Sean Shumaker v. State of Indiana

Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
this Memorandum Decision shall not be FILED
regarded as precedent or cited before Jul 25 2012, 8:22 am
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APPELLANT PRO SE: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE:
SEAN SHUMAKER GREGORY F. ZOELLER
Indiana State Prison Attorney General of Indiana
Michigan City, Indiana
ELLEN H. MEILAENDER
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
SEAN SHUMAKER, )
)
Appellant-Petitioner, )
)
vs. ) No. 43A03-1203-CR-133
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee-Respondent. )
APPEAL FROM THE KOSCIUSKO SUPERIOR COURT
The Honorable Duane G. Huffer, Judge
Cause No. 43D01-0712-FB-400
July 25, 2012
MEMORANDUM DECISION - NOT FOR PUBLICATION
BRADFORD, Judge
Appellant-Petitioner Sean Shumaker appeals following the post-conviction court’s
denial of his petition for post-conviction relief (“PCR”). Shumaker raises numerous issues,
which we restate as whether the trial court abused its discretion (1) in denying Shumaker’s
motion for default judgment and allowing the State to file a belated answer to his PCR
petition; and (2) in summarily denying his PCR petition without providing him with a
hearing. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
On December 7, 2007, the State charged Shumaker with three counts of burglary and
two counts of theft. In June of 2008, Shumaker pled guilty to three counts of Class B felony
burglary. In exchange for Shumaker’s plea, it appears that the State agreed to a fixed term of
imprisonment and that the remaining theft charges be dismissed. The trial court accepted
Shumaker’s plea and imposed consecutive six-year sentences on each count, with the final
six years suspended to probation.
On December 20, 2011, Shumaker filed a PCR petition. In his petition, Shumaker
alleged that his guilty plea in the underlying matter was unknowing and involuntary.
Shumaker also claimed that his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance. Specifically,
Shumaker argued that his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance because counsel (1)
failed to move to suppress his confession to police following his arrest where he allegedly
was not read his Miranda1 rights prior to questioning; and (2) failed to request a competency
evaluation despite the fact that counsel knew that he had been prescribed a new psychotropic
1
See Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).
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medication and had been diagnosed as bi-polar.
Shumaker filed a motion for default judgment on February 14, 2012, arguing that he
was entitled to default judgment because the State failed to respond to his PCR petition
within thirty days as prescribed by Indiana Post-Conviction Rule 1(4)(a). On February 21,
2012, the State requested permission to file a belated answer to Shumaker’s PCR petition.
That same day, the post-conviction court granted the State’s request and the State filed its
belated answer. On February 22, 2012, the post-conviction court summarily denied
Shumaker’s PCR petition. Shumaker filed a motion to correct error on March 2, 2012, which
was denied by the post-conviction court that same day. This appeal follows.
DISCUSSION AND DECISION
Shumaker contends that the post-conviction court abused its discretion in denying his
motion for default judgment and allowing the State to file a belated answer to his PCR
petition, and in summarily denying his PCR petition without providing him with a hearing.
The State, for its part, argues that the post-conviction court acted within its discretion in
denying Shumaker’s motion for default judgment and allowing it to file a belated answer to
Shumaker’s PCR petition, but concedes that the court erred in disposing of Shumaker’s
claims on PCR in a summary fashion.
I. Whether the Post-Conviction Court Abused its Discretion in Denying
Shumaker’s Motion for Default Judgment and Permitting the
State to File a Belated Answer to Shumaker’s PCR Petition
Shumaker claims that the post-conviction court abused its discretion in denying his
motion for default judgment and permitting the State to file a belated answer to his PCR
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petition. Granting a default judgment is within the discretion of the post-conviction court
and is reviewable only for abuse of that discretion. Kindred v. State, 514 N.E.2d 314, 316
(Ind. Ct. App. 1987) (citing Likens v. State, 177 Ind. App. 101, 103, 378 N.E.2d 24, 26
(1978)), trans. denied. An abuse of discretion occurs when the decision is clearly against the
logic and effect of the facts and circumstances before the court, or the reasonable, probable,
and actual deductions to be drawn therefrom. Southern v. State, 878 N.E.2d 315, 323 (Ind.
Ct. App. 2007), trans. denied. Thus, we will reverse only if the trial court’s decision is
clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances. Delphi Corp. v. Orlik, 831
N.E.2d 265, 267 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005).
Indiana Post-Conviction Rule 1(4)(a) provides, in relevant part, as follows:
Within thirty (30) days after the filing of the petition, or within any further
reasonable time the court may fix, the [S]tate … shall respond by answer
stating the reasons, if any, why the relief prayed for should not be granted.
The court may make appropriate orders for amendment of the petition or
answer, for filing further pleadings or motions, or for extending the time of the
filing of any pleading.
(Emphasis added). By its clear language, this rule grants the post-conviction court the
discretion to extend the time of the filing of any pleading.
In Likens, it was discovered during the course of the post-conviction hearing that the
State had failed to file an answer to the petitioner’s PCR petition. 177 Ind. App. at 103, 378
N.E.2d at 26. Thereupon, the State requested permission to file an answer in denial, either
orally or in writing. Id., 378 N.E.2d at 26. The petitioner, on the other hand, moved for
default and for summary disposition. Id., 378 N.E.2d at 26. The post-conviction court
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permitted the State to orally deny the petition, precluded it from asserting any new matters,
and denied the petitioner’s motions. Id., 378 N.E.2d at 26. On appeal, this court affirmed,
concluding that the petitioner had failed to demonstrate an abuse of discretion because the
petitioner did not show prejudice or assert any surprise from the State’s position or the
evidence produced. Id., 378 N.E.2d at 26.
Likewise, in Murphy v. State, 477 N.E.2d 266, 270 (Ind. 1985), the Indiana Supreme
Court held that the post-conviction court acted within its discretion in allowing the State to
file a belated answer to a petitioner’s PCR petition. In Murphy, the record indicated that the
State’s answer was filed more than seventy days after the petition, but was filed
approximately a month before the hearing on the petitioner’s PCR petition. 477 N.E.2d at
270. The petitioner’s post-conviction counsel unsuccessfully moved to strike the State’s
untimely response at the beginning of the post-conviction hearing. Id. Upon review, the
Indiana Supreme Court determined that the post-conviction court acted within its discretion
because the post-conviction rules expressly provide the court with the discretion to extend the
time for filing any pleading. Id. Moreover, it was clear from the record that there was no
surprise to the petitioner due to late filing of the State’s answer, and the State adequately
explained the reason for the delay to the court. Id.
Here, Shumaker filed his PCR petition on December 20, 2011, and his motion for
default judgment on February 14, 2012. On February 21, 2012, the State requested
permission to file a belated answer to Shumaker’s PCR petition. In requesting permission to
file a belated answer to Shumaker’s PCR petition, the State argued that Shumaker would not
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be prejudiced by the State’s belated filing as nothing within the answer whould be a surprise
to Shumaker. The post-conviction court permitted the State to file its belated answer to
Shumaker’s PCR petition and denied Shumaker’s motion for default judgment.
In its belated answer, the State did not assert any affirmative defenses or new claims
that would require a response from Shumaker, but rather denied the material allegations
levied in Shumaker’s PCR petition. Shumaker has failed to demonstrate on appeal how he
was prejudiced, if at all, by the post-conviction court’s decision to allow the State to file its
belated answer approximately one month after the original thirty-day time period prescribed
by Post-Conviction Rule 1(4)(a) had passed. While the State did not provide any explanation
for why its answer was not timely filed, a valid explanation for the delay is not a prerequisite
to allowing a late filing. See Likens, 177 Ind. App. at 103-04, 378 N.E.2d at 26 (finding no
abuse of discretion even though the only explanation for the delay was that the State did not
realize that it had not filed an answer until the day of the post-conviction hearing). Upon
review of the circumstances presented in the instant matter and in light of Likens and
Murphy, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in allowing the State to file a
belated answer to Shumaker’s PCR petition or in denying Shumaker’s motion for default
judgment.
II. Whether the Post-Conviction Court Abused its Discretion in
Summarily Denying Shumaker’s PCR Petition
Shumaker also claims that the post-conviction court abused its discretion in summarily
denying his PCR petition.
A petition for post-conviction relief may be summarily denied if the pleadings
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and the record conclusively demonstrate that there is no genuine issue of
material fact and the petitioner is not entitled to relief. Howard v. State, 576
N.E.2d 1253, 1254 (Ind. 1991) (citing P-C. R. 1(4)(g)). “An evidentiary
hearing is not necessary when the pleadings show only issues of law; [t]he
need for a hearing is not avoided, however, when a determination of the issues
hinges, in whole or in part, upon facts not resolved.” Godby v. State, 809
N.E.2d 480, 482 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004). Thus, a hearing is still needed even if
the petitioner’s chance of establishing his claim is remote. Gann v. State, 550
N.E.2d 803, 804 (Ind. Ct. App. 1990).
Kuhn v. State, 901 N.E.2d 10, 13 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009).
It is well-established that claims of ineffective assistance of counsel generally raise
issues of material fact and render summary disposition improper. See id.; Truitt v. State, 853
N.E.2d 504, 507-08 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006); Evolga v. State, 722 N.E.2d 370, 373 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2000). Here, the State acknowledges that summary disposition was improper and that
the trial court abused its discretion in summarily denying Shumaker’s PCR petition because
Shumaker raised specific allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel and the State raised
only a general denial of those claims, thus creating issues of material fact. Shumaker was
entitled to an opportunity to present evidence to support his claims. As such, we reverse the
summary denial of Shumaker’s PCR petition and remand to the trial court for further
proceedings consistent with this opinion.
The judgment of the post-conviction court is affirmed in part, reversed in part, and
remanded with instructions.
VAIDIK, J., and CRONE, J., concur.
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