inform Jackson that he had a right to court-appointed counsel at the time the court revoked Jackson's attorney's pro hac vice status. We disagree. Jackson was advised of his right to have appointed counsel at his initial hearing as reflected by the chronological case summary note of a full advise. Jackson makes no claim on appeal that he was not advised of this right at that time. At no time did Jackson request pauper counsel or indicate to the trial court that he could not afford an attorney. To the contrary, he represented that he would retain his own lawyer. In fact, Jackson had appeared with two retained counsel from a prominent Cincinnati law firm. [3] Jackson also posted a $100,000 surety bond in the present case, apparently satisfying his bonding company that he was a reasonable financial risk. Jackson had ample opportunity  including the two pretrial conferences that he chose not to attend  to inform the court that he could no longer afford an attorney if that were the case. Under these circumstances it was reasonable for the trial court to conclude that Jackson intended to and would hire a new attorney. Indeed, Jackson offers no authority to support his claim that the trial court was required to readvise him of his rights to appointed counsel at the time it revoked his attorney's pro hac vice status. In addition, warnings as to the perils of self-representation are irrelevant to Jackson's case. Jackson did not represent himself; he absented himself. The problem is not self-representation but self-help by boycotting the trial altogether. The trial court would have had a duty to advise Jackson of his right to counsel and the perils of self-representation if there was some indication that Jackson intended to proceed pro se. See Poynter v. State, 749 N.E.2d 1122 (Ind.2001). But that prospect was never raised by Jackson or his attorneys. At Jackson's last appearance in court, Carpenter remained Jackson's attorney of record, and Jackson had expressly informed the court that he had called other attorneys and was awaiting their return calls to replace Carpenter. Poynter is significantly different from Jackson's case in several respects. First, in Poynter the trial court was told of the possibility that the defendant would proceed pro se. At a pretrial conference, the trial court and defendant engaged in a dialogue that clearly indicated that the defendant may not hire a lawyer for trial. Id. at 1125. In this case, however, there was no suggestion that Jackson would proceed pro se or that there was any financial bar to his obtaining new representation. Second, Poynter did in fact represent himself at trial without having been warned of the dangers of self-representation. Third, in Poynter, the trial court made no finding regarding the fact that the defendant appeared for trial without counsel. Id. (Neither the trial judge nor the parties commented regarding the absence of an attorney for the defendant.). The trial judge in the present case, however, made a specific finding that Jackson's absence was a willful, knowing and voluntary act after reviewing Jackson's consistent failures to follow the trial court's directions or appear for scheduled events. The dissent points to cases finding that the right to counsel was waived knowingly and intelligently through a defendant's conduct and notes that all of these cases involved admonitions to the defendants about the perils of self-representation. These cases, however, all involved (1) indications to the trial court that the defendant may proceed pro se and (2) a defendant who actually showed up at some stage of trial without a lawyer and proceeded pro se. Again, in this case, there was no signal to the trial court that Jackson might proceed pro se. Nor was there an opportunity before trial to warn Jackson of the perils of self-representation because Jackson never appeared without counsel or signaled that he might. A defendant cannot manipulate a trial court to thinking that he or she will hire an attorney, fail to show up at trial or send an attorney, and then assert that the right to counsel was not waived because the trial court did not admonish the defendant about proceeding pro se. The dissent finally notes cases from the Indiana Court of Appeals and other jurisdictions that held that a defendant's failure to appear at trial does not waive the right to counsel. We do not find that these cases suggest that Jackson's behavior was insufficient to establish a waiver of the right to counsel. Cases from the same jurisdiction suggest a failure to appear can waive the right to counsel, even if there was no such admonition. See State v. Cain, 277 S.C. 210, 284 S.E.2d 779 (1981) (involving a defendant who was tried in absentia and not given admonitions about proceeding without counsel and finding that a waiver of the right to counsel can be inferred from a defendant's actions); State v. Gill, 355 S.C. 234, 584 S.E.2d 432, 437-438 (Ct.App.2003). These cases finding a need for an admonition involved either (1) a sparse record that did not indicate that the defendant willfully disregarded the trial court's orders; (2) indications that the defendant may try to represent himself; or (3) an unreasonably short amount of time between the withdrawal of the defendant's attorney and trial. None of the cases involved a defendant who had appeared with a lawyer but then disappeared for trial, a clear finding by the trial court that the defendant willfully and voluntarily missed his own trial, and no suggestion that the defendant would not hire his own attorney. We recognize that waiver by conduct cases usually require that the defendant be warned of the dangers of self-representation before a knowing and intelligent waiver of the right to counsel can be found. See, e.g., Bultron v. State, 897 A.2d 758, 765 (Del.2006); State v. Hampton, 208 Ariz. 241, 92 P.3d 871, 874 (2004). However, a common theme among these waiver of conduct cases is some indication from the defendant or counsel that a defendant may proceed pro se. In addition to a direct statement that the defendant wishes to represent himself, the need for admonishment can be established by a defendant's showing up for trial without counsel, counsel's withdrawing before trial, or the defendant's indigency. But none of these occurred in Jackson's case. We cannot expect a trial court to hunt down a defendant to admonish him about the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation if the defendant has made no indication to the trial court that he intends to proceed pro se and then subsequently does not show up for trial.