Opinion ID: 3033727
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Osborne’s Claim

Text: Although the district court recognized that Osborne raises “a direct challenge to [neither] the fact nor duration of imprisonment,” it ruled that his claim was Heck-barred because he seeks to “set the stage” to attack his underlying conviction. Though this circuit has not yet applied Heck in the context of a § 1983 action seeking post-conviction access to DNA evidence, the district court was not without guidance in assessing Osborne’s claim. As it observed, three circuits—the Fourth, 12668 OSBORNE v. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE Fifth, and Eleventh—have previously confronted the very question we now face. These opinions provide valuable guidance to us as well. [4] The State argues that Osborne seeks to use § 1983 as a discovery device for a later habeas petition, and that allowing him to do so would circumvent habeas procedural requirements and undermine the principles of comity and federalism that Heck protects. It suggests that Osborne reads Heck’s “necessarily implies” language too narrowly, and that it is enough if—as the district court was persuaded—the § 1983 action seeks to “facilitate” or “set the stage” for an attack on a conviction in a later proceeding. Put simply, the State contends that if a claim can be brought in habeas, it must be brought in habeas. Accordingly, it urges us to adopt the reasoning of the Fourth Circuit in Harvey v. Horan (Harvey I), 278 F.3d 370, 375-79 (4th Cir. 2002), in which a split panel held, for much the same reasons, that § 1983 actions by prisoners seeking post-conviction access to biological evidence are barred by Heck. See id. at 378 (“[W]e must examine whether a state prisoner’s claim falls within the federal habeas corpus statute. If it does, the claim cannot proceed under § 1983.”); see also Kutzner v. Montgomery County, 303 F.3d 339, 340 (5th Cir. 2002) (adopting Harvey I). [5] Osborne argues, by contrast, that the appropriate question under Heck is not whether he seeks to “set the stage” to attack his underlying conviction, but rather whether success on his § 1983 claim “necessarily implies” the invalidity of his conviction. This question must be answered in the negative, he submits, because success on his § 1983 claim guarantees only access to the DNA evidence. Though he concedes that he ultimately hopes to establish his innocence, he points out that additional DNA testing may inculpate him, exculpate him, or be inconclusive. And, even if the testing exonerates him, release would come through an entirely different proceeding, either habeas or clemency. Osborne thus suggests we adopt the reasoning of the Eleventh Circuit in Bradley v. OSBORNE v. DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 12669 Pryor, 305 F.3d 1287, 1288 (11th Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 538 U.S. 999 (2003), which held, for these reasons, that a § 1983 action seeking post-conviction access to DNA evidence is not Heck-barred. See also Harvey I, 278 F.3d at 382 (King, J., concurring in part) (“That act alone—providing Harvey with access to the biological evidence relating to his rape conviction—does not . . . ‘necessarily imply’ the invalidity of Harvey’s conviction or sentence.”); Harvey v. Horan (Harvey II), 285 F.3d 298, 308-09 (4th Cir. 2002) (Luttig, J., respecting the denial of rehearing en banc) (criticizing the Harvey I majority’s application of Heck). [6] We agree with Osborne, and join the Eleventh Circuit in holding that Heck does not bar a prisoner’s § 1983 action seeking post-conviction access to biological evidence in the government’s possession. It is clear to us, as a matter of logic, that success in such an action would not “necessarily demonstrate the invalidity of confinement or its duration.” Dotson, 125 S. Ct. at 1248. First, success would yield only access to the evidence—nothing more. See Bradley, 305 F.3d at 1290 (“[A prisoner] prevails in this lawsuit once he has access to that evidence or an accounting for its absence.”). Second, further DNA analysis may prove exculpatory, inculpatory, or inconclusive; thus, there is a significant chance that the results will either confirm or have no effect on the validity of Osborne’s confinement. See Harvey II at 308 (“That these scientific possibilities exist, in and of itself, suffices to establish that the asserted right of mere access is not a direct, or for that matter even an indirect, attack on one’s conviction or sentence.”). And third, even if the results exonerate Osborne, a separate action—alleging a separate constitutional violation altogether—would be required to overturn his conviction. See id.; Bradley, 305 F.3d at 1290.