Opinion ID: 1498881
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Application to Reid v. State

Text: Likewise, the petition filed by the Defender on behalf of Paul Dennis Reid, Jr., was insufficient on its face. The petition was not signed by Reid, and the claims in the petition were not verified by Reid under oath. Tenn.Code Ann. § 40-30-104(d) and (e). In addition, the petition filed by the Defender on behalf of Reid failed to establish a basis for allowing the Defender to proceed as next friend. Reid has never been found mentally incompetent by any court, despite his history of mental illness. See Reid, 164 S.W.3d at 304-06. Although the petition made reference to mental competency hearings that are ongoing in Reid's separate post-conviction proceedings in Davidson County, Tennessee, those records are not part of this record and, in any event, do not establish a prima facie case of Reid's present incompetency in this action. Moreover, the petition filed by the Defender in this case did not make a prima facie showing of Reid's alleged current mental incompetency, and the trial court did not make any findings as to the Defendant's next friend status. As a result, there was no basis upon which to allow the Defender to proceed on behalf of Reid as next friend. Accordingly, we hold that the post-conviction trial court lacked the authority to consider the petition filed on behalf of Reid where the petition was not signed or verified by Reid and where the Defender failed to establish a next friend basis upon which to proceed. We therefore vacate the trial court's order and dismiss the petition.