HERBERT LEE HATHCOCK, JR., APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Hathcock appealed the denial of his second Rule 3.850 post-conviction relief motion. The court affirmed the denial but only on the ground that Hathcock failed to allege that his different grounds for relief were unknown or unavailable at the time of his initial motion, and remanded with permission to refile in compliance with Rule 3.850.
The court affirmed the denial of the motion, but only on the ground that Hathcock failed to allege that his asserted grounds were not known and could not have been known at the time of his initial motion. The court found that merely seeking the same relief in successive motions does not constitute a basis for denial; rather, the dispositive fact is whether different grounds are alleged and whether those grounds were known or could have been known to the movant.
[1] A motion for post-conviction relief must be filed under oath, and a verification stating allegations are true "to the best of his knowledge" does not satisfy this require…
[2] A second or successive motion for post-conviction relief may be dismissed if it fails to allege new or different grounds for relief and the prior determination was on the…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“A second or successive motion may be dismissed if the judge finds that it fails to allege new or different grounds for relief and the prior determination was on the merits or, if new and different grounds are alleged, the judge finds that the failure of the movant or his attorney to assert those grounds in a prior motion constituted an abuse of the procedure governed by these rules.”
Establishes the legal standard for dismissing successive Rule 3.850 motions and what dispositive facts the trial court must consider.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceHathcock filed a second motion for post-conviction relief under Florida Rule 3.850. The trial court denied the motion on two grounds: (1) the motion w…
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PER CURIAM.
We withdraw our opinion of February 18, 1987 and substitute the following:
This is an appeal from an order denying appellant’s second motion for post-conviction relief filed pursuant to Rule 3.850, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure. The trial court stated two grounds for denial of appellant’s motion, first that appellant failed to file his motion under oath as required by Rule 3.850 and second, that the motion seeks the same relief as that previously sought by appellant.
In Scott v. State, 464 So. 2d 1171 (Fla.1985) the supreme court held that a verification containing qualifying language that “the allegations and statements contained therein are true and correct to the best of his knowledge,” does not constitute an oath as contemplated by Rule 3.850. The supreme court said:
Using this qualifying language, a defendant could file a motion for post-conviction relief based upon a false allegation of fact without fear of conviction for perjury. If the allegation proved to be false, the defendant would be able to simply respond that his verification of the false allegation had been “to the best of his knowledge” and that he did not know that the allegation was false. We require more than that.
Id. at 1172.1
However, we find no support for the trial court’s denial of the motion sub judice because appellant sought the same relief as that previously sought. Rule 3.850 provides:
A second or successive motion may be dismissed if the judge finds that it fails to allege new or different grounds for relief and the prior determination was on the merits or, if new and different grounds are alleged, the judge finds that the failure of the movant or his attorney to assert those grounds in a prior motion constituted an abuse of the procedure governed by these rules. [Emphasis added]
The fact that appellant seeks the same relief in both motions does not constitute a basis for denial. The rule states that whether appellant asserts the same grounds stated for the relief in successive motions and whether these grounds were known or could have been known is the dispositive fact. We have reviewed appellant’s motions for post-conviction relief and find that appellant has asserted different grounds in the motion sub judice from those asserted in his earlier motion. However he has failed to allege that the grounds were not known and could not have been known to him at the time of the initial motion.
Therefore we affirm the order denying appellant’s motion for post-conviction relief without comment as to the merit or lack of merit in the grounds set forth therein and without prejudice to appellant to refile the motion in accordance with Rule 3.850 as amended.
AFFIRMED.
ANSTEAD, GLICKSTEIN and DELL, JJ., concur. . The form adopted by the supreme court for filing a motion for post-conviction relief contains the following language under oath:
Before me, the undersigned authority, this day personally appeared_, who being first duly sworn, says that he is the Defendant in the above-styled cause, that he has read the foregoing Motion for Post-Conviction Relief and has personal knowledge of the facts and matters therein set forth and alleged; and that each and all of these facts and matters are true and correct.
Signature
Scott v. State, 464 So. 2d at 1172.
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Cited By
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Sapp v. State, 521 So. 2d 339 (Fla. 4th DCA 1988)…PER CURIAM. AFFIRMED. Christopher v. State, 489 So. 2d 22 (Fla.1986); Witt v. State, 465 So. 2d 510 (Fla.1985); Hathcock v. State, 505 So. 2d 649 (Fla. 4th DCA 1987). LETTS, WALDEN and STONE, JJ., concur.…
Authorities Cited
- Scott v. State, 464 So. 2d 1171 (Fla. 1985)