Morgan v. United States

295 F. Supp. 967, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7696
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedDecember 16, 1968
DocketCiv. No. 11544
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 295 F. Supp. 967 (Morgan v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morgan v. United States, 295 F. Supp. 967, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7696 (D. Conn. 1968).

Opinion

TIMBERS, Chief Judge.

QUESTION PRESENTED

Upon remand from the Court of Appeals, the District Court was directed to find whether “there was [any] conflict of interest in the presentation of Morgan’s defense and Stein’s defense by the same attorney or [whether] any conflict was so minimal that it could not have affected the result.”1

After a hearing, the Court holds that the attorney appointed to represent Morgan was appointed not only with Morgan’s consent but in response to Morgan’s specific request; and that any resulting conflict of interest was so minimal as to be not prejudicial.

Accordingly, Morgan’s third motion to vacate his sentence is again denied and his judgment of conviction will stand.2

FACTS

The factual background of the offenses for which Morgan was indicted, tried, convicted by a jury and sentenced by the Court to 4 year concurrent terms of imprisonment, having been fully set forth in previous opinions of the Court of Appeals and of this Court,2 3 will not be repeated here.

At the hearing held September 30, 1968 upon remand from the Court of Appeals, the District Court heard testimony of three witnesses: petitioner Morgan; Arnold Markle, former Assistant United States Attorney in charge of the Morgan trial (now State’s Attorney for New Haven County); and Anthony G. Appicella, former Assistant United States Attorney. By stipulation it was agreed that the nonappearance at the hearing of Carl Turk, the attorney who represented both Morgan and Stein [969]*969at the trial, was beyond the control of either side.4

Morgan testified substantially as follows. His original counsel, Robert S. Friedman, had withdrawn from the case because of Morgan’s inability to pay him.5 According to Morgan’s testimony, his relationship with Turk began in November 1962 when Stein took him to Turk’s office in New York shortly after Morgan was indicted and released on bond in the instant case. He later contacted Turk when Friedman withdrew. Morgan denied at the hearing that he requested Turk to represent him; but Turk had stated to the Court that Morgan had made such a request and Morgan confirmed this when questioned by the Court at that time, although he testified at the hearing that he did so because he was unaware of his right to have the Court appoint counsel to represent him.

Arnold Markle testified that Morgan came to his office on December 17, 1962 and told him that Friedman was going to withdraw from the ease; Markle advised Morgan against retaining either Turk or counsel for the third co-defendant to represent him; and he recalled telling Morgan that he would get caught in the middle, and that the Court would appoint counsel to represent him if he so requested. At a later conference between Markle and Morgan on January 7, 1963, the same advice was repeated; but Morgan informed Markle that he had retained Turk.

The transcript of the proceedings before the Court on January 7, 1963 (Government’s Exhibit 1) reflects a colloquy between Morgan and the Court in which Morgan stated that Turk “will do something definite. He will represent me himself or he will see that I get some kind of counsel.” In response to the Court’s inquiry about his ability to pay Turk, Morgan stated, “I have to talk to Mr. Turk. He agreed to go along with me there”; Morgan added that he was able to pay the fee asked by Turk, and would not need court appointed counsel. The Court conditioned its granting of Friedman’s motion to withdraw upon the filing of an appearance by substitute counsel.

Anthony Appicella’s testimony in substance corroborated that of Markle. He recalled that Markle had told Morgan he could have court appointed counsel if he needed it; and he was absolutely certain that Markle had told Morgan it would be disadvantageous to have Turk represent him.

The Court of Appeals has indicated that upon this remand the District Court “should consider what the situation was at the time of Turk’s appointment as Morgan’s attorney, what the reasons were for making that appointment, and why those concerned made no objection”, including whether “Morgan knowingly ae[970]*970cepted whatever risks were involved in having both defenses presented by the same attorney.” 396 F.2d at 112.

The Court finds that the entire record makes it abundantly clear that Turk was appointed to represent Morgan not only with Morgan’s consent but in response to Morgan’s specific request; and that Morgan’s insistence upon being represented by Turk followed unequivocal advice to Morgan, on two separate occasions, by the Assistant United States Attorney in charge of the case concerning the risks involved in being represented by an attorney for a co-defendant.

The Court’s finding is based upon the record of the evidentiary hearing held September 30, 1968, as well as upon the entire record of prior proceedings in the case, judicial notice of which has been taken at the request of all counsel at the September 30 hearing. It is worthy of note that the entire record of prior proceedings was not before the Court of Appeals at the time of its decision of May 21, 1968, 396 F.2d 110.6 Specifically, the four page transcript of proceedings before the District Court on January 7, 1963, which bears strongly upon the issues before the Court on the instant remand, was not before the Court of Appeals. This transcript is attached as Appendix A to the instant memorandum of decision.

The Court’s findings upon remand may be summarized briefly as follows:

(1) On January 7, 1963, Morgan’s original counsel, Robert S. Friedman, withdrew from the case not because of Morgan’s inability to pay but because he was scheduled to argue before the New York Court of Appeals.

(2) Morgan knew of Friedman’s impending withdrawal as early as December 17, 1962, at which time he spoke with Assistant United States Attorney Markle and indicated a desire to be represented by Turk.

(3) At the December 17, 1962 meeting, and at a subsequent meeting with Markle on January 7, 1963, Morgan was told that representation by counsel for a co-defendant would leave Morgan in the middle and that the Court would appoint separate counsel to represent him if he so requested.

(4) In proceedings before the Court on January 7, 1963, Morgan stated that he no longer desired the Court to appoint counsel since Turk himself was going to represent him, or Turk would obtain counsel for him. Morgan stated that Turk agreed to “go along with me” on the matter of a fee and that Morgan was able to pay it. Thus, Morgan informed the Court that he no longer needed court appointed counsel.

(5) In proceedings before the Court on February 5, 1963, the Court again asked Morgan if he wished to have Turk represent him. Morgan replied in the affirmative and said that he no longer desired court appointed counsel and that he had sufficient funds to pay Turk. He recognized that Turk was already representing the co-defendant Stein in the same litigation.

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Related

Grant v. United States
447 F. Supp. 732 (S.D. New York, 1978)
Tropiano v. United States
323 F. Supp. 964 (D. Connecticut, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
295 F. Supp. 967, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7696, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morgan-v-united-states-ctd-1968.