Tony Scott Grantham v. The People Of The State Of California

CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedJuly 14, 2025
Docket2:25-cv-04760
StatusUnknown

This text of Tony Scott Grantham v. The People Of The State Of California (Tony Scott Grantham v. The People Of The State Of California) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tony Scott Grantham v. The People Of The State Of California, (C.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

11 TONY SCOTT GRANTHAM, Case No. 2:25-cv-04760-SVW-KES

12 Petitioner, ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE WHY 13 v. PETITION SHOULD NOT BE

14 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF DISMISSED AS UNTIMELY CALIFORNIA, 15 Respondent. 16

17 On May 27, 2025, Tony Scott Grantham (“Petitioner”) filed a Petition for 18 Writ of Habeas Corpus by a Person in State Custody pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. 19 (“Petition” at Dkt. 1.)1 As discussed more fully below, the Court orders Petitioner 20 to show cause why the Petition should not be dismissed as untimely. 21 I. 22 BACKGROUND 23 The following facts are taken from the Petition, from the Court’s own 24 25

26 1 May 27, 2025, is the date the Court received the Petition. (Dkt. 1.) The 27 Court does not apply the prison mailbox rule because it appears Petitioner was on parole and not in physical custody when he filed the Petition. 28 1 records, or from public records.2 Where necessary, the Court takes judicial notice 2 of the latter. See Fed. R. Evid. 201(b)(2) (“The court may judicially notice a fact 3 that is not subject to reasonable dispute because it … can be accurately and readily 4 determined from sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned.”); 5 United States v. Wilson, 631 F.2d 118, 119 (9th Cir. 1980) (“[A] court may take 6 judicial notice of its own records in other cases, as well as the records of an inferior 7 court in other cases.”) 8 The Petition challenges the sentence Petitioner received in 2022 after 9 pleading nolo contendere to criminal charges involving burglary in Los Angeles 10 County Superior Court (“LASC”) case no. SA105795. (Dkt. 1 at 2.) In 2023, the 11 California Court of Appeal summarized the sentence imposed in Petitioner’s 12 criminal case, as follows: 13 In March 2022, defendant and appellant Tony Scott Grantham 14 pled no contest to one count of first degree burglary (Pen. Code, 15 § 459), one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property not 16 exceeding $950 in value (§ 496, subd. (a)) and one misdemeanor count 17 of possession of personal identification information with intent to 18 defraud (§ 530.5, subd. (c)(1)). Defendant also admitted someone was 19 present in the residence during the commission of the burglary 20 (§ 667.5, subd. (c)(21)). Defendant waived his rights. Counsel joined 21 in the waivers and stipulated to a factual basis for the plea. The court 22 found defendant’s waivers to be knowingly and voluntarily made, 23 accepted defendant’s plea and found him guilty of all three counts. 24 The court struck defendant’s strikes based on their age and 25 because defendant did not physically confront the homeowner or 26 2 The public records of the California appellate courts are available at: 27 https://appellatecases.court info.ca.gov. 28 1 engage in violence. In accordance with the plea agreement, the court 2 imposed the high term of six years on count 1 and imposed concurrent 3 one-year sentences on each of counts 2 and 3. The court awarded 4 defendant 99 days of presentence custody credits (86 actual and 13 5 conduct). The court imposed a $300 restitution fine, and imposed and 6 stayed a $300 parole revocation fine on count 1. The court imposed 7 court operations and criminal convictions assessments on each count in 8 accordance with Penal Code section 1465.8 and Government Code 9 section 70373. 10 People v. Grantham, No. B320128, 2023 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1804, at *1-2 11 (Mar. 28, 2023). On the same day as the sentencing, the trial court also considered 12 a probation violation case. (Dkt. 1 at 90 (reporter’s transcript).) Petitioner told the 13 court that he had served a year in the county jail for the probation violation. (Id.) 14 The judge told Petitioner, “I’m not going to give you more time on this. I’m going 15 to terminate your probation.” (Id.) After Petitioner waived his right to a hearing on 16 whether he had violated probation, the judge pronounced, “The Court finds 17 [Petitioner] in violation and terminates probation in lieu of the sentence – I 18 shouldn’t say ‘in lieu of’ because of the sentence to prison on the open case,” 19 referring to the burglary case. (Id. at 91.) 20 Petitioner appealed to challenge his sentence. Appointed counsel filed a brief 21 pursuant to People v. Wende, 25 Cal.3d 436 (1979) raising no issues. Grantham, 22 2023 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1804, at *2. Petitioner did not file a supplemental 23 brief. The Court of Appeal examined the record and found “no arguable appellate 24 issues,” in a decision dated March 28, 2023. Id. at *3. 25 In December 2023, Petitioner filed his first state habeas petition with the 26 LASC. (“LASC Pet. #1” at Dkt. 1 at 136-39.) As claims for relief, Petitioner 27 alleged, “the midterm was the maximum sentence by law.” (Id. at 137.) Petitioner 28 also alleged he was “entitled to half time credit rate” to avoid “double jeopardy” by 1 imposing multiple enhancements (i.e., the high term and a reduced rate of earning 2 good conduct credit for violent offenders) for the same offense. (Id.) 3 The LASC summarized the two claims as contentions that (1) Petitioner was 4 “unlawfully sentenced to the high term” and (2) he “should have received 50% 5 conduct credits.” (Dkt. 1 at 116.) On January 3, 2024, the LASC denied this 6 petition for several procedural reasons, including that it was unreasonably delayed 7 and raised issues that Petitioner could have raised on direct appeal. (Id. at 117.) 8 The LASC also reached the merits of Petitioner’s claims. The LASC explained that 9 by challenging the imposition of the high term, he was challenging “an agreed-upon 10 disposition,” a challenge waived by his plea agreement. (Id.) The LASC also 11 explained that Petitioner was not entitled to good conduct credits calculated at 50%. 12 Instead, “he was sentenced on a 1st degree burglary, person present” charge, which 13 is “a violent felony” under California law. (Id. at 118.) “Conduct credits for 14 violent felonies are limited to 15%, not 50%.” (Id.) 15 In May 2024, Petitioner filed a second habeas petition with the LASC. 16 (“LASC Pet. #2” at Dkt. 1 at 102.) The LASC summarized the claims raised in 17 LASC Pet. #2 as claims that he was “unlawfully sentenced to the high term” and 18 “should have received 50% conduct credits,” i.e., the same claims raised in LASC 19 Pet. #1. (Id. at 105.) On May 24, 2024, the LASC denied LASC Pet. #2 for the 20 same reasons it denied LASC Pet. #1, adding that the second petition was 21 procedurally defective because it was duplicative. (Id. at 102-05.) 22 In June 2024 after receiving this denial, Petitioner wrote a letter to the LASC 23 disagreeing with their denial. He disputed that he had “bargained” with the trial 24 court over his sentence. (Id. at 96.) He disagreed that his conviction was for a 25 violent felony because it “was not a home invasion case.” (Id.) He also noted that 26 the prosecutor had offered a different deal that involved imposition of the midterm 27 rather than the high term, although without striking priors. (Id.) 28 Next, on June 30, 2024, Petitioner constructively filed a habeas petition in 1 California Court of Appeal case no. B339081. (Id. at 79 (signed on June 30, 2 2024).) It raised two claims: Claim One for “illegal sentence” stated, “Petitioner is 3 serving an illegal sentence double enhanced to 85% …” (id. at 76) and Claim Two 4 for Concurrent/Coterminous Sentencing stated, “Petitioner has not received ‘all’ 5 time served/good time/work time credits ….” (Id. at 78).

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Tony Scott Grantham v. The People Of The State Of California, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tony-scott-grantham-v-the-people-of-the-state-of-california-cacd-2025.