Hobson v. Corsini

133 F. Supp. 3d 297, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129307, 2015 WL 5680328
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedSeptember 25, 2015
DocketCivil Action No. 14-cv-11886-ADB
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 133 F. Supp. 3d 297 (Hobson v. Corsini) 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
Hobson v. Corsini, 133 F. Supp. 3d 297, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129307, 2015 WL 5680328 (D. Mass. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

BURROUGHS, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Petitioner Allah Unique-Divine Siam, formerly known as Albert Siam Hobson (“Siam”), is a Massachusetts state prisoner 1 currently serving a ten-year sentence following his conviction on charges of assault and battery of a child under the age of sixteen with "the intent to rape, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 265, § 24B, and indecent assault of a child under the age of fourteen. Mass'. Gen. Laws ch. 265, § 13B. Siam, who is proceeding pro se, has filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his conviction, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254.

Siam’s habeas petition presents four grounds for relief: (1) that he was denied due process of law and a fair trial when certain “bad acts” evidence was improperly admitted at trial (“Ground One”); (2) that he was denied due process of law and a fair trial when “prior course of conduct” evidence was admitted at trial (“Ground Two”); (3) that the Commonwealth failed to comply with Massachusetts Rule of Criminal Procedure 36 regarding speedy trials (“Ground Three”); and (4) that the Commonwealth violated the Interstate Agreement on Detainers in the course of his prosecution for the assault (“Ground Four”). [ECF No. 1; see also ECF No. 30.] In his Opposition to Respondent’s Motion to Dismiss [ECF No. 40], Siam also argues that he was deprived of effective assistance of counsel because his appellate lawyer refused to pursue an appeal on the legal [301]*301issues set forth in Ground Four of his Petition. [EOF No. 40, at 1-2.]

Respondent Michael Corsini, Superintendent of the Massachusetts Treatment Center, has moved to dismiss Siam’s petition in its entirety. [ECF No. 23.] First, Respondent argues that Grounds One, Two, and Three are based on errors of state law and are therefore non-cognizable under the habeas corpus statute. Alternatively, Respondent asserts that, to the extent Grounds One and Two can be construed to raise federal claims, those claims must be dismissed, because the state appellate court’s decision was not contrary to, or an unreasonable application of, clearly established United States Supreme Court precedent. Respondent further argues that Grounds Three and Four are subject to dismissal because they are unex-hausted, and because Ground Four fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Having carefully considered the parties’ submissions, and construing Siam’s arguments liberally because he is proceeding pro se, the Court GRANTS Respondent’s Motion to Dismiss.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In Commonwealth v. Hobson, 83 Mass.App.Ct. 1114, 982 N.E.2d 1225, 2013 WL 656316 (Mass.App.Ct.2013), the Massachusetts Appeals Court described the underlying facts of this case, which this Court now “supplement[s] with other record facts consistent with the [court’s] findings.” Yeboah-Sefah v. Ficco, 556 F.3d 53, 62 (1st Cir.2009) (quoting Healy v. Spencer, 453 F.3d 21, 22 (1st Cir.2006)).

The Massachusetts Appeals Court stated the following facts relevant to Siam’s first two grounds for habeas relief:2

At the time of the assault, the victim, referred to as M, was eleven years old. She was living with her mother, brother (AJ), and other siblings on Queen Street in Fall River. In the summer of 2005, the defendant, who is M’s father, found some of his pornographic videotapes in M’s room at the Queen Street address. Angered, he called M into her room and made her watch one of the videotapes with him. After, the defendant ordered M to .shower and put on a pair of stockings, and slapped her in the face, when she refused. M then put on the stockings. Next, the defendant pulled his penis out of his pants and forced M to touch it. He also tried to touch her breasts. He forced M “down on the bed” and while she struggled, he inserted his penis into her vagina. The incident ended when M hit the defendant in the head with a “lava lamp.” Before trial, the Commonwealth moved in limine to introduce prior acts of violence by the defendant .against the children. The judge ruled that the Commonwealth only could introduce acts of violence that occurred on the day of the alleged crimes. The judge did note, however, that prior acts of violence towards the children by the defendant might become admissible on redirect to respond to the issue of why there was a delayed disclosure.
At trial, M’s mother testified that the defendant would have her wear stockings or thigh-highs during their sexual relations. The Commonwealth also had a witness describe certain pornographic videotapes in which the defendant had participated, and in which women wore stockings that were cut out in the crotch area.
[302]*302Also at trial, AJ testified as the first complaint witness. He stated that the day after the incident, M told him that “dad had tried to rape” her and that she “had hit him in the head with a lava lamp.” AJ further testified that he disclosed this to his mother two years later. He stated that he delayed telling his mother because he “was just afraid, really, afraid what would happen to my dad, what would happen to me, my sister, my mom, everybody.” He was cross-examined as to the two-year delay in telling his mother. On redirect, AJ was permitted to testify to the reasons for his fear. After AJ’s testimony, the judge instructed the jury on the first complaint doctrine.

Hobson, 2013 WL 656316, at *1.

The appeals court affirmed Siam’s convictions. In rejecting Siam’s argument that the trial court erred by admitting evidence of Siam’s prior acts of violence towards the children and their mother, the appeals court held that the prior instances of violence were admitted to rehabilitate the children’s credibility, and.to explain why the children delayed in reporting the abuse. Id. The court further held that there was no error in admitting testimony from the victim’s mother that Siam made her wear stockings during their consensual sexual relations or evidence that he had other women wear similar hosiery during videotaped sexual encounters. Id. at *2. Such evidence, the court held, was admitted to corroborate the victim’s testimony that Siam forced her to wear stockings on the day he sexually assaulted her. Id. The appeals court found that admitting this evidence was not erroneous or unduly prejudicial, particularly where the jury was given limiting instructions. Id. Siam petitioned the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) for further appellate review, but the SJC denied his application. See Commonwealth v. Hobson, 465 Mass. 1103, 987 N.E.2d 595 (2013).

The facts relevant to Siam’s Third and Fourth grounds for habeas, corpus relief are less clear, but the Court understands the following from its review of his various filings.

In October 2009, before Siam was indicted in Bristol County for the assault at issue in this case, the Suffolk County District Attorney notified Siam of pending charges against him there for rape, home invasion, larceny, assault, kidnapping, robbery, and burglary (the “Suffolk County Charges”). [ECF No. 40, Ex.

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Bluebook (online)
133 F. Supp. 3d 297, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129307, 2015 WL 5680328, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hobson-v-corsini-mad-2015.