Opinion ID: 161378
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Waiver of appeal rights

Text: The United States argues that Mr. Battle waived his statutory right to appeal his sentence by knowingly and voluntarily waiving that right in his plea agreement. See United States v. Atterberry , 144 F.3d 1299, 1300 (10th Cir. 1998) (agreement to waive right to appeal is enforceable); United States v. Rubio , 231 F.3d 709, 710 (10th Cir. 2000) (dismissing issues related to enforceable plea agreement waiver). The agreement stated, in relevant part, that Mr. Battle knowingly waives the right to appeal any sentence within the maximum provided in the statute(s) of conviction (or the manner in which that sentence was determined) on the grounds set forth in Title 18, United States Code, Section 3742 or on any ground whatever, in exchange for the concessions made by the United States in this plea agreement. R. Vol. I, Doc. 17 at 2. Mr. Battle counters that the waiver was overly broad and permitted absolution of unforeseen judicial errors, and that it is inapplicable in the face of a meritorious claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. [A]greements waiving the right to appeal are subject to certain exceptions, including where the agreement was involuntary or unknowing, where the court relied on an impermissible factor such as race, or where the agreement is otherwise unlawful. In addition, a waiver may not be used to preclude appellate review of a sentence that exceeds the statutory maximum or to deny review of a claim that the agreement was entered into with ineffective assistance of counsel. United States v. Cockerham , 237 F.3d 1179, 1182 (10th Cir. 2001) (quotations and citations deleted). We conclude that the waiver is not overly broad, and none -3- of the purely speculative scenarios described by Mr. Battle that could hypothetically result in “absolution” of unforeseen error exist in this case. Of course, as mentioned above, Mr. Battle’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims are not properly before the court and must be dismissed, so that exception does not here apply. As to the other issues raised on appeal, we must determine whether each falls within the waiver language, and if so, whether an exception applies to the waiver. A. Denial of motion to withdraw plea; voluntariness of plea The waiver clause waives only the right to challenge the sentence imposed, not the right to challenge the plea agreement itself or the court’s refusal to allow its withdrawal. We conclude that Mr. Battle did not waive his right to appeal from the district court’s denial of his motion to withdraw his guilty plea or his claim that the plea was involuntary. B. Error in calculating Mr. Battle’s sentence Mr. Battle pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute approximately twenty grams of crack in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); section 841(b)(1)(B)(ii) provides for an imprisonment range of not less than five years to not more than forty years for this crime. The district court sentenced Mr. Battle to 210 months’ imprisonment, which was well within the maximum range for the offense. Appellate counsel raised two issues in regard to the calculation -4- of sentence: (1) whether the court properly enhanced Mr. Battle’s sentence under the career offender sentencing provisions based upon a prior felony conviction of escape; and (2) whether the court erred in considering drugs charged in a dismissed count as relevant conduct as part of its sentencing considerations. In addition, Mr. Battle argues that his sentence was excessive because (3) he was sentenced for an offense involving cocaine base, which he claims has not been adequately defined as an essential element in the criminal statutes (or, in the alternative, which is an overly broad definition), and (4) therefore, the sentencing level the court applied was inapplicable because he should have been sentenced only under the guidelines applying to the possession with intent to distribute cocaine powder instead of crack cocaine. These issues all relate to the imposition or calculation of a sentence within the maximum permissible range, and are expressly waived under the plea agreement. They are therefore dismissed.