Oliphant v. Commissioner of Correction

CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedNovember 10, 2015
DocketAC37028
StatusPublished

This text of Oliphant v. Commissioner of Correction (Oliphant v. Commissioner of Correction) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oliphant v. Commissioner of Correction, (Colo. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

****************************************************** The ‘‘officially released’’ date that appears near the beginning of each opinion is the date the opinion will be published in the Connecticut Law Journal or the date it was released as a slip opinion. The operative date for the beginning of all time periods for filing postopinion motions and petitions for certification is the ‘‘officially released’’ date appearing in the opinion. In no event will any such motions be accepted before the ‘‘officially released’’ date. All opinions are subject to modification and technical correction prior to official publication in the Connecti- cut Reports and Connecticut Appellate Reports. In the event of discrepancies between the electronic version of an opinion and the print version appearing in the Connecticut Law Journal and subsequently in the Con- necticut Reports or Connecticut Appellate Reports, the latest print version is to be considered authoritative. The syllabus and procedural history accompanying the opinion as it appears on the Commission on Official Legal Publications Electronic Bulletin Board Service and in the Connecticut Law Journal and bound volumes of official reports are copyrighted by the Secretary of the State, State of Connecticut, and may not be repro- duced and distributed without the express written per- mission of the Commission on Official Legal Publications, Judicial Branch, State of Connecticut. ****************************************************** ANTHONY OLIPHANT v. COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTION (AC 37028) Gruendel, Lavine and Mullins, Js. Argued September 17—officially released November 10, 2015

(Appeal from Superior Court, judicial district of Tolland, Fuger, J.) Albert J. Oneto IV, assigned counsel, with whom, on the brief, was David B. Rozwaski, assigned counsel, for the appellant (petitioner). Leon F. Dalbec, Jr., senior assistant state’s attorney, with whom, on the brief, were Michael Dearington, state’s attorney, and Adrienne Maciulewski, deputy assistant state’s attorney, for the appellee (respondent). Opinion

LAVINE, J. The petitioner, Anthony Oliphant, appeals to this court for the fifth time since he was convicted of larceny in 1995.1 The present appeal follows the habeas court’s denial of the petition for certification to appeal from the judgment dismissing his amended petition for a writ of habeas corpus (2011 petition). On appeal, the petitioner claims that the habeas court, Fuger, J., (1) abused its discretion by denying his petition for certifi- cation to appeal and (2) improperly dismissed his 2011 petition.2 We conclude that the petitioner’s claims alleged in the 2011 petition are barred by the doctrine of res judicata and, therefore, that the habeas court did not abuse its discretion by denying certification to appeal. The appeal is dismissed.3 General Statutes § 52-470 (g) provides in relevant part: ‘‘No appeal from the judgment rendered in a habeas corpus proceeding brought by or on behalf of a person who has been convicted of a crime in order to obtain such person’s release may be taken unless the appellant . . . petitions the judge before whom the case was tried . . . to certify that a question is involved in the decision which ought to be reviewed by the court having jurisdiction and the judge so certifies.’’ ‘‘Our Supreme Court has explained that one of the goals of [§ 52-470 (g)] is to limit the number of appeals filed in criminal cases and to hasten the conclusion of the criminal justice process. . . . Additionally, § 52- 470 [g] acts as a limitation on the scope of review, and not the jurisdiction, of the appellate tribunal.’’ (Citation omitted.) Logan v. Commissioner of Correction, 125 Conn. App. 744, 750, 9 A.3d 776 (2010), cert. denied, 300 Conn. 918, 14 A.3d 333 (2011). The petitioner has tested the limits of § 52-470 (g).4 When a habeas court denies a petition for certifica- tion to appeal, ‘‘a petitioner can obtain appellate review of the dismissal of his petition for habeas corpus only by satisfying the two-pronged test enunciated by our Supreme Court in Simms v. Warden, 229 Conn. 178, 640 A.2d 601 (1994), and adopted in Simms v. Warden, 230 Conn. 608, 612, 646 A.2d 126 (1994). First, he must demonstrate that the denial of his petition for certifica- tion constituted an abuse of discretion. . . . Second, if the petitioner can show an abuse of discretion, he must then prove that the decision of the habeas court should be reversed on its merits.’’ (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Logan v. Commissioner of Correction, supra, 125 Conn. App. 750–51. To prevail on a denial of certification claim, the peti- tioner must ‘‘demonstrate that the issues are debatable among jurists of reason; that a court could resolve the issues [in a different manner]; or that the questions are adequate to deserve encouragement to proceed further. . . . A petitioner who establishes an abuse of discretion through one of the factors listed above must then dem- onstrate that the judgment of the habeas court should be reversed on its merits. . . . In determining whether the habeas court abused its discretion [a reviewing court] necessarily must consider the merits of the peti- tioner’s underlying claims to determine whether the habeas court reasonably determined that the petition- er’s appeal was frivolous.’’ (Emphasis in original; inter- nal quotation marks omitted.) Wright v. Commissioner of Correction, 143 Conn. App. 274, 285, 68 A.3d 1184, cert. denied, 310 Conn. 903, 75 A.3d 30 (2013). The present appeal stems from the petitioner’s 1995 conviction of one count of defrauding a public commu- nity in violation of General Statutes § 53a-122 (a) (4) (larceny case). This court affirmed the judgment of conviction. See State v. Oliphant, 47 Conn. App. 271, 272, 702 A.2d 1206 (1997), cert. denied, 244 Conn. 904, 714 A.2d 3 (1998). As a consequence of that conviction, the petitioner was sentenced to a term of fifteen years in the custody of the respondent, the Commissioner of Correction. The petitioner’s sentence was suspended, and he began a period of probation on August 30, 2002. He was arrested on October 6, 2006, and charged with multiple crimes. State v. Oliphant, 115 Conn. App. 542, 544–45, 973 A.2d 147, cert. denied, 293 Conn. 912, 978 A.2d 1113 (2009). Following a violation of probation hearing, the trial court, Vitale, J., found that the peti- tioner had violated the terms of his probation, revoked his probation, and sentenced him to a term of six and one-half years in the custody of the respondent. Id., 547. This court affirmed the violation of probation judgment. Id., 555. At both the larceny trial and violation of probation hearing, the petitioner rejected the assistance of the public defenders appointed to represent him. See id., 548; State v. Oliphant, supra, 47 Conn. App. 273. At his larceny trial, the petitioner requested that the trial court, Gaffney, J., appoint substitute counsel. State v. Oli- phant, supra, 47 Conn. App. 273. Judge Gaffney denied the petitioner’s request, and the petitioner stated that he wished to represent himself. Id. Attorney Michael Moscowitz, the petitioner’s appointed counsel, informed the court that he had discussed self-represen- tation with the petitioner and that he was not certain that the petitioner appreciated the amount of prison time he was facing, if convicted. Id., 273 n.2.

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Oliphant v. Commissioner of Correction, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oliphant-v-commissioner-of-correction-connappct-2015.