Court Opinion

ID: 2970400
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-22 16:11:37.380898+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:01:38.397691
License: Public Domain

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RUGHULQJ KLV IRUWKZLWK UHOHDVH IURP FXVWRG\    The district court did not
publish its decision in this case. On the same day the district court
granted Lyons’ habeas corpus petition, it granted two other petitions in
similar cases. The court analyzed all three cases similarly and published
only one opinion. See Haynes v. Burke, 115 F.Supp.2d 813 (E.D.Mich
2000). The other opinions are unpublished. See /\RQV Y -DFNVRQ 1R
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DSSOLHG6WULFNODQG                                                       prosecutors an appeal of right from "[a] final judgment or final order of
                                                                          the . . . recorder’s court" in criminal cases. Mich. Comp. Laws Ann.
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                                                                          defendants who moved to withdraw their guilty pleas under circumstances
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                   III. CONCLUSION                              FROODWHUDO DVRSSRVHGWRDGLUHFWFRQVHTXHQFHRIWKHSOHD
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  We conclude that Lyons received constitutionally
ineffective assistance of counsel. We further conclude that a      )LUVW WKH ZDUGHQ¶V UHOLDQFH RQ FLUFXLW FRXUW FDVHV LV
decision to the contrary on the facts of this case is an        LPSURSHU7KH$('3$SURKLELWVXVHRIORZHUFRXUWGHFLVLRQV
unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.    LQGHWHUPLQLQJZKHWKHUWKHVWDWHFRXUWGHFLVLRQLVFRQWUDU\WR
We therefore AFFIRM the federal district court’s conditional    RU LV DQ XQUHDVRQDEOH DSSOLFDWLRQ RI FOHDUO\ HVWDEOLVKHG
grant of habeas corpus.                                         IHGHUDO ODZ  :LOOLDPV  86 DW  GHILQLQJ ³FOHDUO\
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DVVLVWDQFH RU  WKDW HYHQ LI /\RQV KDG EHHQ UHDVRQDEO\   need not decide this issue here because other evidence
DGYLVHGKHVWLOOZRXOGKDYHSOHGJXLOW\                           supports Lyons' claim of prejudice.
      3HUIRUPDQFHRI&RXQVHO                                         At the March 1990 plea hearing, Burgess told the court that
                                                                     Lyons wished to offer a plea of guilty "on the basis of"
  7KH SURSHU PHDVXUH RI DWWRUQH\ SHUIRUPDQFH LV ZKHWKHU       Burgess's belief that he could convince Chief Judge Roberson
FRXQVHO¶V DVVLVWDQFH ZDV UHDVRQDEOH ³XQGHU SUHYDLOLQJ           to sentence Lyons as a juvenile. Later, at the evidentiary
SURIHVVLRQDOQRUPV´DQG³FRQVLGHULQJDOOWKHFLUFXPVWDQFHV´         hearing on Lyons’ motion to withdraw his guilty plea,
6WULFNODQG  86 DW   :H PDNH D FDVHE\FDVH        Burgess acknowledged the possibility that, had he considered
H[DPLQDWLRQRIWKHHYLGHQFH:LOOLDPV86DWDQG          the possibility that the prosecutor would appeal a juvenile
³LQGXOJH D VWURQJ SUHVXPSWLRQ WKDW FRXQVHO¶V FRQGXFW IDOOV    sentence, he might not have recommended that Lyons plead
ZLWKLQWKHZLGHUDQJHRIUHDVRQDEOHSURIHVVLRQDODVVLVWDQFH´        guilty. Both Lyons and his counsel testified that Lyons relied
6WULFNODQG86DW                                         heavily on the attorney’s advice; thus, evidence that Burgess
                                                                     might have changed his recommendation indicates that
  7KH SURIHVVLRQDO QRUPV WKDW JXLGH XV UHVW XSRQ GHIHQVH     Lyons would have been more likely to demand a trial rather
FRXQVHO¶VIXQGDPHQWDOGXWLHV³WREULQJWREHDUVXFKVNLOODQG        than plead guilty.
NQRZOHGJHDVZLOOUHQGHUWKHWULDODUHOLDEOHDGYHUVDULDOWHVWLQJ
SURFHVV´ DQG ³WR FRQVXOW ZLWK WKH GHIHQGDQW RQ LPSRUWDQW        Lyons testified at the plea withdrawal hearing that, when
GHFLVLRQVDQGWRNHHSWKHGHIHQGDQWLQIRUPHGRILPSRUWDQW            first presented with Burgess's advice that he plead guilty,
GHYHORSPHQWVLQWKHFRXUVHRIWKHSURVHFXWLRQ´,GDW        Lyons initially "wanted to fight" and put the government to its
  7KH IHGHUDO GLVWULFW FRXUW DUWLFXODWHG WKH FLUFXPVWDQFHV     burden of proof. Burgess corroborated Lyons’ belief that he
UHOHYDQWWRWKHSHUIRUPDQFHLQTXLU\LQWKLVFDVH                   had defenses to the first degree murder charge. In fact,
                                                                     Burgess and Lyons had been concentrating almost exclusively
  >7@ULDOFRXQVHO¶VSHUIRUPDQFHZDVGHILFLHQWZLWKLQWKH             on trial preparation up until the date of the trial, when the case
  PHDQLQJ RI WKH6WULFNODQG VWDQGDUG ZKHUH KH IDLOHG WR       was transferred to Chief Judge Roberson. Given this
  DGYLVH SHWLWLRQHU WKDW WKH SURVHFXWRU FRXOG DSSHDO D        background, had Burgess advised Lyons of all the risks he
  MXYHQLOHVHQWHQFHWRD0LFKLJDQDSSHOODWHFRXUWZLWKWKH           was facing, Lyons might have pled not guilty.
  YHU\ UHDO SRVVLELOLW\ WKDW D KLJKHU FRXUW ZRXOG RUGHU
  SHWLWLRQHU UHVHQWHQFHG DV DQ DGXOW  %HFDXVH RI               To meet the prejudice requirement under Strickland and
  SHWLWLRQHU¶V\RXQJDJHSHWLWLRQHUZDVSDUWLFXODUO\UHOLDQW        Hill, Lyons need only show a reasonable probability that he
  RQKLVDWWRUQH\¶VDGYLFHWRSOHDGJXLOW\WRWKHRIIHQVHVLQ        would have pled not guilty had Burgess’s performance been
  WKLVFDVH,QOLJKWRIFRXQVHO
VH[WUDRUGLQDU\DGYLFHWR          objectively reasonable. We conclude that Lyons' and
  SHWLWLRQHUWKDWKHSOHDGJXLOW\WRDQRIIHQVHZKLFKFDUULHG        Burgess’s testimony, along with reasonable inferences from
  D PDQGDWRU\ VHQWHQFH RI OLIH LPSULVRQPHQW ZLWKRXW            the facts and circumstances of this case, are sufficient to
  SDUROHFRXQVHOKDGDGXW\ERWKWRFRQVLGHUDQGWRDGYLVH          demonstrate not only a reasonable probability that Lyons
  SHWLWLRQHURIWKHSURVHFXWRU¶VULJKWWRDSSHDODQ\VHQWHQFH        would have decided to plead not guilty but also that a
  WRWKH0LFKLJDQDSSHOODWHFRXUWVZLWKWKHSRVVLELOLW\WKDW        contrary conclusion is objectively unreasonable.
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   /\RQVY-DFNVRQ                             1R      1R                                   /\RQVY-DFNVRQ         

  The warden maintains that if a defendant is aware of the         /\RQVY-DFNVRQ1R&9'76OLS2SDW('
maximum possible sentence he cannot be prejudiced by his           0LFK$XJ
counsel's failure to inform him of the prosecutor's right to
appeal. We decline to adopt the warden’s argument. An                 /\RQV¶WULDOFRXQVHO%XUJHVVEURXJKWWREHDURQWKLVFDVH
awareness of the sentencing range available to the trial judge     KLV NQRZOHGJH RI &KLHI -XGJH 5REHUVRQ
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is not the same as an informed understanding that a                SUDFWLFHV:LWKRXWDQ\GRXEWLQWKLVUHJDUG/\RQVLQLWLDOO\
sentencing judge's decision is subject to reversal. The rule       EHQHILWWHGIURPFRXQVHO
VNQRZOHGJH)XUWKHUPRUH%XUJHVV
suggested by the warden would preclude courts from finding         DGHTXDWHO\LQIRUPHG/\RQVUHJDUGLQJWKHULVNVDVWKH\UHODWHG
prejudice in any situation where the defendant knew the range      WR&KLHI-XGJH5REHUVRQ¶VVHQWHQFLQJGHWHUPLQDWLRQ/\RQV
of penalties to which he was subject.                              understood that if he pled guilty Chief Judge Roberson could
                                                                   opt to impose either a severe adult sentence of life
   Furthermore, the circumstances of this case illustrate the      imprisonment or a lenient juvenile sentence.
failings of the warden's argument. Lyons pled guilty in hopes
of avoiding life imprisonment without parole. A reduced               However, Burgess acted incompetently in failing to
likelihood of being sentenced as an adult was the sole benefit     consider the likelihood that the prosecutor would exercise his
of Lyons' guilty plea before Chief Judge Roberson. In reality,     right to appeal the district court's imposition of a juvenile
the risk of being sentenced as an adult came in two parts:         sentence. Any juvenile sentence imposed on Lyons would be
(1) being sentenced as an adult by Chief Judge Roberson; and       less than five years in a juvenile facility. Given such a lenient
(2) having received a juvenile sentence from Chief Judge           sentence for first degree murder, it was unreasonable for
Roberson, being subject to a successful appeal by the              Burgess not to have considered that the prosecutor could
prosecutor. Lyons, however, was informed by his attorney,          appeal and the juvenile sentence could be reversed. Yet
Burgess, of only the first risk. Burgess's failure to assess all   Burgess did not factor this scenario into his advice to Lyons
the risks and inform his client left Lyons to make the most        that pleading guilty was in Lyons’ best interest.
important decision of his life without essential information.
Presented with all the risks, Lyons might well have decided          Thus, Lyons did not know that the prosecutor could appeal
to plead not guilty and to take his chances at trial.              and that the juvenile sentence could be reversed, and, if so,
                                                                   Lyons would serve a life sentence without possibility of
   Indeed, Lyons puts forth evidence that he would have pled       parole. Lyons was left unaware that, even if Burgess’s
not guilty. At the evidentiary hearing on his plea withdrawal      assessment on his chances of receiving a juvenile sentence
motion, Lyons testified that he would not have pled guilty had     from Chief Judge Roberson were correct, this was not a one-
he known of the prosecutor’s right to appeal. This testimony,      act play in Chief Judge Roberson's courtroom.
though self-serving, may be enough by itself to satisfy the
prejudice prong under the circumstances here. See Magana              Burgess should have considered these possibilities,
v. Hofbauer, 263 F.3d 542, 547 n.1 (6th Cir. 2001) (noting         informed Lyons about them, and incorporated them into his
that, unlike the Seventh and Second Circuits, this Circuit has     risk assessment when he advised Lyons about pleading guilty.
not explicitly adopted a requirement that in order to establish
prejudice a defendant must come forward with objective                 
evidence in addition to his post-conviction claim that he                  ,Q DGGLWLRQ %XUJHVV HQWLUHO\ IDLOHG WR FRQVLGHU WKDW DQ DSSHDOV
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would have changed his mind about pleading guilty). We             DV &KLHI -XGJH 5REHUVRQ PLJKW ZHOO UHYHUVH WKH WULDO FRXUW LQ IDYRU RI WKH
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He failed to do so. Rather, he advised Lyons to plead guilty                      advising him." This case epitomizes the criminal defendant's
based solely upon his assessment of the relative risks in going                   need for what the Supreme Court has called the "guiding hand
to trial versus pleading guilty before Chief Judge Roberson.                      of counsel at every step in the proceeding against him."
As a result, Burgess misinformed Lyons regarding the                              Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, 69 (1932).
likelihood he would receive an adult sentence. Lyons was not
fully apprised of the risks he faced.                                               We conclude that Lyons’ trial counsel was incompetent. It
                                                                                  is an objectively unreasonable application of Hill and
   The duty of defense counsel to consult is paramount when                       Strickland for the Michigan Court of Appeals to hold
a client has to decide whether or not to waive a constitutional                   otherwise.
right, such as the right to trial. Because the decision whether
or not to plead guilty ultimately rests with the client, see                        2.     Prejudice
Jones v. Barnes, 463 U.S. 745, 751 (1983) ("the accused has
the ultimate authority to make certain fundamental decisions                        To determine whether Lyons was prejudiced by his
regarding the case, as to whether to plead guilty, waive a jury,                  counsel’s deficient performance, we ask whether there is a
testify in his or her own behalf, or take an appeal");                            reasonable probability that, had he been advised of the
Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72, 93 n.1 (1977) (Burger,                          prosecutor’s right of appeal, he would not have pled guilty.
C.J., concurring) ("[o]nly such basic decisions as whether to                     A "reasonable probability" is a probability sufficient to
plead guilty, waive a jury, or testify in one's own behalf are                    undermine confidence in the outcome; it is less than a
ultimately for the accused to make"), counsel must ensure that                    preponderance of the evidence. Strickland86DW
the client's decision is as informed as possible. Failing even
to consider, let alone notify the client of, a factor that could                    The warden argues that Lyons could not have been
negate the entire benefit of the guilty plea is not within the                    prejudiced by any deficiency on the part of his trial counsel
range of professional norms.                                                    because Lyons acknowledged at the plea hearing in March
                                                                                  1990 that he could receive an adult sentence of life
  Lyons’ age and his heavy reliance on Burgess, a reliance of                     imprisonment without parole.  $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH ZDUGHQ
which Burgess was aware, enhanced Burgess’s duty to make                          "the fact that [Lyons] might not have been told that the
certain that Lyons understood all the risks associated with his                   prosecution could appeal [the juvenile] sentence he was never
guilty plea. Lyons was sixteen years old and had a seventh                        assured of receiving in the first place should be of no
grade education. His father knew nothing about the                                consequence."
applicable law. Burgess acknowledges that he was "placed in
the role where [he] was both [Lyons'] lawyer and like a parent

                                                                                      
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