Opinion ID: 3025999
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dudley Affidavit

Text: Third, Taylor proffers testimony from Dr. Dudley, who evaluated him for the first time more than seven years after the guilty plea. Dudley diagnosed Taylor with longstanding Borderline Personality Disorder, and states that “symptoms present in Mr. Taylor’s case prevented him from . . . making knowing, intelligent and voluntary waivers of his rights.” (App. at 369.) He also indicates that at the time Taylor waived his rights he was suffering from a “Major Depressive Episode.” (App. at 368.) Notably, Dr. Dudley states that Taylor’s Borderline Personality Disorder caused a psychotic breakdown in 1991 that was well documented by Mr. Briercheck and Drs. Elyan and Sadoff. And we already know, from Briercheck’s and Sadoff’s 1991 reports, that Taylor’s suicidal ideation and depression did not otherwise impair his ability to assist 24 Sadoff’s 1991 evaluation of Taylor shows that he appreciated the contours of Taylor’s mentally disturbed and suicidal state. In it, he noted Taylor’s reports of auditory hallucinations—voices telling Taylor what to do on the night of the murders and for a month after he was admitted to the medical unit in prison. He also reported that he had received and agreed with Dr. Elyan’s May 1991 report, which gave Taylor a diagnosis of “acute grief reaction, possible cocaine induced psychosis, and history of cocaine and alcohol abuse.” (App. at 325.) And, in his updated affidavit, Sadoff reiterated that at the time he initially evaluated him, Taylor “remained severely depressed and continued to suffer from an acute grief reaction.” (App. at 378.) In spite of all these issues, Sadoff concluded in 1991 that Taylor was “not actively suicidal at present, and [was] no longer hearing voices,” he “appear[ed] to have recovered from the acute situational disturbance that occurred in May 1991,” and was “currently mentally competent to proceed.” (App. at 326.) 49 counsel and proceed with the legal aspects of his case. The legal conclusions Dr. Dudley reaches based on facts that are already in the record—that Taylor’s waivers were not “knowing, intelligent and voluntary”—do not warrant an evidentiary hearing on that issue. See Landrigan, 127 S. Ct. at1940 (“[I]f the record refutes the applicant’s factual allegations or otherwise precludes habeas relief, a district court is not required to hold an evidentiary hearing.”) (citing Totten v. Merkle, 137 F.3d 1172, 1176 (1998) (“[A]n evidentiary hearing is not required on issues that can be resolved by reference to the state court record.”) (emphasis deleted)).