Opinion ID: 585300
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Ineffective Assistance of Appellate Counsel (Issue V)

Text: 29 With respect to Duest's allegations of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel for failure to raise on appeal claims arising out of the guilt phase of Duest's trial, it is clear that the petitioner has not sustained his burden of proving prejudice resulting from appellate counsel's alleged deficient performance. See Strickland, supra. 4 In assessing the likelihood of success of a direct appeal, we must accord deference to the Florida Supreme Court's decisions to the extent the Court has decided one of the underlying state law issues giving rise to the ineffective assistance claim. Alvord v. Wainwright, 725 F.2d at 1291. Duest contends that appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise on appeal (1) the trial court's admission of flight evidence at trial; and (2) the trial court's admission of collateral misconduct. 30 In denying Duest state habeas relief and in affirming the trial court's denial of Duest's 3.850 motion, however, the Florida Supreme Court addressed petitioner's substantive state law claims on the merits. The court concluded that under prevailing Florida law, petitioner's arguments regarding the admission of flight and alias evidence would have been unavailing had it been raised on appeal. Duest v. Dugger, 555 So.2d at 852, and that the admission of collateral conduct was, at most, harmless error. Id. at 853. Thus, given the Florida Supreme Court's rejection of Duest's underlying state claims, no prejudice resulted from the failure of Duest's appellate counsel to raise these claims on appeal. 31