In re Pers. Restraint of Haghighi

CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 12, 2013
Docket87529-4
StatusPublished

This text of In re Pers. Restraint of Haghighi (In re Pers. Restraint of Haghighi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Pers. Restraint of Haghighi, (Wash. 2013).

Opinion

Fl LE IN CLERKS OFFICE This opinfon was filed for record at ~:oo a.~ on SRfl:· 12., '2..ol3 IUPAEME COURT, STATE OF WASHINGTON ····ft.'·,d .. ·~ '·, ·. , I l

;r onald R. Carpen"l¥~ ! DATE SEP 1 2 2013 Yrta..~ c. upa:_~m~ _Court Clerk. ·· CHIEF 1 'STICE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

In the Matter of the Personal ) No. 87529-4 Restraint of ) ) NADDER BARON HAGHIGHI, ) EnBanc ) Petitioner. ) ) Filed -SEP 1 2 2013

C. JOHNSON, J.-This case presents the question of whether our holding in

State v. Winterstein, 167 Wn.2d 620, 220 P.3d 1226 (2009), that the inevitable

discovery doctrine is inconsistent with article I, section 7 of the Washington State

Constitution applies retroactively to judgments final when the case was decided.

Because we hold that Winterstein does not apply retroactively, we must also

address Nadder Baron Haghighi's claim that his appellate counsel provided

ineffective assistance, which requires first determining whether this claim is

timely. We affirm the Court of Appeals and hold that Winterstein announced a new

rule and that Haghighi's ineffective assistance of appellate counsel claim is time

barred. No. 87529-4

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A jury convicted Haghighi of one count of theft in the first degree and seven

counts of unlawful issuance of checks or drafts. The unlawful issuance of checks

or drafts counts relate to checks drawn on an account he opened with Allstate

Banlc, which provides only internet banldng. The theft count is tied to Venture

Barile, a local operation. The underlying issue in this personal restraint petition

(PRP) involves the admissibility of evidence obtained by way of a warrant issued

in Washington but faxed to Allstate's offices in Illinois. The State does not dispute

that this method of securing evidence from Illinois was improper.

Several victims initially identified Haghighi in a photo montage and

provided copies of fraudulent checks he had written to them. Based on this

information, police obtained a search warrant in Washington for Haghighi's bank

records with Allstate. However, Allstate's office is in Illinois, and the detective

faxed the warrant to Allstate's offices there. A representative at Allstate then

provided the records requested by the detective, which did not comply with Illinois

law on the domestication of out-of-state warrants.

Before trial, Haghighi moved to suppress the records on the grounds that the

issuing court lacked jurisdiction to issue a warrant that would be served out of

state. He did not, however, challenge the finding of probable cause upon which the

2 No. 87529-4

warrant was issued. Based on the improper search, he argued that the records

should be excluded. Although the trial court found the warrant unenforceable in

Illinois, it ruled Haghighi's constitutional rights had been properly considered and

that under the inevitable discovery doctrine, the Allstate records should not be

excluded. The court also denied Haghighi' s request for an inevitable discovery

evidentiary hearing.

After being convicted, Haghighi appealed. As relevant here, he argued that

the State failed to prove it would have inevitably discovered the Allstate records

and that the trial court erred in not allowing a hearing on the issue. In an

unpublished decision, the Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions, concluding

that the State would have inevitably discovered the Allstate records. State v.

Haghighi, noted at 151 Wn. App. 104 7 (2009).

When the Court of Appeals issued its decision, Haghighi' s appointed

counsel, Casey Grannis, wrote to Haghighi telling him of the decision. He stated

that he did not think a motion for reconsideration would be successful but that

Haghighi could file one himself if he so chose. Grannis also discussed filing a

petition for review. He noted that he had been assigned to represent Haghighi only

in the Court of Appeals but that occasionally and at its discretion his office

extended the representation to petitions for review. He promised to follow up with

3 No. 87529-4

Haghighi about whether his office would file a petition for review but informed

Haghighi that a petition for review was required if Haghighi planned to file a

federal habeas corpus action.

On August 20, 2009, Grannis again wrote Haghighi, telling him about a case

pending before this court on a competency issue similar to an issue in Haghighi' s

case. He offered to file a petition for review on that one issue, unless this court

issued an unfavorable ruling before the deadline for filing. He did not believe the

other issues warranted a petition for review. Grannis also informed Haghighi that

he could file only one petition for review, so all issues needed to be raised. If he

wanted to raise additional issues, he should hire an attorney or file pro se.

On September 14, Grannis wrote to Haghighi informing him that this court

had issued an unfavorable ruling on the competency issue, so his office would no

longer be filing a petition for review. He stated, "My substantive involvement with

your direct appeal is now over, although I formally remain your attorney for the

direct appeal in the Court of Appeals until the mandate terminating review is

issued." Br. ofPet'r, App. Eat 2. The mandate issued on September 25, 2009.

On December 22, Grannis wrote to Haghighi informing him of our decision

in Winterstein, where we struck down the inevitable discovery doctrine as an

exception to the exclusionary rule. He called this a "major change in the law" and

4 No. 87529-4

told Haghighi that although he was no longer Haghighi's attorney, Haghighi could

file a PRP on the Winterstein issue, but generally only one PRP could be filed and

it must be filed within one year. Pet'r's Suppl. Br., App. D at 1.

On March 6, 2010, Haghighi filed a timely PRP arguing several theories,

including the Winterstein issue, but did not include an ineffective assistance of

appellate counsel theory. Roughly 10 months later, on December 22, the chief

judge dismissed all of the issues, except for the Winterstein issue. The judge

appointed Grannis's firm to represent Haghighi, but on January 6, 2011, the firm

notified the court it could not represent Haghighi due to a conflict, since ineffective

assistance of counsel was an issue. The firm did not copy Haghighi on this letter or

inform him of this issue.

On January 27, Nancy Collins from the Washington Appellate Project was

appointed counsel. She filed an amended PRP and argued that the rule announced

in Winterstein should apply to Haghighi and that Grannis had been ineffective in

not p~esenting or preserving the inevitable discovery doctrine issue, especially with

Winterstein before this court at the time. In a published opinion, the Court of

Appeals rejected both arguments. 1 It held that Winterstein announced a new rule

1 In re Pers. Restraint of Haghighi, 167 Wn. App. 712, 276 P.3d 311, review granted, 175 Wn.2d 1021, 287 P.3d 595 (2012).

5 No. 87529-4

that did not apply retroactively to Haghighi' s case, which was final at the time.

Further, it held that the ineffective assistance claim was added beyond the one-year

time limit for PRPs and that equitable tolling should not be applied. Therefore, the

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