(HC) Wren v. Ndoh

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedApril 22, 2020
Docket2:19-cv-00251
StatusUnknown

This text of (HC) Wren v. Ndoh ((HC) Wren v. Ndoh) 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) Wren v. Ndoh, (E.D. Cal. 2020).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 JEFFREY CHARLES WREN, No. 2: 19-cv-0251 WBS KJN P 12 Petitioner, 13 v. ORDER & FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS 14 WARDEN ROSEMARY NDOH, 15 Respondent. 16 17 Introduction 18 Petitioner is a state prisoner, proceeding without counsel, with a petition for writ of habeas 19 corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Petitioner challenges his 2008 Placer County conviction for 20 driving under the influence of alcohol (count one) and driving with a level of blood alcohol 0.08 21 percent or greater (count two). (ECF No. 100-5 at 1.) The trial court also found that petitioner 22 had thee prior convictions for driving under the influence, committed his present offenses while 23 on bail, had a prior prison term, and that his two 1991 felony convictions for violating California 24 Penal Code § 288(a) counted as strikes under California’s three strikes law. (Id. at 1-2.) 25 Petitioner was sentenced to 25 years-to-life on count one. (Id. at 2.) The trial court stayed 26 the sentence on the other count and the enhancements. (Id.) 27 After filing his notice of appeal, petitioner pled no contest to possession of 28 methamphetamine in an unrelated case, for which the second court imposed a concurrent two year 1 sentence and lifted the stay on the enhancement in the instant case for committing the offense on 2 bail, resulting in a minimum term of 27 years. (Id. at 3 n. 2.) 3 This action proceeds on the second amended petition. (ECF No. 67.) The claims raised in 4 the second amended petition are difficult to understand. On November 8, 2019, the undersigned 5 issued an order finding that the second amended petition raised the following claims: 6 1) petitioner’s sentence violates the Eighth Amendment; 2) petitioner is entitled to resentencing 7 pursuant to Proposition 36; and 3) petitioner is entitled to resentencing pursuant to Proposition 8 57. (ECF No. 73.) The undersigned ordered respondent to respond to these three claims. (Id.) 9 Pending before the court is respondent’s motion to dismiss. (ECF No. 99.) Respondent 10 raises the following arguments: 1) the petition is untimely; 2) petitioner’s claims for resentencing 11 pursuant to Propositions 36 and 57 are not exhausted; and 3) petitioner’s claims for resentencing 12 pursuant to Propositions 36 and 57 fail to state cognizable federal claims. 13 For the reasons stated herein, the undersigned recommends that respondent’s motion be 14 granted. 15 Motion to Substitute Respondent 16 On December 2, 2019, petitioner filed a motion to substitute the Warden of Avenal State 17 Prison (Avenal), Rosemary Dhoh, as respondent based on his transfer to Avenal. (ECF No. 80.) 18 Good cause appearing, petitioner’s motion is granted. See Brittingham v. United States, 982 F.2d 19 378, 379 (9th Cir. 1992). 20 Statute of Limitations 21 Title 28 U.S.C. § 2244 mandates a one-year statute of limitations within which an inmate 22 must file a federal habeas corpus petition, subject to tolling provisions and certain exceptions. It 23 states: 24 (d)(1) A 1-year period of limitation shall apply to an application for a writ of habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant to the 25 judgment of a State court. The limitation period shall run from the latest of-- 26 (A) the date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion 27 of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such review; 28 (B) the date on which the impediment to filing an application created 1 by State action in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States is removed, if the applicant was prevented from filing by such 2 State action; 3 (C) the date on which the constitutional right asserted was initially recognized by the Supreme Court, if the right has been newly 4 recognized by the Supreme Court and made retroactively applicable to cases on collateral review; or 5 (D) the date on which the factual predicate of the claim or claims 6 presented could have been discovered through the exercise of due diligence. 7 (2) The time during which a properly filed application for State post- 8 conviction or other collateral review with respect to the pertinent judgment or claim is pending shall not be counted toward any period 9 of limitation under this subsection. 10 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d). 11 Respondent argues that the statute of limitations in the instant case is calculated pursuant 12 to 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A), i.e., the date petitioner’s conviction became final. The undersigned 13 agrees that the statute of limitations for petitioner’s Eighth Amendment claim is calculated 14 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A). However, the statute of limitations for petitioner’s claims 15 based on Propositions 36 and 57 is calculated pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(D). 16 “Petitioner’s opportunity to seek resentencing [pursuant to Proposition 36] arose with 17 California’s adoption of Proposition 36 on November 7, 2012.” Fadden v. Vasquez, 2017 WL 18 3720045, at *3 (E.D. Cal. Aug. 29, 2017). “Its provisions became effective the next day.” Id. 19 Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(D), petitioner had one year from the effective date of 20 Proposition 36 to file a timely federal petition. 21 Proposition 57 was approved by voters on November 8, 2016, and became effective the 22 next day. Chavez v. Davey, 2019 WL 2062539, at *2 (C.D. Cal. March 2019). Pursuant to 28 23 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(D), petitioner had one year from the effective date of Proposition 57 to file a 24 timely federal petition. 25 Because respondent does not address whether petitioner’s claims pursuant to Propositions 26 36 and 57 are timely pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(D), the undersigned finds that 27 respondent has not demonstrated that these claims are not timely. Accordingly, the motion to 28 dismiss petitioner’s claims pursuant to Propositions 36 and 57 as untimely should be denied. 1 Turning to petitioner’s Eighth Amendment claim, the California Supreme Court denied 2 review on July 29, 2009. (ECF No. 100-7.) Therefore, petitioner’s conviction was final when the 3 ninety-day period for filing a petition for writ of certiorari expired on October 27, 2009. 4 Velasquez v. Kirkland, 639 F.3d 964, 965 (9th Cir. 2011). The statute of limitations commenced 5 the following day, October 28, 2009. Patterson v. Stewart, 251 F.3d 1243, 1246 (9th Cir. 2001). 6 Respondent argues that the statute of limitations ran on October 27, 2010, and that the instant 7 action, filed January 23, 2019, is not timely.1 (See ECF No. 1 at 15.) 8 The undersigned finds that petitioner’s Eighth Amendment claim is not timely unless he is 9 entitled to statutory or equitable tolling.2 10 Respondent argues that petitioner is not entitled to statutory tolling pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 11

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lewis v. Jeffers
497 U.S. 764 (Supreme Court, 1990)
Estelle v. McGuire
502 U.S. 62 (Supreme Court, 1991)
Slack v. McDaniel
529 U.S. 473 (Supreme Court, 2000)
Duncan v. Walker
533 U.S. 167 (Supreme Court, 2001)
Pace v. DiGuglielmo
544 U.S. 408 (Supreme Court, 2005)
Lawrence v. Florida
549 U.S. 327 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Wilson v. Corcoran
131 S. Ct. 13 (Supreme Court, 2010)
United States v. Kouri Perez
187 F.3d 1 (First Circuit, 1999)
Velasquez v. Kirkland
639 F.3d 964 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Kent A. Siegfriedt v. Michael Fair
982 F.2d 14 (First Circuit, 1992)
Donald Ray Patterson v. Terry L. Stewart
251 F.3d 1243 (Ninth Circuit, 2001)
Jackie Ervin Rasberry v. Rosie B. Garcia, Warden
448 F.3d 1150 (Ninth Circuit, 2006)
Waldrip v. Hall
548 F.3d 729 (Ninth Circuit, 2008)
Waldron-Ramsey v. Pacholke
556 F.3d 1008 (Ninth Circuit, 2009)
Bradshaw v. Richey
546 U.S. 74 (Supreme Court, 2005)
Damous Nettles v. Randy Grounds
830 F.3d 922 (Ninth Circuit, 2016)
Swarthout v. Cooke
178 L. Ed. 2d 732 (Supreme Court, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
(HC) Wren v. Ndoh, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hc-wren-v-ndoh-caed-2020.