Opinion ID: 2549030
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Counsel's Failure to Investigate the Restaurant's Financial Status

Text: In addition to her ineffective assistance of counsel claims, Ferguson challenges the district court's decision concerning her claim that trial counsel's failure to further investigate the restaurant's financial condition and failure to present expert accounting testimony deprived her of effective assistance of counsel. Due to its finding of ineffective assistance of counsel based on failure to file a motion to arrest judgment on the grounds the information was defective, the Court of Appeals did not review this claim. The performance and prejudice prongs of the ineffective assistance of counsel inquiry are mixed questions of law and fact on appeal requiring de novo review. State v. Sperry, 267 Kan. 287, 297, 978 P.2d 933 (1999). Once a district court has entered findings of fact and conclusions of law on an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, an appellate court determines whether the decision reached by the trial court follows as a matter of law from the facts stated as its basis, and also whether the facts so stated have substantial support in the evidence. State v. Orr, 262 Kan. 312, 322, 940 P.2d 42 (1997). Judicial scrutiny of counsel's performance must be highly deferential. . . . A fair assessment of attorney performance requires that every effort be made to eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight . . . . Because of the difficulties inherent in making the evaluation, a court must indulge a strong presumption that counsel's conduct falls within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance; that is, the defendant must overcome the presumption that, under the circumstances, the challenged action `might be considered sound trial strategy.' [Citation omitted.] Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689. In general, the defendant bears the burden of demonstrating that trial counsel's alleged deficiencies were not the result of strategy. Rice, 261 Kan. 567; State v. Goswisk, 142 Ariz. 582, 586, 691 P.2d 673 (1984) (burden rests with the defendant to show that counsel's decision was not a tactical one but, rather, revealed ineptitude, inexperience, or lack of preparation); LaFave, 3 Criminal Procedure § 11.10(c) (2d ed. 1999) (Since Strickland starts with an assumption of competency, it places upon the defendant the burden of showing that counsel's action or inaction was not based on a valid strategic choice.). [T]he trial court, which observed counsel's performance and was aware of the trial strategy involved, is in a much better position to consider counsel's competence than an appellate court . . . and should be the first to make a determination of such an issue. State v. Van Cleave, 239 Kan. 117, 119, 716 P.2d 580 (1986). Summarizing its decision denying Ferguson's motion to vacate, the district court wrote: The testimony of David Mitchell and John Evans, in their respective entirety, goes to the claim that Mr. Meisenheimer failed to satisfactorily probe the financial condition of [Ferguson's] business just before the fire, during defense at trial. Likewise, [Ferguson] presented the testimony of a renowned expert in arson investigation, Dr. John De Haan, to show that Mr. Meisenheimer's failure to call an expert witness on the issue of arson investigation fell below the range of effective assistance of counsel. These omissions, if indeed they are omissions, on the part of Mr. Meisenheimer are, in this Court's opinion, just the type of action that the Kansas Supreme Court said `might be considered sound trial strategy. . . .' State v. Rice, 261 Kan. 567. Ferguson complains that Meisenheimer did not review John Evans' accounting records pertaining to Sampler's restaurant prior to trial despite the fact that the State's theory was that her motive for burning the restaurant was the poor financial condition of the restaurant. Ferguson contends on appeal that, had Meisenheimer looked at the records with Evans, Evans would not have testified that the restaurant was losing money. Evans testified at the evidentiary hearing that his statement at trial that this was not a situation in which a profit was being made was incorrect. He stated that, after reviewing the accounting records, the business was making a small or slight profit. However, Evans admitted on cross-examination that if the $7,000 loan were subtracted, there would be a negative balance. At the evidentiary hearing, Ferguson presented the testimony of David Mitchell, a certified public accountant. Mitchell testified that after reviewing the accounting records of Evans, he concluded that the total net income available to the owner for the period of time from September 1995 to September 1996 was $23,220.28. On cross-examination, however, Mitchell admitted he did not know how much money was in the checking account of Sampler's Restaurant, whether the company was profitable, or what the assets of the company were versus the liability on the day of the fire. Mitchell was not aware employee paychecks had bounced or that the electricity had been turned off for nonpayment during the preceding year. He was unaware of pending expenses for necessary improvements on the property and admitted he had no way of knowing the condition of the business on the day of the fire as he was only provided with information through September 1996. In regard to reasons for failing to further investigate the financial condition of Ferguson's businesses and for not presenting expert testimony from an accountant at trial, Meisenheimer testified: [I]t was my view that the State was trying to show a motive that partially existed but wasn't as strong as the State wanted to make it out to be and I, the questions that [the prosecutor] asked were ineffective. I felt like they, they were not serving the purpose. In fact, they were having a negative effect based upon the fact he says you, it's not profitable, and the balance sheet shows right there in black and white there's a small profit, and I didn't think that was making an impression on the jury. Meisenheimer stated he did not consult with a certified public accountant or other accounting expert in the preparation of the defense because: [I]t was my assessment that there were, it was not good trial strategy to, to act as if there were no financial problems because it appeared to me based on the evidence that there were. On the other hand, I believed that, that those financial problems were being overplayed by the State, and I thought that a jury would see they were being over-played by the State, and so that seemed to me to be an appropriate way to handle that matter. Competent evidence supports the district court's legal conclusion that trial counsel's decisions about presenting evidence regarding the financial status of the restaurant were based on legitimate trial strategy. Ferguson's contention that the district court erred in concluding that trial counsel did not render constitutionally deficient assistance of counsel due to his decision not to further investigate the restaurant's financial condition or present expert accounting testimony fails.