In re Harrell CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 3, 2015
DocketD065807
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re Harrell CA4/1 (In re Harrell CA4/1) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Harrell CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 3/3/15 In re Harrell CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

In re MARK ALLEN HARRELL D065807

on (San Diego County Habeas Corpus. Super. Ct. No. HSC11303)

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Stephanie

Sontag, Judge. Reversed and remanded with directions.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Jennifer A. Neill, Assistant Attorney

General, Julie A. Malone and Jennifer Lynn Heinisch, Deputy Attorneys General, for

Appellant Daniel Paramo, as Warden of Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.

Alan S. Yockelson, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Respondent

Mark Allen Harrell.

Daniel Paramo, as Warden of Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (Warden),

appeals from an order granting the petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by

respondent and inmate Mark Allen Harrell, vacating the disciplinary finding of the

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Department) and authorizing Department to rehear the

matter of Harrell's rule violation allowing Harrell's proffered witness to testify at the

hearing. Warden contends Harrell's request for habeas relief is barred for failure to

exhaust administrative remedies, the habeas petition was not timely filed, and the petition

should have been disregarded as successive. Warden further contends principles of due

process did not provide Harrell an absolute right to call witnesses to his prison

disciplinary hearing. Finally, Warden contends any error resulting from the limitations

placed on Harrell's proffered witness's testimony was harmless. We agree that Harrell's

petition, his second in the superior court, is procedurally barred as repetitious and

piecemeal. Accordingly, we reverse the superior court's order and remand the matter to

the court with directions to issue a new order denying Harrell's second petition for writ of

habeas corpus.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In March 2010, a correctional officer at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional

Facility observed Harrell and another inmate, Jeffrey Newland, "striking each other with

clenched fist to the upper torso and facial area" and prepared a rules violation report.1

Harrell appeared before a senior hearing officer for a disciplinary hearing, during which

1 Inmate discipline is covered in title 15, division 3, chapter 1, subchapter 4, article 5 of the California Code of Regulations (Regulations; section references are to the Regulations unless otherwise specified). When prisoner misconduct is believed to be a violation of law or "is not minor in nature," a rules violation report on California Department of Corrections form 115 must be completed. (§ 3312, subd. (a)(3).) Each rules violation report is then reviewed and classified as either administrative or serious under specified criteria. (§ 3313, subd. (a).) 2 he pleaded not guilty and claimed he acted in self-defense. Harrell also requested

Newland's presence to testify at the hearing. The hearing officer denied the request,

citing section 3315, subdivision (e).2 The hearing officer found Harrell guilty of fighting

by a preponderance of the evidence based on the rules violation report and medical report

forms, and assessed a 90-day worktime credit loss. On April 6, 2010, Harrell received a

copy of the rules violation report.

In June 2011, Harrell filed an inmate appeal challenging the hearing officer's

decision. He asserted he was denied the opportunity to present Newland as a witness,

and the hearing officer did not specify which subsection of section 3315, subdivision (e)

he relied upon to deny Harrell's request. Harrell asked that his rules violation report be

reissued and reheard and Newland allowed to testify and/or be interviewed.

On June 13, 2011, the appeals coordinator rejected and returned Harrell's appeal

under section 3084.6, subdivision (b)(7) as missing necessary supporting documents

under section 3084.3.3 The appeals coordinator advised that "[Department] Form 22

2 Section 3315 addresses serious rule violations. Subdivision (e) of that section provides in part: "An inmate may request that friendly and adverse witnesses attend the hearing. [¶] (1) Requested witnesses shall be called unless the official conducting the hearing denies the request for one of the following reasons: [¶] (A) The appearance would endanger the witness. [¶] (B) The official determines that the witness has no relevant or additional information. [¶] (C) The witness is unavailable. [¶] (2) If an inmate's request for a witness is denied, the reasons shall be documented on the CDC Form 115." (§ 3315, subd. (e).)

3 Section 3084.3 provides in part that an inmate "(a) . . . shall obtain and attach all supporting documents, as described in section 3084(h), necessary for the . . . resolution of his or her appeal issue prior to submitting the appeal to the appeals coordinator. [¶] (b) The inmate . . . shall not delay submitting an appeal within time 3 request for services process should be utilized prior to submitting a formal appeal." In

August 2011, the appeals coordinator rejected Harrell's appeal two additional times for

failing to submit all records violation documents. The appeals coordinator further

advised Harrell that his appeal was rejected because he had not submitted it on the

departmentally approved appeal forms, and it would not accept attached letters. In

December 2011, Harrell's appeal was cancelled for "[f]ailure to correct and return a

rejected appeal within 30 calendar days of the rejection." (§ 3084.6, subd. (c)(10).)

In August 2012, Harrell petitioned the San Diego Superior Court for a writ of

habeas corpus. He alleged Warden violated his right to due process by refusing to allow

him to call witnesses at his factfinding hearing. In support, Harrell asserted in part that

the hearing officer did not document the criteria he relied on to exclude Newland as a

witness. In October 2012, the superior court denied the petition, assuming without

finding the appeals process was futile and the hearing officer had failed to specify which

limits established in section 3084.8 if unable to obtain supporting documents, but shall submit the appeal with all available supporting documents and in Part B of their . . . Inmate . . . appeal, provide an explanation why any remaining supporting documents are not available. Time limits for filing an appeal are not stayed by failure to obtain supporting documentation and commence as set forth in subsection 3084.8(b). [¶] (c) Failure to attach all necessary supporting documents may result in the appeal being rejected as specified in subsection 3084.6(b)(7). The appeals coordinator shall inform the inmate . . . that the appeal is rejected because necessary supporting documents are missing. The appellant shall be allowed an additional 30 calendar days to secure any missing supporting documents and resubmit the appeal. [¶] (d) The appeals coordinator may grant additional time extensions beyond the initial 30 calendar day extension if the inmate . . .

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