State v. Albert Holston

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
AT JACKSON
JUNE SESSION, 1997
ALBERT HOLSTON, ) C.C.A. NO. 02C01-9609-CR-00298
)
Appellant, )
)
VS.
)
)
SHELBY COUNTY
FILED
) HON. W. FRED AXLEY
STATE OF TENNESSEE, ) JUDGE July 28, 1997
)
Cecil Crowson, Jr.
Appellee. ) (Post-Conviction) Appellate C ourt Clerk
ON APPEAL FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THE
CRIMINAL COURT OF SHELBY COUNTY
FOR THE APPELLANT: FOR THE APPELLEE:
W AYNE CHASTAIN JOHN KNOX W ALKUP
66 Monroe, Suite 804 Attorney General and Reporter
Memphis, TN 38103
KENNETH W . RUCKER
Assistant Attorney General
450 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-4351
JOHN W. PIEROTTI
District Attorney General
JOHNNY MCFARLAND
Assistant District Attorney General
Criminal Justice Complex, Suite 301
201 Poplar Street
Memphis, TN 38103
OPINION FILED ________________________
AFFIRMED
DAVID H. WELLES, JUDGE
OPINION
The Petitioner, Albert Holston, appeals as of right pursuant to Rule 3 of the
Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure from the trial court’s denial of his
petition for post-conviction relief. He filed a petition for post-conviction relief on
July 12, 1996. On July 30, 1996, the trial court dismissed the petition without
conducting an evidentiary hearing, finding that it was barred by the statute of
limitations.1 W e affirm the judgment of the trial court.
On April 30, 1992, the Petitioner was convicted by a Shelby County jury of
aggravated rape and was sentenced to eighteen years imprisonment. A panel
of this Court affirmed his conviction on Septem ber 15, 1993. See State v. Albert
B. Holston, C.C.A. No. 02C01-9210-CR-00247, Shelby County (Tenn. Crim.
App., Jackson, Sept. 15, 1993). It appears from the record that the Petitioner did
not seek perm ission to appeal to our supreme court.
On July 12, 1996, the Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief
which is the subject of the case sub judice. In the petition, he argued that his trial
counsel rendered ineffective assistance both prior to trial and at trial. He also
argued that the trial court’s intimidating demeanor contributed to his counsel’s
deficient representation, thereby violating his due process rights. The trial court
found that the petition was barred by the statute of limitations and dismissed it
without conducting an evidentiary hearing. It is from the trial court’s order of
1
See Tenn . Code A nn. §§ 40-30-2 02 and -20 6(b) (Supp. 199 6).
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dismissal that the Petitioner appeals, raising the following four issues for our
consideration:
1) That the trial court erred in finding that his petition for post-
conviction relief was barred by the statute of limitations;
2) that the one-year statute of limitations violates due process;
3) that the one-year statute of limitations violates the Tennessee
Constitution’s prohibition against the retrospective impairment of
contractual obligations; and,
4) that the new Post-Conviction Procedure Act’s provision
eliminating tolling of the statute of limitations is in contravention of
Tennessee case law and violates due process.
The Petitioner first contends that the trial court erred in finding that his
petition for post-conviction relief was barred by the statute of limitations. At the
time the Petitioner’s convictions became final, the statute of limitations applicable
to post-conviction proceedings was three years. Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-102
(repealed 1995). The three-year statute of limitations was subsequently
shortened to one year by the new Post-Conviction Procedure Act, which took
effect on May 10, 1995. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-201 et seq. (Supp. 1996).
At the time the new Act took effect, the previous three-year statute of limitations
had not expired for the Petitioner.
Of course, the new Post-Conviction Procedure Act governs this petition
and all petitions filed after May 10, 1995. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-201 et
seq. (Supp. 1996). This Act provides, in pertinent part, that “notwithstanding any
other provision of this part to the contrary, any person having ground for relief
recognized under this part shall have at least one (1) year from May 10, 1995, to
file a petition or a motion to reopen a petition under this part.” Compiler’s Notes
to Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-201 (Supp. 1996) (referring to Acts 1995, ch. 207,
§ 3). Because the previous three-year statute of limitations had not expired for
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the Petitioner at the time the new Act took effect, his right to petition for post-
conviction relief survived under the new Act. See Betsy Jane Pendergrast v.
State, C.C.A. No. 01C01-9607-CC-00289, Rutherford County (Tenn. Crim. App.,
Nashville, May 16, 1997); cf. Doyle Carter v. State, C.C.A. No. 01C01-9511-CC-
00398, Davidson County (Tenn. Crim. App., Nashville, Feb. 12, 1997); Eric C.
Pendleton v. State, C.C.A. No. 01C01-9604-CR-00158, Davidson County (Tenn.
Crim. App., Nashville, Feb. 12, 1997); W allace Butler v. Ricky Bell, Warden,
C.C.A. No. 02C01-9510-CC-00297, Fayette County (Tenn. Crim. App., Jackson,
Nov. 19, 1996); Johnny L. Butler v. State, C.C.A. No. 02C01-9509-CR-00289,
Shelby County (Tenn. Crim. App., Jackson, Dec. 2, 1996).
As a result, the Petitioner had one year from the effective date of the new
Act, May 10, 1995, to file for post-conviction relief. See Compiler’s Notes to
Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-201 (Supp. 1996) (referring to Acts 1995, ch. 207, § 3);
Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-202(a) (Supp. 1996). He filed his petition for post-
conviction relief on July 12, 1996, a few weeks after the expiration of the one-year
period. The Petitioner has not alleged that his claims fit within one of the
enumerated exceptions to the one-year statute of limitations. See Tenn. Code
Ann. § 40-30-202(b),(c) (Supp. 1996). Accordingly, we conclude that the trial
court correctly found that the petition was barred by the statute of limitations.2
As his second issue, the Petitioner argues in the alternative that if the trial
court correctly dismissed the petition as having been time-barred, the new Act’s
2
The Petitioner also argues that the trial court erred in failing to enter a preliminary order and
to direc t the district attorn ey gen eral to resp ond to the petition. See Te nn. C ode Ann . §§ 40-30 -207 , -
208. Because the petition clearly shows that it was filed after the expiration of the one-year statute of
lim itations, we be lieve that the trial court properly dism issed the petition upon preliminary
con sideration. See Tenn . Code A nn. § 40-30-20 6(b).
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one-year statute of limitations violates due process guarantees. See U.S. Const.
amend. XIV, § 1; Tenn. Const. art. I, § 8. The State, on the other hand, argues
that it was within the legislature’s power to enact the one-year statute of
limitations and that the statute does not violate due process because it provides
a reasonable period of time in which post-conviction claims can be asserted.
It is well-established that the identification of the precise dictates of due
process requires consideration of both the governmental interests involved and
the private interests affected by the official action. Burford v. State, 845 S.W.2d
204, 207 (Tenn. 1992) (citing Fusari v. Steinberg, 419 U.S. 379, 389, 95 S. Ct.
533, 539, 42 L. Ed. 2d 521, 529 (1975)). With regard to post-conviction
proceedings, the private interest at stake is a prisoner’s opportunity to attack his
or her conviction and incarceration on the grounds that he or she was deprived
of a constitutional right during the conviction process. Id. The governmental
interest represented by the statute of limitations is the prevention of the litigation
of stale and groundless claims, with the accom panying cost. Id.
Furthermore, although freedom from bodily restraint and punishment by the
State without due process of law is a fundamental right, it is clear that states have
no constitutional duty to provide post-conviction relief procedures. Id. (citations
omitted). Thus, as our supreme court held in Burford, the opportunity to
collaterally assert constitutional violations which occurred during the conviction
process is not a fundamental right entitled to heightened due process protection.
Id.
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It is also clear that the State has a legitimate interest in preventing the
litigation of stale or fraudulent claims. Id. at 208 (citing Jimenez v. W einberger,
417 U.S. 628, 636, 94 S. Ct. 2496, 2501, 41 L. Ed. 2d 363, 370 (1974)). The State
may therefore erect reasonable procedural requirements for triggering the right
to an adjudication, such as statutes of limitations, and may terminate a claim for
failure to comply with a reasonable procedural rule without violating due process
rights. Id. (citing Logan v. Zimmerman Brush Co., 455 U.S. 422, 437, 102 S. Ct.
1148, 1158, 71 L. Ed. 2d 265, 279 (1982)). Before a state may terminate a claim
for failure to comply with procedural requirements such as statutes of limitations,
however, due process requires that potential litigants be provided an opportunity
for the presentation of claims at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner.
Id.
As was the case in Burford, when our supreme court considered the
constitutionality of the three-year statute of limitations, the question before us is
“whether the State’s policy reflected in the statute affords a fair and reasonable
opportunity for ... bringing ... suit.” Id. (quoting Pickett v. Brown, 638 S.W .2d 369,
376 (Tenn. 1982), rev’d on equal protection grounds, 462 U.S. 1, 103 S. Ct. 2199,
76 L. Ed. 2d 372 (1983)). The test is whether the time period provides a petitioner
a reasonable opportunity to have the claimed issue heard and determined. Id.
(citing Michel v. Louisiana, 350 U.S. 91, 93, 76 S. Ct. 158, 160, 100 L. Ed. 2d 83,
89 (1955)). Having considered the private and governmental interests at stake,
we conclude that the one-year statute of limitations contained in Tennessee Code
Annotated section 40-30-202 provides a reasonable opportunity for the
presentation of post-conviction claims. Cf. Burford, 845 S.W .2d at 208.
Accordingly, we believe that the one-year statute of limitations on petitions for
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post-conviction relief does not violate the due process guarantees of the United
States and Tennessee Constitutions.
Moreover, we do not believe that the application of the one-year statute of
limitations in the present case violated this Petitioner’s due process rights. As we
stated above, the Petitioner’s conviction became final on September 15, 1993.
At that time, the previous three-year statute of limitations applied to the Petitioner,
meaning that he would ordinarily have had until September 15, 1996 to file for
post-conviction relief. The new Post-Conviction Procedure Act took effect on May
10, 1995, and governed all petitions filed after that date, including the Petitioner’s,
which was filed on July 12, 1996. The new Act had the effect of shortening the
statutory period applicable to the Petitioner from September of 1996 to May of
1996. The Petitioner’s claims regarding his trial counsel’s representation and the
trial court’s demeanor were readily apparent as of the conclusion of his trial and
direct appeal. We can only conclude that the application of the one-year statute
of limitations did not violate the Petitioner’s due process rights. The Petitioner’s
second issue therefore lacks merit.
As his third issue, the Petitioner contends that the one-year statute of
limitations impairs contractual obligations in violation Article I, section 20 of the
Tennessee Constitution. That constitutional provision provides that “no
retrospective law, or law impairing the obligations of contracts, shall be made.”
Tenn. Const. art. I, § 20. The provision has been interpreted to mean that “no
retrospective law which impairs the obligation of contracts, or any other law which
impairs their obligation, shall be m ade.” Hamilton County v. Gerlach, 176 Tenn.
288, 140 S.W .2d 1084, 1085 (1940) (citations omitted). The Petitioner claims
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that the passage of a law constitutes “a contract between the Legislature and its
constituency.” He asserts that the passage of the previous three-year statute of
limitations on petitions for post-conviction relief3 conferred on prisoners the right
to challenge their convictions within a three-year period. The Petitioner argues
that the subsequent passage of the new Post-Conviction Procedure Act with its
one-year statute of limitations, thereby curtailing the previous three-year period,
was tantamount to an impairment of a contract.
In our view, the Petitioner is once again arguing that the one-year statute
of limitations does not provide sufficient time in which to file for post-conviction
relief. As we explained during our discussion of the second issue on appeal, we
believe that the one-year statute of limitations does provide a reasonable time
period for the filing of post-conviction petitions. Furthermore, although the new
Act shortens the previous statute of limitations, it does provide those prisoners
who were still within the prior three-year statutory period, such as the Petitioner
in the case at bar, a reasonable opportunity to file for post-conviction relief after
the effective date of the new one-year statutory period. See Compiler’s Notes to
Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-201 (Supp. 1996) (referring to Acts 1995, ch. 207, § 3);
cf. Pacific Eastern Corp. v. Gulf Lite Holding Co., 902 S.W .2d 946, 956 (Tenn.
App. 1995) (citations omitted). Accordingly, this issue lacks merit.
The Petitioner’s fourth and final contention on appeal is another challenge
to the constitutionality of the new Post-Conviction Procedure Act. The Petitioner
focuses on language in the new Act which provides that the one-year “statute of
limitations shall not be tolled for any reason, including any tolling or saving
3
See Tenn . Code A nn. § 40-30-10 2 (repealed 199 5).
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provision otherwise available at law or equity.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-202(a)
(Supp. 1996). He argues that the elimination of tolling in the new Act is in direct
contravention of a decision rendered by our supreme court, W atkins v. State, 903
S.W .2d 302 (Tenn. 1995), and is therefore violative of due process.
In W atkins, our supreme court held that the tolling provision codified at
Tennessee Code Annotated section 28-1-106 was applicable to post-conviction
proceedings governed by the previous Post-Conviction Procedure Act. See
W atkins, 903 S.W .2d at 305; T enn. Code Ann. § 40-30-101 et seq. (repealed
1995). That tolling provision reads as follows:
Persons under disability on accrual of right. -- If the
person entitled to commence an action is, at the time the cause of
action accrued, either within the age of eighteen (18) years, or of
unsound mind, such person, or his representatives and privies, as
the case may be, may commence the action, after the removal of
such disability, within the time of limitation for the particular cause
of action, unless it exceed three (3) years, and in that case within
three (3) years from the removal of such disability.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-106 (1980). W atkins involved a petitioner who was
mentally incompetent for a period of time during the running of the previous
three-year statute of limitations on post-conviction petitions. W atkins, 903
S.W.2d at 303. A panel of this Court has applied the W atkins reasoning to a
case involving a petitioner who filed for post-conviction relief more than three
years after his conviction had become final but within three years of his turning
eighteen years of age, holding that the previous three-year statute of limitations
was tolled while the petitioner was a minor. State v. David W ayne Britt, C.C.A.
No. 02C01-9410-CC-00234, Hardeman County (Tenn. Crim. App., Jackson, July
26, 1995).
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For purposes of the case sub judice, even if we were to conclude that the
language of Tennessee Code Annotated section 40-30-202(a) eliminated the
tolling provision codified at Tennessee Code Annotated section 28-1-106 and that
the elimination of the tolling provision violated due process guarantees, we do not
believe that the Petitioner would be entitled to seek post-conviction relief. The
Petitioner does not allege that he was a minor or mentally incompetent during the
running of the one-year statute of limitations applicable to his case. Furthermore,
the new Post-Conviction Procedure Act does contain a severability clause. 1995
Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 207, § 2. As a result, if we concluded that the elimination of
the tolling provision was unconstitutional, the otherwise constitutional one-year
statute of limitations could apparently be given effect without that language and
would, therefore, continue to apply to the Petitioner. Because the Petitioner has
not alleged that he was a minor or mentally incompetent during the running of the
statute of limitations, the tolling provision codified at Tennessee Code Annotated
section 28-1-106 has no application in the present case and would not alter the
statutory period for the Petitioner. Accordingly, we can only conclude that the
fourth contention is without merit.
For the reasons set forth in the discussion above, we conclude that the trial
court did not err in dismissing the petition for post-conviction relief. We also
conclude that the Petitioner’s challenges to the constitutionality of the one-year
statute of limitations on petitions for post-conviction relief lack merit. The
judgment of the trial court is therefore affirmed.
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____________________________________
DAVID H. WELLES, JUDGE
CONCUR:
___________________________________
PAUL G. SUMMERS, JUDGE
___________________________________
JOE G. RILEY, JUDGE
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