Michael Fries v. Ms. K. D. Harris et al
Filing
4
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE by Magistrate Judge Douglas F. McCormick.Because it appears from the face of the Petition that Petittioner's claims may be time-barred, IT THEREFORE IS ORDERED that, on or before October 21, 2016, Petitioner show cause in w riting as to why the Court should not recommend that this action be summarily dismissed with prejudice on the ground of untimeliness. Petitioner is specifically ordered to identify whether he is arguing that a later trigger date should apply und er 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(B), (C), or (D), and all facts that support such an argument. Petitioner is also ordered to identify any period for which statutory or equitable tolling is claimed, and all facts to support any such claim. (see document for details). (dro)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
9
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
10
SOUTHERN DIVISION
11
MICHAEL FRIES,
Petitioner,
12
v.
13
14
K.D. HARRIS et al.,
15
Respondents.
16
) No. SA CV 16-01687-R (DFM)
)
)
) ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
17
18
A.
Background
19
On September 12, 2016, Petitioner initiated this action by filing a
20
Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus by a Person in State Custody in this Court.
21
Dkt. 1 (“Petition”). The Petition seeks to challenge Petitioner’s 1996
22
conviction in Orange County Superior Court. Id. at 2.1 Petitioner is presently
23
serving the 96 years to life sentence imposed in that case. Id.
24
///
25
///
26
27
28
1
All citations to the Petition are to the CM/ECF pagination.
1
B.
The Petition Is Facially Untimely
2
Under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
3
(“AEDPA”), a one-year limitations period applies to a federal petition for writ
4
of habeas corpus filed by a person in state custody. See 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1).
5
The limitations period runs from the latest of four alternative accrual dates. See
6
28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A)-(D). In most cases, the limitation period begins
7
running from “the date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion
8
of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such review.” 28
9
U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A).
The California Supreme Court denied Petitioner’s petition for review on
10
11
July 22, 1998. See Petition, App’x D at 9. Petitioner does not appear to have
12
filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the Supreme Court. Therefore, his
13
conviction became final 90 days later, on October 20, 1998. See Bowen v. Roe,
14
188 F.3d 1157, 1158-59 (9th Cir. 1999). If the Court assumes that date is the
15
date Petitioner’s limitation period began to run, Petitioner then had one year
16
from the date his judgment became final, or until October 21, 1999, to timely
17
file a habeas corpus petition in this Court. See Patterson v. Stewart, 251 F.3d
18
1243, 1247 (9th Cir. 2001). However, Petitioner did not file the instant action
19
until September 12, 2016, almost 17 years too late.
20
C.
Possible Later Trigger Dates
21
1.
22
AEDPA provides that its one-year limitations period shall run from “the
State Impediment
23
date on which the impediment of filing an application created by state action
24
in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States is removed, if the
25
applicant was prevented from filing by such state action.” 28 U.S.C. §
26
2244(d)(1)(B).
27
2.
28
AEDPA provides that, if a claim is based upon a constitutional right that
Newly Recognized Constitutional Right
2
1
is newly recognized and applied retroactively to habeas cases by the United
2
States Supreme Court, the one-year limitations period begins to run on the date
3
which the new right was initially recognized by the United States Supreme
4
Court. 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(C). It does not appear that any of the claims
5
alleged in the Petition is based on a federal constitutional right that was
6
initially recognized by the United States Supreme Court after the date his
7
conviction became final and that has been made retroactively applicable to
8
cases on collateral review.
9
3.
Discovery of Factual Predicate
Under 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(D), the statute of limitations begins to run
10
11
when the “factual predicate” of Petitioner’s claims “could have been
12
discovered through the exercise of due diligence.” Id. The term “factual
13
predicate” refers to the facts underlying the claim, not the legal significance of
14
those facts. Hasan v. Galaza, 254 F.3d 1150, 1154 n. 3 (9th Cir. 2001) (“This is
15
not to say that [Petitioner] needed to understand the legal significance of those
16
facts--rather than simply the facts themselves--before the due diligence (and
17
hence the limitations) clock started ticking.”); accord Summers v. Patrick, 535
18
F. Supp. 2d 995, 998 (C.D. Cal. 2008) (“Under § 2244(d)(1)(D), AEDPA’s
19
statute of limitations commences when a petitioner knows, or through the
20
exercise of due diligence could discover, the factual predicate of her claims, not
21
when a petitioner learns the legal significance of those facts.”).
22
D.
23
Statutory Tolling
Under AEDPA, “[t]he time during which a properly filed application for
24
State post-conviction or other collateral review with respect to the pertinent
25
judgment or claim is pending shall not be counted toward any period of
26
limitation under this subsection.” 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2). The entire period of
27
time for a full round of collateral review, from the filing of a first state habeas
28
petition to the time the last state habeas petition is denied, may be deemed
3
1
“pending” and tolled, so long as the state petitioner proceeds in a hierarchical
2
order from one lower state court to a higher state court. See Carey v. Saffold,
3
536 U.S. 214, 223 (2002). This includes so-called “gap tolling” for the periods
4
of time between such state habeas petitions. See id.
5
E.
6
Equitable Tolling
In Holland v. Florida, 560 U.S. 631, 649 (2010), the Supreme Court held
7
that AEDPA’s one-year limitation period is subject to equitable tolling in
8
appropriate cases. However, in order to be entitled to equitable tolling, the
9
petitioner must show both “(1) that he has been pursuing his rights diligently,
10
and (2) that some extraordinary circumstance stood in his way” and prevented
11
his timely filing. Id. at 649 (quoting Pace v. DiGuglielmo, 544 U.S. 408, 418
12
(2005)). The Ninth Circuit has held that the Pace standard is consistent with
13
the Ninth Circuit’s “sparing application of the doctrine of equitable tolling.”
14
Waldron-Ramsey v. Pacholke, 556 F.3d 1008, 1011 (9th Cir. 2009). Thus,
15
“[t]he petitioner must show that ‘the extraordinary circumstances were the
16
cause of his untimeliness and that the extraordinary circumstances made it
17
impossible to file a petition on time.’” Porter v. Ollison, 620 F.3d 952, 959 (9th
18
Cir. 2010) (quoting Ramirez v. Yates, 571 F.3d 993, 997 (2009)). “Indeed, the
19
threshold necessary to trigger equitable tolling [under AEDPA] is very high,
20
lest the exceptions swallow the rule.” Miranda v. Castro, 292 F.3d 1063, 1066
21
(9th Cir. 2002) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).
22
Consequently, as the Ninth Circuit has recognized, equitable tolling will
23
be justified in few cases. Spitsyn v. Moore, 345 F.3d 796, 799 (9th Cir. 2003);
24
see also Waldron-Ramsey, 556 F.3d at 1011 (“To apply the doctrine in
25
‘extraordinary circumstances’ necessarily suggests the doctrine’s rarity, and the
26
requirement that extraordinary circumstances ‘stood in his way’ suggests that
27
an external force must cause the untimeliness, rather than, as we have said,
28
merely ‘oversight, miscalculation or negligence on [the petitioner’s] part, all of
4
1
which would preclude the application of equitable tolling.’” (quoting Harris v.
2
Carter, 515 F.3d 1051, 1054-55 (9th Cir. 2008))).
3
F.
4
Conclusion
This Court has the authority to raise the statute of limitations issue sua
5
sponte when untimeliness is obvious on the face of the petition and to
6
summarily dismiss a petition on that ground pursuant to Rule 4 of the Rules
7
Governing Section 2254 Cases in the United States District Courts, so long as
8
the court “provides the petitioner with adequate notice and an opportunity to
9
respond.” See Nardi v. Stewart, 354 F.3d 1134, 1141 (9th Cir. 2004); Herbst v.
10
11
Cook, 260 F.3d 1039, 1042-43 (9th Cir. 2001).
Because it appears from the face of the Petition that Petittioner’s claims
12
may be time-barred, IT THEREFORE IS ORDERED that, on or before
13
October 21, 2016, Petitioner show cause in writing as to why the Court should
14
not recommend that this action be summarily dismissed with prejudice on the
15
ground of untimeliness. Petitioner is specifically ordered to identify whether he
16
is arguing that a later trigger date should apply under 28 U.S.C. §
17
2244(d)(1)(B), (C), or (D), and all facts that support such an argument.
18
Petitioner is also ordered to identify any period for which statutory or equitable
19
tolling is claimed, and all facts to support any such claim.
20
21
Dated: September 19, 2016
______________________________
DOUGLAS F. McCORMICK
United States Magistrate Judge
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
5
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?