Syvertson v. State

2000 ND 185, 620 N.W.2d 362, 2000 N.D. LEXIS 203, 2000 WL 1868292
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 26, 2000
Docket20000100
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 2000 ND 185 (Syvertson v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Syvertson v. State, 2000 ND 185, 620 N.W.2d 362, 2000 N.D. LEXIS 203, 2000 WL 1868292 (N.D. 2000).

Opinions

MARING, Justice.

[¶ 1] Charles E. Syvertson appeals from a judgment denying his application for post-conviction relief. We affirm the judgment.

I.

[¶ 2] In January of 1998, Syvertson was convicted of two class B felony counts of gross sexual imposition. Syvertson appealed his conviction to the North Dakota Supreme Court, where it was affirmed. State v. Syvertson, 1999 ND 134, 597 N.W.2d 652.

[¶ 3] On January 20, 2000, Syvertson, acting pro se, applied for post-conviction relief.1 In his application, Syvertson states seven grounds for post-conviction relief. He claims: (1) he was denied due process of law and fair hearings because the State failed to comply with discovery requests; (2) he was denied effective assistance of counsel; (3) his Fifth Amendment rights to counsel and against self-incrimination were violated; (4) certain testimony given at trial violated his rights to due process of law and confrontation; (5) the December 23, 1997, Order granting partial suppression was void; (6) he was denied his Sixth Amendment right to confrontation; and (7) he was denied due process of law by the “State’s deception on Rule 16 Discovery.” Syvertson filed a “Notice of Motions For Hearing,” dated January 17, 2000. His motion stated that oral arguments would proceed “at a time and date that Syvertson will set and notify the respondents of....”

[¶ 4] On January 31, 2000, Syvertson filed a demand for a change of judge. In his brief to support the change of judge demand, he argued a change of judge was necessary because in his application for post-conviction relief he claimed errors of law. That same day, the State filed its response to Syvertson’s demand for change of judge. On February 2, 2000, the trial court denied Syvertson’s demand for a change of judge, reasoning that under Falcon v. State, 1997 ND 200, 570 N.W.2d 719, Syvertson was not entitled to a new judge because the post-conviction judge was also the trial judge.

[¶ 5] Syvertson filed a “Motion to Remove Judge/Affidavit of Prejudice/Brief,” on February 8, 2000, alleging the trial judge was biased against him throughout the original proceedings. The State did not file a response to this motion. In its final judgment, the trial court denied Sy-vertson’s motion to remove the judge.

[¶ 6] On February 22, 2000, the State filed its response to Syvertson’s post-conviction relief application, opposing Syvert-son’s seven stated grounds for relief. Sy-vertson filed a response to the State’s motion for summary disposition on March 2, 2000. Accompanying that response was Syvertson’s cross motion for summary disposition in his favor. On that same date, Syvertson filed a “Notice for Motions for Hearing,” stating a hearing [365]*365on the state’s motion for dismissal and Syvertson’s cross motion for judgment would be set “at a time and date set by the calander [sic] clerk and which will be notifyed [sic] in the futiré [sic].”

[¶ 7] Syvertson sent a letter to the court, on March 23, 2000, requesting it rule on his motion to remove the judge based on prejudice. The court filed a three page memorandum and opinion denying Syvert-son’s post-conviction relief application on March 24, 2000. In its opinion, the court stated all matters in support of Syvertson’s post-conviction relief were fully and fairly determined in previous post-conviction proceedings and a previous appeal to the Supreme Court. Specifically, the trial court stated that Syvertson’s issues 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were raised in a previous post-conviction application and appeal and were fully adjudicated. The court went on to state that “[Syvertson’s] issue number 2, ineffective assistance of counsel, appealed] to be simply a means by which [Syvertson] raise[d] issues previously fully adjudicated upon the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel.” The court noted that Syvertson failed to raise this issue in both his previous application and his appeal to this Court. The trial court further stated that Syvertson’s current application for post-conviction relief was a misuse of process, “including, but not limited to, that it arises from an inexcusable failure of the applicant to raise a claim for relief in other proceedings and that it is frivolous both on factual and legal grounds.”

[¶ 8] In denying Syvertson’s post-conviction application, the trial court mistakenly quoted the wrong appeal to this Court. It considered Syvertson’s appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court of Criminal Nos., 980269, 980270, 980340. State v. Syvertson, 1999 ND 137, 597 N.W.2d 644. The issues in that appeal stem from an incident in West Fargo on July 10, 1997. That case is not applicable to the issues in this case. The issues in this case stem from two incidents involving a minor girl in Fargo in late 1993. Although Syvertson has not previously applied for post-conviction relief regarding his conviction stemming from these incidents he has brought a direct appeal. Syvertson, 1999 ND 134, 597 N.W.2d 652. Syvertson filed his notice of appeal from the trial court’s order denying post-conviction relief on March 31, 2000.

II.

[¶ 9] Syvertson first contends that he was denied due process of law because the trial court erred in denying him oral arguments with respect to certain motions. Specifically, Syvertson argues he requested oral arguments on January 20, 2000, and again on March 2, 2000, and twice he was denied such arguments. We disagree.

[¶ 10] North Dakota Rule of Court 3.2(a)2 provides that timely requests for [366]*366oral argument must be granted to any requesting party, including a prison inmate, who has timely served and filed a brief. Walbert v. Walbert, 1997 ND 164, ¶ 9, 567 N.W.2d 829. The Rule, however, also provides that “[t]he party requesting oral argument shall secure a time for the argument and serve notice upon all other parties.” N.D.R.Ct. 3.2(a). A request is rendered incomplete if one fails to secure a time for oral argument. Huber v. Oliver County, 529 N.W.2d 179, 183 (N.D.1995).

[¶ 11] In this case, Syvertson’s requests for oral arguments are incomplete. The first request, filed January 20, 2000, stated oral arguments would proceed “at a time and date that Syvertson will set and notify the respondents of....” The second request, filed March 2, 2000, stated oral arguments would be set “at a time and date set by the calander [sic] clerk and which will be notifyed [sic] in the futiré [sic].” Syvertson made no further attempts to secure a time for oral arguments, thus, his requests are rendered incomplete.

III.

[¶ 12] Syvertson next contends that the trial court made erroneous findings of fact. He argues the trial court’s findings correspond to his application for post-conviction relief concerning the West Fargo case and not the case involving the incidents in Fargo in 1993. We agree. However, with the exception of issue number two, we conclude Syvertson’s stated grounds for relief have either been fully and fairly determined in his previous direct appeal or he inexcusably failed to raise them in that appeal. Syvertson, 1999 ND 134, 597 N.W.2d 652.

[¶ 13] North Dakota Century Code § 29-32.1-09(1), provides that a trial court may summarily dismiss an application for post-conviction relief if there is no genuine issue of fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Abdi v. State, 2000 ND 64, ¶ 8, 608 N.W.2d 292 (citation omitted).

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Bluebook (online)
2000 ND 185, 620 N.W.2d 362, 2000 N.D. LEXIS 203, 2000 WL 1868292, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/syvertson-v-state-nd-2000.