Opinion ID: 172210
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of Motion for New Trial Without Holding an Evidentiary Hearing

Text: Citing United States v. Galloway, 56 F.3d 1239 (10th Cir.1995) (en banc), the government argues that Mr. Meacham may only claim ineffectiveness of counsel in collateral proceedings, not on direct appeal. In Galloway, however, we did not consider the precise question facing us today. Rather, that case simply held that a defendant is not required to bring an ineffectiveness claim on direct appeal. Id. at 1241. We reasoned that we could not resolve such a claim without the district court first having developed a factual record and an opinion on the subject, and that in most instances, these prerequisites are not fulfilled until the defendant initiates collateral proceedings. Id. at 1240-41. But we recognized that in rare cases the record is fully developed below. In those instances, the defendant may bring an ineffectiveness claim either on direct appeal or in collateral proceedings. Id. at 1242. Thus, Galloway does not speak to the issue before us: whether the district court should have held an evidentiary hearing before denying Mr. Meacham's motion for a new trial based on his counsel's alleged ineffectiveness. That question is governed by our decision in United States v. Sands, 968 F.2d 1058 (10th Cir.1992). There, as in the instant case, the defendant filed a motion for a new trial based on ineffective assistance of counsel. The district court denied the motion without conducting a hearing. Id. at 1061. On appeal, we recognized that ineffectiveness claims are generally not resolved on direct appeal, but we also observed that a defendant has the right to seek a new trial as part of the original criminal proceedings (rather than by way of collateral attack) on the grounds of ineffectiveness of counsel. Id. at 1066. We stated, however, that in those circumstances, a hearing on a motion for a new trial is required only when the defendant's ineffectiveness claim is colorable. Id. Turning back to the case before us, we conclude that Mr. Meacham has not presented a colorable claim of ineffective assistance; accordingly, the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying a hearing. See Sands, 968 F.2d at 1066. In the motion, Mr. Moses contended that Mr. Gradert refused to let Mr. Meacham testify at trial. See Cannon v. Mullin, 383 F.3d 1152, 1171 (10th Cir.2004) (obstructing defendant's efforts to testify on his own behalf satisfies the first prong of the Strickland standard). We point out, as did the district court, that this is simply an assertion by counsel in a brief; it is not supported by any affidavit or other testimony under oath from Mr. Meacham. See Meacham, 2008 WL 516534, at . [1] In addition, the motion does not describe in sufficient detail the circumstances of Mr. Gradert's behavior. We do not know what words Mr. Gradert uttered in any conversation with Mr. Meacham or what additional steps counsel took to prevent Mr. Meacham from taking the stand. Relatedly, the motion does not claim that Mr. Meacham was unaware of his constitutional right to testify at trial. Without such a claim, and without additional explanation, it is difficult to perceive how Mr. Gradert actually prevented Mr. Meacham from testifying. Of course, only an evidentiary hearing would reveal all of the relevant facts. To be entitled to such a hearing, however, a defendant must assert more than the bare conclusion that counsel refused to let the defendant testify. Cf. Cannon, 383 F.3d at 1171 (setting forth a detailed claim in a habeas petition that counsel prevented the petitioner from testifying at trial; petitioner alleged, among other things, that petitioner had begun to take the stand when trial counsel quickly sprang out of the chair and said that the defense rests in order to cut the petitioner off). Accordingly, we conclude that Mr. Meacham's ineffectiveness claim is not colorable and that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion for a new trial without first holding an evidentiary hearing. [2]