Opinion ID: 1959972
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: AVAILABILITY OF EXTRAORDINARY RELIEF IN FLYNT v. BARTLETT

Text: Because of the procedural posture in which Flynt v. Bartlett comes before the Court  an appeal from the Court of Appeals's denial of Appellant Flynt's petition for a writ of mandamus  we must first address whether Appellant Flynt's petition for relief satisfied the threshold requirements of the extraordinary relief sought. Specifically, the extraordinary remedy of a writ of mandamus is unavailable unless the petitioner can demonstrate that traditional post hoc appellate procedures do not provide him or her with an adequate remedy. [18] In the case at bar, we agree with the Court of Appeals's determination that Appellant Flynt has not demonstrated that he will suffer any injury which could not be repaired by appeal. In his petition for relief, Appellant Flynt argued that extraordinary relief was appropriate because, if he sought appellate review of the trial court's pretrial detention ruling in an appeal from a final judgment of conviction, he would first have to suffer the collateral consequences associated with a felony conviction. Appellant Flynt attached an affidavit to his petition in which he referenced the adverse effect that his status as a convicted felon would have upon his ability to vote, serve on a jury, and other civil rights afforded to non-felons while they are participating in the Kenton County Diversion Program as well as his employment in the operation of sexually oriented businesses, which are, according to Appellant Flynt, subject to licensing laws that prohibit the employment of convicted felons. To accept Appellant Flynt's argument that the disqualifications associated with a felony conviction render his direct appeal right an inadequate remedy, however, we would have to hold that any ruling in a felony case can be reviewed via mandamus or prohibition prior to final judgment. And, because we have consistently found that traditional appellate review of allegations of error in felony cases constitute an adequate remedy, [19] we agree with the Court of Appeals that Appellant Flynt's right of direct appeal from any future judgment of conviction would afford him an adequate forum in which to raise his allegation of error. If the trial court had abused its discretion in denying Appellant Flynt's application for pretrial diversion, a reviewing court could vacate a judgment of conviction and remand the matter to the trial court to reconsider (or to grant) the application. Further, while we express no opinion regarding the specific consequences identified by Appellant Flynt, we observe that we have held that some disqualifications associated with a felony conviction are triggered by the guilty plea that KRS 533.250(1)(e) requires as a condition of pretrial diversion [20] rather than by a final judgment of conviction. Thus, although we necessarily will address the merits of Appellant Flynt's claim in order to decide the identical issues presented in Commonwealth v. Elliott, we affirm the Court of Appeals's denial of mandamus relief in Flynt v. Bartlett on the grounds that such relief was not available because Appellant Flynt had an adequate remedy by appeal.