State v. Tjeerdsma

17 P.3d 678
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided February 12, 2001·No. 44834-0-I·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

17 P.3d 678 (2001)

STATE of Washington, Respondent,
v.
Michael A. TJEERDSMA, Appellant.

No. 44834-0-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

February 12, 2001.

*679 Erik Pedersen, Skagit Co. Pros. Atty. Office, Mt. Vernon, for Respondent.

Suzanne Lee Elliott, Seattle, for Appellant.

APPELWICK, J.

Michael Tjeerdsma asks this court to hold that he was denied effective assistance of counsel in his trial in Superior Court because of a conflict of interest on the part of his attorney. His trial counsel was a Municipal Prosecutor and key witnesses were city law enforcement officials. After Tjeerdsma's trial but before his sentencing, defense counsel was also appointed as Special Deputy Prosecutor in the same county in which Tjeerdsma was prosecuted. We affirm the trial court's dismissal of Tjeerdsma's ineffective assistance of counsel claim as he has failed to show an actual conflict of interest arising from his counsel's position as a Municipal Prosecutor. Tjeerdsma declined re-sentencing thus waiving his remedy for counsel's position as Special Deputy Prosecutor.

FACTS

In 1998, a jury in Skagit County convicted Michael Tjeerdsma of possession of less than two kilograms of cocaine with intent to deliver. The charge arose from an undercover drug purchase made in Mount Vernon, Washington by the Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit. Two police officers were involved in the investigation of the case. One of the officers was employed by the Mount Vernon Police Department, but had been assigned to the Skagit County drug unit since 1996. The Mount Vernon Police Department stored all of the evidence against Tjeerdsma, and later released the evidence to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab to be tested.

Richard Weyrich, from the Law Office of Weyrich and Verge, represented Tjeerdsma against the State's criminal charge. After sentencing, Tjeerdsma learned that Weyrich was a Municipal Court Prosecutor for the City of Mount Vernon. In addition, Tjeerdsma *680 learned that on March 4, 1999, during the interval between the end of Tjeerdsma's trial and the sentencing date, the Skagit County Prosecutor's Office appointed Weyrich to handle a conflicts case. Tjeerdsma retained new counsel and filed a motion to reverse his conviction and dismiss the charge. Tjeerdsma alleged he was denied effective assistance of counsel due to the simultaneous representation of him and the Mount Vernon Police Department by his trial counsel.

The trial court concluded that Weyrich's position as city prosecutor did not create an actual conflict of interest. The court did, however, offer Tjeerdsma an opportunity to be re-sentenced based on the State's concession that Weyrich's appointment as a Special Deputy Prosecutor created a conflict of interest. Tjeerdsma declined to be re-sentenced.

DISCUSSION

A claim that counsel represented conflicting interests necessarily implicates a claim that counsel was ineffective. The Sixth Amendment, applicable to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment, guarantees that "[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right ... to have the assistance of counsel for his defense." "The constitutional right to counsel includes the right to assistance of counsel free from conflicts of interest." State v. Davis, 141 Wash.2d 798, 860, 10 P.3d 977 (2000).

"The mere possibility of a conflict of interest is not sufficient to `impugn a criminal conviction.'" Davis, 141 Wash.2d at 861, 10 P.3d 977 (quoting Cuyler v. Sullivan, 446 U.S. 335, 348-49, 100 S.Ct. 1708, 1719, 64 L.Ed.2d 333 (1980)). "A defendant who does not raise an objection at trial must demonstrate `an actual conflict of interest adversely affected his lawyer's performance' in order to obtain relief on appeal." Davis, 141 Wash.2d at 861, 10 P.3d 977 (quoting Cuyler, 446 U.S. at 350, 100 S.Ct. 1708). "Prejudice is presumed only if the defendant demonstrates that counsel `actively represented conflicting interests' and that `an actual conflict of interest adversely affected his lawyer's performance." Davis, 141 Wash.2d at 864, 10 P.3d 977 (quoting Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 692, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984) citing Cuyler, 446 U.S. at 348-50, 100 S.Ct. 1708). Each of the two prongs must be met. This Court has said that "[t]he application of these rules is not limited to joint representation of codefendants. While most of the cases have involved that fact situation, the rules apply to any situation where defense counsel represents conflicting interests." In re Personal Restraint of Richardson, 100 Wash.2d 669, 677, 675 P.2d 209 (1983) (citations omitted).

Tjeerdsma urges this court to follow the Illinois Supreme Court and establish a per se rule mandating reversal when a prosecutor represents a defendant within the same county in which he or she prosecutes. The Illinois court rejected the "actual conflict" test from Cuyler, concluding that the test applied only to joint representation cases. See People v. Washington, 101 Ill.2d 104, 77 Ill.Dec. 770, 461 N.E.2d 393 (1984). Having concluded that Davis and Richardson directs us to apply Cuyler, we decline Tjeerdsma's invitation to adopt a new rule.

ACTUAL CONFLICT

An actual conflict of interest occurs if, during the course of representation, the parties' interests diverge with respect to a "`material factual or legal issue, or a course of action.'" State v. Robinson, 79 Wash. App. 386, 394, 902 P.2d 652 (1995) (quoting Sullivan v. Cuyler, 723 F.2d 1077, 1086 (3d Cir.1983)). "To demonstrate that the lawyer's performance was `adversely affected' by the actual conflict, the defendant must show the conflict `hampered his defense.'" Robinson, 79 Wash.App. at 395, 902 P.2d 652 (quoting State v. Lingo, 32 Wash.App. 638, 649 P.2d 130 (1982)). The defendant must point to specific instances in the record suggesting that the attorney is caught in a "struggle to serve two masters." State v. Robinson, 79 Wash.App. at 395, 902 P.2d 652 (quoting Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 75, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942)).

A. Status as a Municipal Prosecutor

The record in this case does not show that Weyrich, as a Municipal Prosecutor, owed a duty to anyone whose interests were *681 adverse to Tjeerdsma.

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State v. Tjeerdsma, 17 P.3d 678 (Wash. Ct. App. 2001).

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