Opinion ID: 2495393
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Were Ineffective-Assistance-of-Counsel Claims Waived?

Text: The trial court summarily dismissed Borden's Rule 32, Ala. R.Crim. P., petition, which included his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. The Court of Criminal Appeals concluded that Borden waived the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel on appeal by failing to comply with Rule 28(a)(10), Ala. R.App. P. The Court of Criminal Appeals' unpublished memorandum of August 19, 2005, states, in pertinent part: In Part II(A) of his brief, Borden contends that the circuit court erred in summarily dismissing his claim that trial counsel were ineffective at the guilt and penalty phases of trial.2 Because Borden has been resentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, his claims of ineffective penalty-phase representation are moot. His claims of ineffective guilt-phase representation are waived on appeal because his argument does not comply with the requirements of the Alabama Rules of Appellate Procedure. Rule 28(a)(10), Ala. R.App. P., requires the argument section of an appellant's brief to set out `the contentions of the appellant with respect to the issues presented, and the reasons therefor, with citations to the cases, statutes, other authorities, and parts of the record relied on.' Borden's argument consists of a single paragraph of general propositions of law; a lengthy recitation of the facts of his life and the facts of the offense; and an eleven-page list of ineffective-assistance-of-counsel allegations. The list of claims is unsupported by legal authority, and it is almost entirely devoid of citations to the record. `This type of scattergun approach to appellate argument is forbidden by Rule 28(a)[(10)], Ala. R.App. P.' Hamm v. State, 913 So.2d 460, 490-91 (Ala. Crim.App.2002). `Recitation of allegations without citation to any legal authority and without adequate recitation of the facts relied upon has been deemed a waiver of the arguments listed.' Hamm, 913 So.2d at 491, citing Gay v. State, 562 So.2d 283, 289 (Ala.Crim.App. 1990). `By failing to include any citation to the record on this issue, [the appellant] has failed to comply with Rule 28(a)(10), Ala. R.App. P., and has waived this claim for purposes of appellate review.' Hart v. State, 852 So.2d 839, 848 (Ala.Crim.App.2002). In Part II(B) of his petition, Borden contends that the trial court erred in summarily dismissing his ineffective-counsel claim for the following reasons: (1) His petition clearly exceeded the specificity requirements of Rule 32.2(b), Ala. R.Crim. P.; (2) the affidavits submitted by his counsel created an issue of fact, and the court's reliance on them to summarily dismiss his petition was improper; (3) the court was wrong to refuse to consider parts of his claim; (4) the court improperly dismissed his claim without permitting him to obtain discovery to prove the merits of his claim; and (5) the trial court improperly adopted the State's proposed order `without scrutiny or modification.' The first four arguments fail to state a claim for relief because they address the same ineffective-counsel claims that are not properly before this court for review. This court is not required to review arguments which fail to meet the requirements of Rule 28(a). Hallford v. State, 629 So.2d 6 (Ala.Crim.App. 1992). Borden's fifth argument must fail because this court does not find error simply because the trial court has adopted an order proposed by the State. `While the practice of adopting a State's proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law is subject to criticism, the general rule is that even when the court adopts findings and conclusions verbatim, the findings are those of the court and may be reversed only if clearly erroneous.' Wood v. State, 891 So.2d 398, 420 (Ala.Crim.App.2003). Here, the order of dismissal specifically stated that `[t]he Court further has reviewed the record and the supporting affidavits and finds that the State's proposed order submitted herein accurately reflects the findings and conclusions of the Court.' The record fully supports the findings and conclusions of the court.3 2 Issues I and II in Borden's Rule 32 petition. 3 The court erred in finding one of Borden's claims [ineffective counsel resulting from inadequate compensation] procedurally barred under Rule 32.2(a)(3) and (5), Ala. R.Crim. P. However, the court properly found that this claim also was barred under Rules 32.6(b) and 32.7(d). When the circuit court's denial of a Rule 32 petition is correct for any reason, it will be affirmed by this court on appeal. Long v. State, 675 So.2d 532 (Ala.Crim.App.1996). The purpose of Rule 28, Ala. R.App. P., outlining the requirements for appellate briefs, is to conserve the time and energy of the appellate court and to advise the opposing party of the points he or she is obligated to make. United States v. Levy, 391 F.3d 1327 (11th Cir.2004) (discussing the rule that issues not briefed are waived and Rule 28, Fed. R.App. P., which sets out the requirements for appellate briefs in the federal courts). Rule 28(a)(10), Ala. R.App. P., provides that the argument section of the appellant's brief shall set out the contentions of the appellant/petitioner with respect to the issues presented, and the reasons therefor, with citations to the cases, statutes, other authorities, and parts of the record relied on. Additionally, `[i]t is not the function of this Court to do a party's legal research or to make and address legal arguments for a party based on undelineated general propositions not supported by sufficient authority or argument.' Butler v. Town of Argo, 871 So.2d 1, 20 (Ala.2003) (quoting Dykes v. Lane Trucking, Inc., 652 So.2d 248, 251 (Ala.1994)). Borden argues that the Court of Criminal Appeals erred in holding that his brief failed to comply with Rule 28(a)(10), Ala. R.App. P. Borden's brief to the Court of Criminal Appeals regarding his ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claims included 22 pages of facts addressing why the trial court erred in summarily dismissing the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claims in his Rule 32 petition. Borden's brief included 11 pages of argument regarding ineffective assistance of counsel, including some 25 citations to caselaw, along with explanations and quotations from the cited cases. Although another attorney may have treated the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel argument differently, Borden's brief is sufficient to apprise the Court of Criminal Appeals of Borden's contentions with regard to his ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claims. Accordingly, Borden did not fail to comply with the Rule 28(a)(10) and therefore did not waive his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. We note that waiver of an argument for failure to comply with Rule 28(a)(10), Ala. R.App. P., has been limited to those cases where there is no argument presented in the brief and there are few, if any, citations to relevant legal authority, resulting in an argument consisting of undelineated general propositions. See Jimmy Day Plumbing & Heating, Inc. v. Smith, 964 So.2d 1 (Ala.2007) (appellant's argument was insufficient to invoke review of the allegedly excessive compensatory-damages award to plaintiff/appellee in a personal-injury action where the appellant's three-sentence argument cited only a single case in support of a general proposition of law and offered no discussion of the nature and extent of the plaintiff's injuries); Davis v. Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc., 965 So.2d 1076 (Ala.2007)(appellant's lone citation to a general principle of law without specific relevance to her action against financial services company was insufficient to meet the requirements of Rule 28(a)(10) to cite relevant authority in support of arguments); Hall v. Hall, 903 So.2d 78 (Ala. 2004) (the appellant cited no authority for the proposition that the checking account should have been included as an asset of the estate and presented no argument and cited no authority to support his conclusion that the ore tenus rule did not require an affirmance on this issue); and Ex parte Gonzalez, 686 So.2d 204 (Ala.1996) (petitioner did not show a clear legal right to having capital-murder indictment quashed on the ground that the district attorney testified as a witness in front of the grand jury when the petitioner cited only a federal district court case that was not binding authority and that was distinguishable). [1]