Opinion ID: 2974194
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Robinson’s Stipulation

Text: -2- No. 03-5852 USA v. Robinson Robinson asks this court to relieve him from the effects of his stipulation. He does not dispute that he has multiple felony convictions, but argues that the indictment in this case relied upon only the Milwaukee County conviction. According to Robinson, the Milwaukee County Circuit Court’s judgment mistakenly listed the conviction as a felony and, in September 2003 (after sentencing in this case), the state court recognized its error and issued an amended judgment altering his conviction. The new judgment reflects a conviction for the misdemeanor of reckless use of a weapon. This amended judgment, Robinson contends, requires us to set aside his stipulation because it eliminates his predicate felony conviction and renders him “actually innocent” of the felon-in-possession offense. “[S]tipulations entered into freely and fairly are not to be set aside except to avoid manifest injustice.” Fairway Constr. Co. v. Allstate Modernization, Inc., 495 F.2d 1077, 1079 (6th Cir. 1974); see also Estate of Quirk v. Comm’r, 928 F.2d 751, 759 (6th Cir. 1991) (“[W]hen a party wants to waive an argument or issue that might otherwise be litigated, the waiver can be accomplished by a stipulation . . . . [I]f parties could challenge their prior stipulations at will, stipulations would lose much of their purpose.”). Even if Robinson is correct that the Milwaukee court amended its judgment after his conviction and sentence in this case, we perceive no manifest injustice in holding Robinson to his stipulation. We have consistently held that “[t]he defendant’s status on the date of the offense controls whether the felon in possession laws have been violated.” United States v. Olender, 338 -3- No. 03-5852 USA v. Robinson F.3d 629, 636 (6th Cir. 2003) (emphasis added) (holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying appellant’s motion for a new trial on felon-in-possession charge where, after the federal trial, the state court ruled that the predicate conviction had been erroneously entered as a felony instead of a misdemeanor and amended its judgment accordingly). We have held in similar circumstances that “any ruling which [the defendant] managed to obtain in state court subsequent to his commission of, and federal conviction for, the offense of felon in possession of ammunition, is irrelevant.” Id. at 631; see also United States v. Settle, 394 F.3d 422, 430-31 (6th Cir.), vacated, 125 S. Ct. 2560, reinstated in relevant part, 414 F.3d 629 (6th Cir. 2005) (affirming denial of postguilty-plea motion to dismiss indictment where state court entered nunc pro tunc order declaring predicate felony void ab initio because of defendant’s juvenile status at time of conviction). Thus Robinson’s stipulation worked no manifest injustice, particularly in light of his multiple felony convictions.