Opinion ID: 885167
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Claims B(2)(a), B(2)(b), and B(2)(c)

Text: ¶ 19 In Claims (B)(2)(a), (B)(2)(b), and (B)(2)(c), Bruce contends that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to object to the State's introduction of medical reports which characterized the cause of death as homicide; failing to object to comments by the prosecution relating to invocation of the spousal privilege by Bruce's wife; and failing to object to the prosecution's inappropriate elicitation of opinion testimony from one witness as to the credibility of another witness. He argues that counsel's failure to object to these matters at trial constitutes an act of omission, and relies on Fitzpatrick v. State (1981), 194 Mont. 310, 638 P.2d 1002, for the proposition that claims involving acts of omission normally require an evidentiary hearing and, as a result, are properly brought in a postconviction proceeding. The State responds that these claims are record-based, could have been raised on direct appeal and, therefore, are procedurally barred. The State is correct. ¶ 20 The absence of an objection by counselthat is, a failure to objectis a fact easily documented by reviewing the record, and we have decided claims of this kind on direct appeal on numerous occasions. See, e.g., State v. Campbell (1996), 278 Mont. 236, 250, 924 P.2d 1304, 1313; State v. Bradley (1993), 262 Mont. 194, 197-99, 864 P.2d 787, 789; State v. Schoffner (1991), 248 Mont. 260, 268, 811 P.2d 548, 553; State v. Probert (1986), 221 Mont. 476, 481, 719 P.2d 783, 786. Furthermore, we recently clarified that a claim of ineffective assistance predicated upon trial counsel's failure to object to matters during trial can be decided on the basis of the record and could have been raised on direct appeal. See Petition of Hans, 1998 MT 7, ¶ 28 and ¶ 42, 958 P.2d 1175, ¶ 28 and ¶ 42, 55 St.Rep. 21, ¶ 28 and ¶ 42. ¶ 21 Bruce is correct in arguing that some acts of omission are not record-based, and a claim based on an omission which does not appear of record could not be raised on direct appeal and properly would be brought in a postconviction proceeding. Indeed, Fitzpatrick involved claims that counsel failed to adequately investigate and prepare a defense, and was unfamiliar with critical areas of the applicable law. Fitzpatrick, 194 Mont. at 318, 638 P.2d at 1007. While not addressing a procedural bar issue regarding those claims, we essentially determined that those acts of omission were not record-based. See Fitzpatrick, 194 Mont. at 318, 638 P.2d at 1007. ¶ 22 It is clear that, in the ordinary case, a review of the record will not establish such matters as whether counsel failed to investigate. It is equally clear that failures to object are, as we determined in Petition of Hans, record-based. Thus, Fitzpatrick is inapplicable here, and Claims B(2)(a), B(2)(b), and B(2)(c) could have been raised on direct appeal. Accordingly, we conclude that these claims are procedurally barred from being raised in Bruce's petition for postconviction relief under both § 46-21-105(2), MCA (1995), and the doctrine of res judicata.