Opinion ID: 853428
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Ineffective Assistance and Fundamental Error

Text: The Court of Appeals, despite finding Latta's waiver to be based on an incomplete probing by the trial court, held that the failure to object waived the issue on appeal. Notwithstanding that waiver, the Court of Appeals concluded that the proceedings in the trial court constituted fundamental errorerror so egregious that the entire proceeding was underminedand was therefore available in postconviction proceedings despite waiver. There are several problems with this analysis. The principal case cited by the Court of Appeals for finding fundamental error is Whittle v. State, 542 N.E.2d 981 (Ind.1989), overruled on other grounds by Scisney v. State, 701 N.E.2d 847 (Ind. 1998). Whittle held that the defendant's claim of inadequate inquiry by the trial court into the propriety of joint representation was waived on direct appeal because there was no objection to the joint representation raised by any party at trial. 542 N.E.2d at 985. Whittle did not find fundamental error. Rather that decision went on to address the merits of the ineffective assistance claim that was based on the joint representation. In so doing, the decision cited and applied Strickland and Cuyler as well as cases from this Court announcing the same standards. That claim was not held to have been waived. Rather, it was rejected because Whittle failed to show an actual conflict (the defenses were common) or an adverse effect. 542 N.E.2d at 986-87. Fundamental error is permitted to preserve certain egregious claims of error even if they were not objected to or were available but not raised on appeal. Baird v. State, 688 N.E.2d 911, 916 (Ind. 1997). Ordinarily, however, fundamental error analysis has no application in postconviction proceedings. An ineffective assistance of counsel claim is permitted in postconviction proceedings for the reasons explored in Woods v. State, 701 N.E.2d 1208 (Ind.1998). The flaw the Court of Appeals identified in Latta's conviction is at bottom ineffective assistance of counsel based on impaired counsel arising from joint representation. Latta consented to the joint representation. The issue as to that claim is whether that consent waived any claim of ineffective assistance. If it did, Latta cannot complain on appeal or in postconviction about the consequences of her election to proceed with joint counsel. If the waiver was defective, she has her claim of ineffective assistance and it is properly asserted in postconviction proceedings. Cuyler expressly sets forth the standard to follow where an ineffectiveness claim is based on counsel's conflict of interest. Because it involves balancing the conflicting Sixth Amendment interests, the merits of the claim may depend on the circumstances leading up to the defendant's consent to joint representation, but it has nothing to do with fundamental error.