Bearman v. State

425 S.W.3d 328, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 1541, 2010 WL 724516
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 4, 2010
DocketNo. 01-08-00787-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 425 S.W.3d 328 (Bearman v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bearman v. State, 425 S.W.3d 328, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 1541, 2010 WL 724516 (Tex. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

ORDER OF ABATEMENT

SHERRY RADACK, Chief Justice.

The issue presented by this appeal is whether (1) appellant was deprived of counsel during a critical stage of trial, and, if so, (2) whether he suffered harm. We abate.

BACKGROUND

On May 3, 2007, appellant pleaded guilty to the first-degree felony offense of misapplication of fiduciary property. On August 28, 2008, the trial court conducted a pre-sentence investigation hearing, after which the trial court found appellant guilty and assessed punishment at 35 years’ confinement. Fourteen days later, on September 11, 2008, appellant filed a notice of appeal and the trial court granted trial counsel’s motion to withdraw. On October 3, 2008, appellant filed a pro se motion for an extension of time to file a motion for new trial and requested appointment of appellate counsel. The trial court appointed appellate counsel on October 7, 2008.

DENIAL OF COUNSEL DURING A CRITICAL STAGE

In his first issue on appeal, appellant contends that the trial court erred in failing to appoint him an attorney during a critical stage in the criminal process, the time during which a motion for new trial may be filed. He also alleges that he was harmed by such denial of counsel.

Denial of Counsel during 30-day Period for Filing New Trial

A defendant has a right to file a motion for new trial, but must do so no later than 30 days after sentence is imposed. See Tex.R.App. P. 21.4(a). A trial court has 75 days- from the imposition of sentence to rule on the motion for new trial. Tex. R.App. P. 21.8(a).

Although a motion for new trial is not required in order to present a point of error on appeal, see Tex.R.App. P. 21.2, a hearing on the motion serves to develop evidence that is not otherwise in the record. See Oldham v. State, 977 S.W.2d 354, 361 (Tex.Crim.App.1998). Motions for new trial have been used primarily for claims of newly discovered evidence or [330]*330jury misconduct, and are helpful for developing evidence of a trial attorney’s ineffective assistance of counsel, particularly when the issues concern a claim that is premised on a trial attorney’s failure to act. See id. at 361-62.

It is well-established that the time for filing a motion for new trial is a critical stage of the criminal proceedings, and that a defendant has a constitutional right to counsel during that period. Cooks v. State, 240 S.W.3d 906, 908 (Tex.Crim.App.2007). When trial counsel does not withdraw and is not replaced by new counsel after sentencing, a rebuttable presumption exists that trial counsel continued to represent the defendant during the time for filing a motion for new trial. Smith v. State, 17 S.W.3d 660, 662 (Tex.Crim.App.2000); Oldham, 977 S.W.2d at 363.

Here, appellant’s trial counsel did not withdraw until two weeks after sentencing. We presume that trial counsel informed appellant of his appellate rights. Oldham, 977 S.W.2d at 362-63. Appellant’s filing of a notice of appeal shows that he had knowledge of the appellate process and deadlines. See Oldham, 977 S.W.2d at 363; Benson v. State, 224 S.W.3d 485, 492 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2007, no pet.).

However, the record clearly shows that for the second two weeks of the 30-day period after sentencing, appellant was not represented by counsel at all. Trial counsel was permitted to withdraw two weeks into the 30-day period, and appellate counsel was not appointed until after the 30-day period had expired. There is no presumption that appellant continued to be represented by trial counsel during this time, because the record conclusively shows that he was not. See Garcia v. State, 97 S.W.3d 343, 347-48 (Tex.App.-Austin 2003, pet. refd) (stating rebuttable presumption not applicable when trial counsel was permitted to withdraw and appellate counsel not appointed until after 30-day period for filing new trial expired). While trial counsel may have made appellant aware of his right to file a motion for new trial, appellant did not have the assistance of counsel in doing so. Because of the gap in appellant’s representation during the 30-day period after sentencing, we conclude that the record before us clearly demonstrates that appellant was denied counsel during a critical stage of the criminal process. See Mashburn v. State, 272 S.W.3d 1, 5 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2008, pet. ref'd) (holding appellant not represented by counsel during part of 30-day period for filing motion for new trial).

Harm

However, to abate based on any gap in representation during a critical stage, the defendant must show he was harmed by it. See Cooks, 240 S.W.3d at 908; Mashburn, 272 S.W.3d at 5.

In Cooks, the defendant was unrepresented by counsel for the first 20 days of the 30-day period for filing a motion for new trial, and his appellate counsel asserted in her motion to abate that she did not have time to decide whether to file a motion for new trial. 240 S.W.3d at 911. The Court of Criminal Appeals held that this was sufficient to rebut the presumption that appellant was adequately represented by counsel during the entire 30-day period for filing a motion for new trial. Id. However, the court further held that this deprivation of counsel was harmless because appellant presented no “facially plausible claims” that he would have raised in a motion for new trial. Id. at 912. The defendant’s motion to abate asserted only that he wish to file a motion for new trial to complain about trial counsel’s ineffectiveness for failing to call a material wit[331]*331ness or adequately investigate the case. Id. The court held that “[t]his conclusory allegation does not establish reasonable grounds to believe that appellant’s trial counsel was ineffective” because appellant did not “set out what evidence or information the ‘named material witness’ or a ‘promised investigation’ would have revealed that reasonably could have changed the result of this case.” Id.

In Mashbum, the court of appeals held that appellant was not adequately represented by counsel for a part of the 30-day period for filing a motion for new trial, but concluded that appellant was not harmed by any gap in representation because he did “not say what issues he would have raised on appeal that were not preserved by the motion for new trial filed and presented by trial counsel, nor [were] any of the issues in his brief barred from consideration by [the court of appeals].” Mashburn, 272 S.W.3d at 3.

In this case, appellant argues that he received erroneous advice regarding his decision to plead guilty to a first-degree felony. Specifically, appellant claims that he pleaded guilty to misappropriating fiduciary funds over $200,000, which is a first degree felony, see Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 32.45(c)(7) (Vernon Supp.

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Bluebook (online)
425 S.W.3d 328, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 1541, 2010 WL 724516, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bearman-v-state-texapp-2010.