State v. Hull

2020 Ohio 2895
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 11, 2020
Docket2019-L-126
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 2020 Ohio 2895 (State v. Hull) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hull, 2020 Ohio 2895 (Ohio Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Hull, 2020-Ohio-2895.]

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS

ELEVENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

LAKE COUNTY, OHIO

STATE OF OHIO, : OPINION

Plaintiff-Appellee, : CASE NO. 2019-L-126 - vs - :

FLOYD J. HULL, SR., :

Defendant-Appellant. :

Civil Appeal from the Lake County Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 2015 CR 000387.

Judgment: Affirmed.

Charles E. Coulson, Lake County Prosecutor, and Jennifer A. McGee, Assistant Prosecutor, Lake County Administration Building, 105 Main Street, P.O. Box 490, Painesville, Ohio 44077 (For Plaintiff-Appellee).

G. Michael Goins, 13609 Shaker Boulevard, Suite 3-A, Cleveland, Ohio 44120 (For Defendant-Appellant).

THOMAS R. WRIGHT, J.

{¶1} Appellant, Floyd J. Hull, Sr., appeals the trial court’s decision denying his

postconviction petition seeking to vacate his drug trafficking convictions after pleading

guilty. We affirm.

{¶2} This is the second time this postconviction proceeding has been before us.

In Hull’s first appeal, we reversed and remanded finding res judicata did not bar Hull’s

postconviction claims. State v. Hull, 11th Dist. Lake No. 2018-L-050, 2019-Ohio-23. On remand, the trial court’s September 24, 2019 decision again finds that Hull is not entitled

to a hearing and overrules his postconviction claims.

{¶3} Hull raises two assigned errors, which we address collectively:

{¶4} “The trial court abused its discretion in its assessment of the credibility of

Hull’s supporting affidavits attached to his petition for postconviction relief pursuant to

O.R.C. 2953.21, thus violating Hull’s constitutional rights under the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth,

and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 1

and 14 of the Ohio Constitution.

{¶5} “The trial court erred in denying Hull’s postconviction relief petition where

he presented sufficient evidence de hors the record to merit an evidentiary hearing.”

{¶6} We review the denial of a postconviction petition for an abuse of discretion.

State v. Gondor, 112 Ohio St.3d 377, 2006-Ohio-6679, 860 N.E.2d 77, ¶ 49. “[T]he trial

court's gatekeeping function in the postconviction relief process is entitled to deference,

including the court's decision regarding the sufficiency of the facts set forth by the

petitioner and the credibility of the affidavits submitted.” Id. at ¶ 52.

{¶7} “[A]n abuse of discretion is the trial court's ‘failure to exercise sound,

reasonable, and legal decision-making.’ State v. Beechler, 2d Dist. No. 09-CA-54, 2010-

Ohio-1900, 2010 WL 1731784, ¶ 62, quoting Black's Law Dictionary (8 Ed.Rev.2004) 11.

When an appellate court is reviewing a pure issue of law, ‘the mere fact that the reviewing

court would decide the issue differently is enough to find error (of course, not all errors

are reversible. Some are harmless; others are not preserved for appellate review). By

contrast, where the issue on review has been confined to the discretion of the trial court,

the mere fact that the reviewing court would have reached a different result is not enough,

2 without more, to find error.’ Id. at ¶ 67.” Ivancic v. Enos, 11th Dist. Lake No. 2011-L-050,

2012-Ohio-3639, 978 N.E.2d 927, ¶ 70.

{¶8} As stated, we reversed and remanded the trial court’s determination that

Hull’s postconviction arguments are barred by res judicata. Thus, we directed the trial

court on remand to:

{¶9} “determine whether the petition, the record, and the supporting evidentiary

documents contain sufficient operative facts which, if true, would establish substantive

grounds for relief consistent with the direction set forth in [State v. Calhoun, 86 Ohio St.3d

279, 714 N.E.2d 905]. And if it so finds, then a hearing is required under R.C. 2953.21(D).

If, however, it does not find a hearing is warranted and dismisses the petition, then it must

issue findings of fact and conclusion of law sufficient to enable meaningful appellate

review. R.C. 2953.21(D); Calhoun, supra, at 291-292.” Hull at ¶ 38.

{¶10} On remand, the trial court’s September 24, 2019 judgment again overrules

Hull’s postconviction petition without an evidentiary hearing. The court finds that the

supporting affidavits lack credibility and that none of the affidavits, even if true, establishes

that Hull is entitled to postconviction relief.

{¶11} The petitioner bears the burden to show via affidavits, the record, and other

supporting materials that sufficient operative facts exist which, if true, would establish

substantive grounds for postconviction relief. R.C. 2953.21(D); State v. Clark, 11th Dist.

Portage No. 96-P-0257, 1998 WL 386186, *4, citing State v. Jackson, 64 Ohio St.2d 107,

111, 413 N.E.2d 819 (1980).

3 Ineffective assistance of counsel claims

{¶12} In urging the trial court to vacate his convictions, Hull presents three

ineffective assistance of trial counsel arguments in his February 10, 2017 postconviction

petition. First, Hull contends he was coerced by his attorney into pleading guilty based

on his attorney’s poor advice that Hull’s confession was not subject to suppression. Hull

urges his confession was subject to suppression since Hull was induced into confessing

based on the state’s false promises of receiving a lighter sentence.

{¶13} Second, Hull asserts his trial counsel was deficient for failing to timely move

to suppress Hull’s confession and argues that had it been timely filed, suppression was

warranted. This second argument is also based on Hull’s claim that he was coerced into

confessing based on false promises of leniency made by police.

{¶14} Finally, Hull claims his trial counsel was deficient because counsel failed to

challenge the jurisdiction of the officer who stopped Hull. And had a challenge to the

officer’s jurisdiction been raised, Hull claims the stop and subsequent convictions would

be void or voidable since they occurred outside the officer’s jurisdiction.

{¶15} “In evaluating claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, a two-step

process is used. ‘First, the defendant must show that counsel's performance was

deficient. This requires showing that counsel made errors so serious that counsel was not

functioning as the “counsel” guaranteed the defendant by the Sixth Amendment. Second,

the defendant must show that the deficient performance prejudiced the defense. This

requires showing that counsel's errors were so serious as to deprive the defendant of a

fair trial * * *.’ Strickland v. Washington (1984), 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80

L.Ed.2d 674; State v. Bradley (1989), 42 Ohio St.3d 136, 538 N.E.2d 373, paragraph two

4 of the syllabus.” State v. Gondor, 112 Ohio St.3d 377, 2006-Ohio-6679, 860 N.E.2d 77,

¶ 61.

{¶16} “In any case presenting an ineffectiveness claim, the performance inquiry

must be whether counsel's performance was reasonable considering all the

circumstances.

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