Opinion ID: 2162155
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Belated Appeals

Text: As a matter of Maryland case law, relating to post conviction proceedings, whenever a defendant is denied, through no fault of his own, his right to an appeal which he desires and to which he is entitled, he has the right to a belated appeal. We explain. The allowance of belated appeals generally is disfavored. There exists no rule, however, preventing courts from providing belated appeals as a remedy under the Post Conviction Procedure Act. Wilson v. State, 284 Md. 664, 672, 399 A.2d 256, 260 (1979), cert. denied, 446 U.S. 921, 100 S.Ct. 1858, 64 L.Ed.2d 275 (1980); Waters v. State, 76 Md.App. 548, 553, 547 A.2d 665, 668 (1988). See generally Md.Code (1957, 1996 Repl.Vol., 1997 Supp.) Art. 27, § 645A. Typically, courts permit belated appeals when `a timely direct appeal was attempted, but thwarted by the action of State officials.' Wilson, 284 Md. at 672, 399 A.2d at 260 (quoting Sewell v. Warden, 235 Md. 615, 618, 200 A.2d 648, 649 (1964)), or when a defendant, through no fault of his own, is denied an appeal, Beard v. Warden, 211 Md. 658, 661, 128 A.2d 426, 427 (1957). As a matter of Maryland case law, a defendant in a criminal case denied his right to a desired appeal through no fault of his own, and who has been diligent in attempting to assert his appeal rights, is entitled to a belated appeal, without the necessity of presenting any other evidence of prejudice. We opined in Sewell, 235 Md. at 618, 200 A.2d at 649: The instances in which belated appeals in criminal cases usually have been allowed are those in which a timely direct appeal was attempted, but thwarted by the action of State officials. See Bernard v. Warden, 187 Md. 273, 282 [49 A.2d 737, 741 (1946) ] and Coates v. State, 180 Md. 502 [, 504, 25 A.2d 676, 677, cert. denied, Coates v. Brady, 317 U.S. 625, 63 S.Ct. 33, 87 L.Ed. 506 (1942) ]. See also Beard v. Warden, 211 Md. 658, 661, [128 A.2d 426, 427], Lloyd v. Warden, 217 Md. 667, 670, [143 A.2d 483, 484 (1958) ], Spencer v. Warden, 222 Md. 582, 585, [158 A.2d 317, 319 (1960) ]and Fisher v. Warden, 230 Md. 612, 615 [185 A.2d 198, 200 (1962) ]. Cf. State v. Shoemaker, 225 Md. 639 [, 640-41, 171 A.2d 468, 469 (1961)]. Under such circumstances the Supreme Court has indicated that the state must either furnish a delayed appeal or release the prisoner. Dowd v. United States ex rel. Cook, 340 U.S. 206 [209-10, 71 S.Ct. 262, 264, 95 L.Ed. 215 (1951) ]. In Fisher, 230 Md. at 615-16, 185 A.2d at 200, we said: We have recognized that interference with an attempt to appeal by an official of the State justifies a delayed appeal. If Fisher's allegation that he was in effect coerced, or at the least, induced, by Judge Carter's offer to abandon the appeal, to which he had a right, can be established, it is clear that this would constitute an unwarranted interference with the petitioner's right to appeal, and he would be entitled to a delayed appeal. [Citations omitted.] We held likewise in Spencer, 222 Md. at 585, 158 A.2d at 319, where although `[t]he record d[id] not disclose that the right to appeal was denied the petitioner,' ... it [appeared] that the contention of deprivation of an attempted appeal was made at the hearing and disposed of without the taking of testimony. Accordingly, we remanded the case to the trial court to determine whether the allegation of an attempt to appeal is true. If the trial court determines that it is and that Spencer is entitled to an appeal, the clerk of the Circuit Court for Prince George's County should promptly prepare and forward to this Court the record in the case. Beard v. Warden, supra . Similar circumstances arose in Garrigan v. Superintendent, 218 Md. 662, 665, 146 A.2d 431, 433 (1958), where the accused claimed unidentified authorities at the jail in which he was incarcerated misinformed him with regard to the time permitted to file an appeal. We noted: We think the jail authorities were under no obligation to furnish legal advice to the applicant, but if any responsible officials did so and if they furnished incorrect advice, and if the applicant reasonably relied thereon and so failed to appeal within the proper time (thirty days), he should be allowed a delayed appeal. We note that he had counsel at his trial, who undoubtedly could have advised him correctly as to the time for appeal. Id. We accordingly remanded that case to the trial court to determine whether the misinformation occurred. If so, and the accused reasonably relied upon that information, we noted that he should be granted a direct belated appeal. In Beard, 211 Md. at 661, 128 A.2d at 427, we said, and perhaps best stated, the Maryland law on belated appeals in circumstances similar to those in the case at bar: If the applicant did all that he could to note an appeal in due time and was prevented from making the appeal effective as he claims, he is entitled to a delayed appeal. Coates v. State, 180 Md. 502, 504 [25 A.2d 676]; Bernard v. Warden, 187 Md. 273, 282 [49 A.2d 737]. Moreover, what we said in Coates applies with equal force to the case at hand: The prisoner did all that his ignorance and lack of advice permitted in forwarding his appeal in time, and the nature of his objection requires that it be accepted as of that time. Coates, 180 Md. at 504, 25 A.2d at 677. See also Gluckstern v. Sutton, 319 Md. 634, 663-64, 574 A.2d 898, 912, cert. denied, Henneberry v. Sutton, 498 U.S. 950, 111 S.Ct. 369, 112 L.Ed.2d 331 (1990); Shoemaker, 225 Md. 639, 171 A.2d 468; Lloyd, 217 Md. at 670, 143 A.2d at 484-85. [5] In Shoemaker, we described the circumstances leading to the post conviction court's grant of the defendant's request for a belated appeal: The accused's uncle had furnished funds to pay the lawyer who represented him. After the verdict, the accused told his lawyer he wished to file a motion for a new trial and that if this were unsuccessful, an appeal. The next day the prisoner's wife called the lawyer and directed him vigorously and explicitly to take no further part in the case. Despite this, the lawyer filed and argued the motion for a new trial, feeling that his duty to his client required this much. The motion was denied and the lawyer took no further part in the case. He did not advise his client that he had been told not to do so by the wife. The wife asked a Washington lawyer, who had represented her in other matters, to prosecute an appeal for her husband. The Washington lawyer was not admitted to practice in Maryland and requested a lawyer who practiced both in Washington and in Maryland to handle the case. The Washington-Maryland lawyer filed notice of an appeal and later requested and received an extension of time for the filing of the record but, apparently because a retainer fee requested of the wife had not been paid, did nothing further to perfect the appeal. He never met or consulted with the prisoner or even advised him that he had been retained in his behalf. It appears from the record that the prisoner patiently awaited the results of the appeal he thought he had taken and, hearing nothing, wrote to his original attorney to inquire about the status of his case and, discovering that his appeal had been dismissed, sought relief under the Post Conviction Procedure Act. Id. at 640-41, 171 A.2d at 469. Finding that Shoemaker never intended to abandon his appeal but instead had done everything within his power to seek a review of the judgment against him, the post conviction court granted Shoemaker a belated appeal. Id. at 641, 171 A.2d at 469. We agreed with the post conviction court and denied the State's leave to appeal the post conviction court's ruling, noting that although the State did not thwart Shoemaker's direct appeal, Shoemaker's attorneys did hamper his appeal efforts because Shoemaker expressed his instructions for the appeal and believed them carried out. In fact, Shoemaker, based upon his instructions to his attorneys, had no idea an appeal had not been filed. These circumstances, we held, warranted granting Shoemaker a belated appeal. As these cases make clear, when an accused can show that appellate review of his conviction has been frustrated by his trial or appellate attorney's inaction in failing to file timely an appeal that an accused has promptly and diligently requested be filed, [6] or when, through no fault of his own, an accused's desired appeal is not timely filed on his behalf, a belated appeal may be a proper remedy under post conviction procedures. With regard to the particular facts at hand, the hearing court was obligated to determine whether appellant was entitled to post conviction relief. If appellant's counsel failed to file an appeal that appellant timely requested him to file, the hearing court should have considered relief in the form of appellant's requested belated appeal. We hold that in such circumstances, a belated appeal is an appropriate remedy.