Opinion ID: 780969
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Inadequate Psychiatric Assistance

Text: 87 Mason argues that he received ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing because his attorneys acceded to inadequate psychiatric assistance. Specifically, he argues that Dr. Spare, the psychiatrist who examined him for the sentencing phase, failed to develop mitigating evidence and should have been disqualified due to a conflict of interest that stemmed from his treatment of Mason's wife. Petitioner's Br. at 33-34 n.8. In Skaggs, we held that counsel's use of an incompetent psychiatric expert at sentencing constituted ineffective assistance of counsel. Skaggs, 235 F.3d at 273-74. However, the defendant in Skaggs was protected by Ake because he had claimed insanity as a defense at trial. Id. at 264. Mason's defense rested on residual doubt and the argument that Chris had murdered Robin; therefore, Mason was not entitled to psychiatric assistance during the sentencing phase under Ake. Moreover, the two cases can be distinguished because defense counsel did not present any expert psychiatric evidence in this case. Cf. id. at 267 (holding that defense counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance by fail[ing] to investigate and present meaningful mitigating evidence and us[ing] an incompetent and fraudulent `psychologist' as the central mitigation witness). 88 However, according to the record before us, a competent psychiatric expert would have conduct[ed] a wide-ranging, very thorough inquiry into Mr. Mason's psychosocial background. Smalldon Aff. at ¶ 12. Such an inquiry would no doubt have ameliorated the prejudicial effects of defense counsel's alleged failure to investigate Mason's life history. Therefore, although Mason was not entitled to psychiatric assistance under Ake, he may still have an ineffective assistance claim for the deficient performance of defense counsel in apparently relying on Dr. Spare for an independent investigation into mitigating evidence. 89 Mason pursued his ineffective assistance of counsel claim with diligence, raising it in all of his pleadings. He has yet to receive his request for an evidentiary hearing. We therefore remand this case to the district court with instructions to hold an evidentiary hearing and to determine, in light of the factors that we have discussed, whether defense counsel rendered constitutionally ineffective assistance with respect to the sentencing phase of Mason's trial.