Gilday v. Garvey

919 F. Supp. 506, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3035, 1996 WL 109275
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedMarch 11, 1996
DocketCivil A. No. 95-30109-MAP; Docket No. 26; Docket No. 13
StatusPublished

This text of 919 F. Supp. 506 (Gilday v. Garvey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gilday v. Garvey, 919 F. Supp. 506, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3035, 1996 WL 109275 (D. Mass. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER REGARDING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION OF MAGISTRATE JUDGE NEIMAN

PONSOR, District Judge.

On January 19, 1996, Magistrate Judge Neiman issued his Report and Recommendation regarding the two claims raised by this Petition for Habeas Corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. In his Report and Recommendation, the magistrate judge recommended that the petition be denied. On February 12, 1996, the petitioner filed his objections to the Report and Recommendation.

Having carefully reviewed the Report and Recommendation issued by Magistrate Judge Neiman, this court must agree that the two grounds for relief offered in the amended petition — ineffective assistance of counsel and violation of the plea agreement — are unsupportable. The Report and Recommendation is therefore hereby ADOPTED in toto. The petition is hereby DENIED and this case is ordered dismissed.

It is so ORDERED.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION REGARDING PETITIONER’S AMENDED HABEAS CORPUS PETITION

NEIMAN, United States Magistrate Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Before the Court is the pro se petition of Mark A. Gilday (“Petitioner”) seeking habeas corpus relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 on grounds that he was denied effective assistance of counsel and that his plea agreement was violated. Robert Garvey, Sheriff of the Hampshire County House of Correction (“Respondent”), opposes the petition. Pursuant to Rule 3 of the Rules of United States Magistrates in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the petition has been referred to this Court for a report and recommendation. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B). For the reasons set forth below, the Court recommends that the petition be denied.

II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On October 3, 1990, a grand jury in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, indicted Petitioner for multiple counts of uttering and larceny. On October 19, 1990, the Superior Court appointed Richard D. LeBlanc (“Leblanc”) as Petitioner’s counsel and, at arraignment, Petitioner entered pleas of not guilty. Over one year later, on November 8, 1991, Petitioner changed his pleas to guilty and, on November 27, 1991, he was sentenced to serve four concurrent terms of nine to ten years on the uttering counts and three concurrent terms of three to five years on the larceny counts.

On February 22,1992, Petitioner moved to withdraw his guilty pleas and, on August 2, 1993, Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford held an evidentiary hearing on Petitioner’s motion. Judge Ford — who chose to accept evidence via live testimony rather than through the submission of affidavits — heard from both Petitioner, who was represented by counsel, and from LeBlanc. Judge Ford also reviewed the transcripts from the plea [509]*509and sentencing hearings. After receiving this evidence, Judge Ford, in a memorandum of decision dated August 27, 1993 (“MD”), outlined his factual findings and denied Petitioner’s motion.

Petitioner thereafter filed a timely notice of appeal. On February 15,1995, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, in an unpublished opinion, summarily affirmed the denial of Petitioner’s motion to withdraw his guilty pleas, and, on March 27,1995, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied Petitioner’s application for leave to obtain further appellate review. See Commonwealth v. Gilday, 419 Mass. 1109, 647 N.E.2d 720 (1995).

On or about May 5,1995, Petitioner filed a federal habeas corpus petition which asserted seven grounds for relief. After Respondent moved to dismiss the petition for failure to exhaust five of the seven grounds, Petitioner moved to amend his petition to pursue only the two exhausted claims. On July 17, 1995, District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor allowed the amendment and denied the motion to dismiss. In his amended petition, Petitioner raises his two exhausted grounds for relief: ineffective assistance of counsel and violation of the plea agreement.1

III. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The relevant facts underlying the petition follow. Because Judge Ford’s factual findings are “fairly supported by the record” — the record being the transcripts from plea hearing (“TR I”), the sentencing hearing (“TR II”) and the August 2, 1993 motion hearing (“TR III”), summarized below — the Court is required to accord them a presumption of correctness. See 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d). This presumption also extends to Judge Ford’s finding that, on all contested matters on which Petitioner’s testimony differed from LeBlanc’s, LeBlanc’s version of events was much more credible, and thus, accepted as true. MD at 9. See Demosthenes v. Baal, 495 U.S. 731, 735, 110 S.Ct. 2223, 2225, 109 L.Ed.2d 762 (1990) (“§ 2254(d)’s presumption of correctness require[s] federal habeas court to accept state court’s factual findings on the issue of credibility”) (citing Marshall v. Lonberger, 459 U.S. 422, 434, 103 S.Ct. 843, 851, 74 L.Ed.2d 646 (1983)).

In March of 1990, Petitioner opened an account at a local bank. TR I at 12. In June of 1990, the bank closed Petitioner’s account as it was overdrawn. Id. Two months later, however, Petitioner signed and offered two checks from that closed account and those checks were then deposited in the account of Ronald Rhodes. Id. at 11-12. Sometime thereafter, the deposited funds were withdrawn and divided between Rhodes and Petitioner. Id. at 12. Petitioner also took two checks from his roommate, endorsed his roommate’s name on the checks and offered them. Id. at 11.

As indicated, the court appointed LeBlanc to represent Petitioner at his October 19, 1990 arraignment. TR III at 95. At that time, LeBlanc explained and reviewed the elements of the offenses with Petitioner. Id. Because LeBlanc also represented Petitioner in a narcotics trafficking case which was “about to go to trial,” he concentrated his efforts on the narcotics charge of which Petitioner was eventually acquitted. Id.2

[510]*510Thereafter, LeBlanc familiarized himself with the new charges, obtained discovery, including grand jury minutes, and began to prepare for trial. TR III at 65-68, 74-75. Petitioner agreed to call LeBlanc to set up an appointment, but neglected to do so. Id. at 66. Petitioner also defaulted on numerous district court matters and did not contact LeBlanc. Id. at 100-101. In addition, Petitioner apparently failed to supply LeBlanc with the names of any witnesses to interview, nor did he suggest that a handwriting expert be retained. Id.

On or about October 1, 1991, Petitioner was arrested on default warrants issued by the local District Court and was held on bail. TR III at 101. LeBlanc went to the county jail to see Petitioner. Id.

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Bluebook (online)
919 F. Supp. 506, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3035, 1996 WL 109275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gilday-v-garvey-mad-1996.