Opinion ID: 2757929
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: [3] Before reaching the legal issues presented for review, it is the duty of an appellate court to determine whether it has jurisdiction over the matter before it. State v. Alfredson, 287 Neb. 477, 842 N.W.2d 815 (2014). The State argues that the district court’s March 23, 2012, order dismissing four of Banks’ five ineffective assistance of counsel claims was a final order; that Banks did not file a timely appeal from that order; and that as a consequence, we lack jurisdiction to consider any of the claims denied in that order. We agree. [4,5] The district court’s March 23, 2012, order was a final order as to all of Banks’ claims except for the claim relating to the reasonableness of trial counsel’s pretrial investigation, because it denied an evidentiary hearing on those claims. An order denying an evidentiary hearing on a postconviction claim is a final judgment as to that claim, and under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1912 (Reissue 2008), a notice of appeal must be filed with regard to such a claim within 30 days. State v. Robinson, 287 Neb. 606, 843 N.W.2d 672 (2014). Failure to timely appeal from a final order prevents our exercise of jurisdiction over the claim disposed of in the order. State v. Poindexter, 277 Neb. 936, 766 N.W.2d 391 (2009). Banks did not file a notice of appeal within 30 days of the March 23, 2012, order. The only notice of appeal filed by Banks was the one relating to the court’s August 5, 2013, order, which was filed well outside the 30 days that he had to appeal from the March 23, 2012, order. Therefore, we lack jurisdiction to consider any assignments of error related to the claims that were denied without a hearing in the March 23, 2012, order, Nebraska Advance Sheets STATE v. BANKS 605 Cite as 289 Neb. 600 including the claim that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to raise a Batson challenge. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel in P retrial I nvestigation The remaining assignment of error is whether the district court erred by denying an evidentiary hearing on Banks’ ineffective assistance of counsel claim relating to the pretrial investigation. The court denied this claim in its August 5, 2013, order, from which Banks timely appealed. [6,7] A court must grant an evidentiary hearing to resolve the claims in a postconviction motion when the motion contains factual allegations which, if proved, constitute an infringement of the defendant’s rights under the state or federal Constitution. State v. Phelps, 286 Neb. 89, 834 N.W.2d 786 (2013). If a postconviction motion alleges only conclusions of fact or law, or if the records and files in the case affirmatively show that the defendant is entitled to no relief, the court is not required to grant an evidentiary hearing. Id. Banks was not entitled to an evidentiary hearing on his ineffective assistance of counsel claim relating to the pretrial investigation, because he alleged only conclusions of fact or law. He alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to interview and investigate individuals named “John Ravlinson” and “Charles Bowling.” He claimed that if his counsel had interviewed these witnesses, they could have provided testimony at trial that would have supported a defense that Banks acted in self-defense. We note that at trial, “selfdefense was not Banks’ theory of the case,” and that he did not testify. See State v. Banks, 278 Neb. 342, 366, 771 N.W.2d 75, 94 (2009). Banks did not provide factual allegations to support his claim that Ravlinson and Bowling had information on whether Banks acted in self-defense. He did not allege what information Ravlinson and Bowling would have provided or what the substance of their testimony would have been. Banks failed to explain how Ravlinson’s and Bowling’s testimony would have been relevant to self-defense when there was no evidence or allegation that either was present when Herndon was shot. Nebraska Advance Sheets 606 289 NEBRASKA REPORTS Banks made only conclusory allegations that they could have “shed light on what actually took place.” The conclusory nature of Banks’ allegations is illustrated by State v. Davlin, 277 Neb. 972, 766 N.W.2d 370 (2009). In that case, the defendant, Clifford J. Davlin, alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to offer the testimony of two specific witnesses named “Guilliatt” and “Davis.” He claimed those witnesses could have provided “‘important exculpatory and alibi evidence.’” See id. at 983, 766 N.W.2d at 380. We concluded that Davlin’s motion was conclusory and did not warrant an evidentiary hearing: There is nothing in Davlin’s motion (or indeed in the record) that would suggest the nature of the exculpatory evidence to which Guilliatt and Davis would testify. Nor is there any indication what alibi either might provide Davlin. Rather than providing any detail, Davlin alleges only conclusions of fact and law. Such are insufficient to support the granting of an evidentiary hearing. Id. at 984, 766 N.W.2d at 380. Davlin was not entitled to an evidentiary hearing even though he suggested that certain witnesses, if called to testify, would have established his alibi. We found such allegations to be conclusory, because Davlin did not allege specifically what the witnesses would have said or how that evidence would have established his alibi. Similarly, Banks’ allegation that Ravlinson and Bowling would have provided support for a theory of self-defense was conclusory and did not warrant an evidentiary hearing. The district court did not err in denying Banks’ amended motion without an evidentiary hearing.