(HC) Capps v. Ciolli

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedMarch 31, 2023
Docket1:20-cv-00766
StatusUnknown

This text of (HC) Capps v. Ciolli ((HC) Capps v. Ciolli) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
(HC) Capps v. Ciolli, (E.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10

11 DENNIS RAY CAPPS, Case No. 1:20-cv-00766-SAB-HC

12 Petitioner, ORDER DENYING RESPONDENT’S MOTION TO DISMISS AND DENYING 13 v. ALTERNATIVE MOTION TO CONTINUE STAY 14 CIOLLI, (ECF No. 37) 15 Respondent. ORDER LIFTING STAY 16 ORDER TO FILE ANSWER AND SETTING 17 BRIEFING SCHEDULE

18 19 Petitioner is a federal prisoner proceeding pro se with a petition for writ of habeas corpus 20 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. The parties have consented to the jurisdiction of a United States 21 Magistrate Judge. (ECF Nos. 25, 26.) 22 I. 23 BACKGROUND 24 Petitioner is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary in Atwater, 25 California. (ECF No. 1 at 1.)1 Petitioner was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute 26 fifty grams or more of methamphetamine and was sentenced to a mandatory term of life in 27 /// 1 prison under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A)(viii). United States v. Capps, 716 F.3d 494, 495–96 (8th 2 Cir. 2013). 3 On June 2, 2020, Petitioner filed the instant petition for writ of habeas corpus, asserting 4 that his prior Missouri drug convictions are not qualifying predicates for § 851 enhancement 5 under Mathis v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 2243 (2016), and Descamps v. United States, 570 U.S. 6 254 (2013). (ECF No. 1.) Respondent filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that Petitioner’s claims 7 may not be raised under § 2241 and no escape hatch exception applies. (ECF No. 10.) On 8 September 2, 2021, the Court denied the motion to dismiss. (ECF No. 22.) 9 On September 7, 2021, the Court ordered Respondent to file an answer to the petition. 10 (ECF No. 23.) In lieu of filing an answer to the petition, Respondent moved to stay the instant 11 proceeding pending adjudication of Petitioner’s 18 U.S.C. § 3582 motion for compassionate 12 release by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. (ECF No. 28.) On 13 December 21, 2021, the Court granted the stay because both the § 2241 petition before this Court 14 and Petitioner’s supplemental authority in support of his 18 U.S.C. § 3582 motion for 15 compassionate release filed in the sentencing court raise similar issues regarding whether 16 Petitioner’s prior state convictions qualify for enhanced sentencing. (ECF No. 29.) 17 Petitioner subsequently moved to the end the stay, arguing that relief under 18 U.S.C. 18 § 3582 is discretionary in nature unlike habeas relief available under 28 U.S.C. § 2241. (ECF No. 19 31.) In response, Respondent moved for the stay to “be lifted subject to this Court entering an 20 order dismissing the instant petition and, alternatively, moves to continue the stay pending 21 resolution of Petitioner’s EDMO § 3582 motion.” (ECF No. 33 at 2.) On May 17, 2022, The 22 Court denied Petitioner’s motion to end stay without prejudice, denied Respondent’s motion to 23 dismiss, and directed Respondent to file a report by September 2, 2022, advising of the status of 24 Petitioner’s § 3582 motion for compassionate release. (ECF No. 34.) 25 On September 1, 2022, Respondent filed a report informing the Court that Petitioner’s 26 § 3582 remains pending. Respondent renews its motion to dismiss or, alternatively, moves to 27 continue the stay. (ECF No. 37.) Petitioner filed an opposition. (ECF No. 38.) 1 II. 2 DISCUSSION 3 A. Motion to Dismiss 4 Respondent renews its motion to dismiss, arguing that Petitioner was not foreclosed a 5 challenging shot at presenting his actual innocence claim given that “Petitioner now has via 6 § 3582 plainly raised the claim in” the sentencing court. (ECF No. 37 at 2–3.) 7 “The general rule is that a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 is the exclusive means by 8 which a federal prisoner may test the legality of his detention, and that restrictions on the 9 availability of a § 2255 motion cannot be avoided through a petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241.” 10 Stephens v. Herrera, 464 F.3d 895, 897 (9th Cir. 2006) (citations omitted). Nevertheless, a 11 “savings clause” or “escape hatch” exists in § 2255(e) by which a federal prisoner may seek 12 relief under § 2241 if he can demonstrate the remedy available under § 2255 to be “inadequate or 13 ineffective to test the validity of his detention.” Alaimalo v. United States, 645 F.3d 1042, 1047 14 (9th Cir. 2011) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 2255); Harrison v. 15 Ollison, 519 F.3d 952, 956 (9th Cir. 2008); Hernandez v. Campbell, 204 F.3d 861, 864–65 (9th 16 Cir. 2000) (per curiam). A petitioner may proceed under § 2241 pursuant to the escape hatch 17 when the petitioner “(1) makes a claim of actual innocence, and (2) has not had an ‘unobstructed 18 procedural shot’ at presenting that claim.” Stephens, 464 F.3d at 898 (citing Ivy v. Pontesso, 328 19 F.3d 1057, 1060 (9th Cir. 2003)). The remedy under § 2255 usually will not be deemed 20 inadequate or ineffective merely because a prior § 2255 motion was denied, or because a remedy 21 under that section is procedurally barred. See Ivy, 328 F.3d at 1060 (“In other words, it is not 22 enough that the petitioner is presently barred from raising his claim of innocence by motion 23 under § 2255. He must never have had the opportunity to raise it by motion.”). 24 To determine whether a petitioner never had an unobstructed procedural shot to pursue 25 his claim, the Court considers “(1) whether the legal basis for petitioner’s claim ‘did not arise 26 until after he had exhausted his direct appeal and first § 2255 motion;’ and (2) whether the law 27 changed ‘in any way relevant’ to petitioner’s claim after that first § 2255 motion.” Harrison, 519 1 material change in the applicable law’ to establish unavailability.” Alaimalo, 645 F.3d at 1047 2 (quoting Harrison, 519 F.3d at 960). That is, an intervening court decision must “constitute[] a 3 change in the law creating a previously unavailable legal basis for petitioner’s claim.” Harrison, 4 519 F.3d at 961 (citing Ivy, 328 F.3d at 1060). 5 This Court previously found that Petitioner did not have an unobstructed procedural shot 6 to assert his actual innocence claim, stating in pertinent part: 7 Mathis was decided on June 23, 2016, approximately twenty-one months after the limitation period expired. In his first § 2255 motion, Petitioner “assert[ed] that 8 defense counsel provided ineffective assistance in (1) failing to convey plea offers 9 to Petitioner; and (2) failing to handle effectively a pretrial motion to suppress evidence and statements.” Capps, 2018 WL 1335093, at *1. Therefore, a 10 Descamps/Mathis claim would not relate back to the date of the original pleading. See Mayle v.

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