JAMES EDWARD YORK, JR., PETITIONER,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
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York petitioned for relief claiming his appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to argue that a jury instruction on justifiable use of force constituted fundamental error during his trial for aggravated battery and shooting into a vehicle. The court agreed that appellate counsel was ineffective and granted York a belated appeal on this issue.
The court held that appellate counsel was ineffective in neglecting to raise the fundamental error issue regarding the justifiable use of force instruction. The trial court erred in instructing the jury that force could not be justified if the defendant was attempting to commit or committing aggravated battery when that was the charged crime.
[1] Appellate counsel renders ineffective assistance by failing to argue on direct appeal that a jury instruction on the justifiable use of deadly force constitutes fundament…
[2] A jury instruction stating that the use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is not justifiable if the defendant was attempting to commit, committing, or e…
Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“the jury was advised that the very action that York was attempting to justify as self-defense, shooting the victim, could not be considered self-defense. The trial court erred in so instructing the jury.”
Establishes that the trial court's instruction was erroneous as it precluded the defendant's self-defense justification for the charged crime itself.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceYork was convicted of aggravated battery and shooting into an occupied vehicle after a confrontation with the victim at York's residence. The victim t…
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CASANUEVA, Judge.
James Edward York, Jr., in his petition filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.141(c), alleges that his appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to argue on direct appeal that the jury instruction on the justifiable use of force, given in his trial on the charges of aggravated battery and shooting at, within, or into a vehicle, constituted fundamental error. We agree that appellate counsel was ineffective in neglecting to raise this issue, and we grant York a belated appeal on this issue only.
York was convicted, after jury trial, of the above offenses. The judgment and sentence were affirmed on direct appeal. See York v. State, 872 So. 2d 910 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004) (table decision). York testified at trial, and, needless to say, his testimony differed substantially from that of the victim. The victim, in his trial testimony, indicated that he got into his car upon leaving York’s home after a violent argument with York when York shot at him, shattering the windshield of the car. The victim got out of the car, at which point York fired a second shot. The victim testified that, during the incident, he was shot in the hand and back. He further testified that he had no firearms with him that night and that he never shot at York.
York testified that, earlier in the evening, he and the victim had been out drinking and the victim had a considerable amount to drink. At York’s residence, York teased the victim about his lack of success that evening in obtaining the telephone numbers of any women. According to York, the victim became very irate and refused to leave when York asked him to. The victim then struck York on the temple, knocking him to the ground. York got back up and the victim pushed him back down. While York was on the ground, the victim pushed and kicked him. The victim then went to the kitchen where he grabbed York’s rifle. The pair struggled over the rifle, which went off, hitting the victim in the hand. The victim again pushed York, and York fell back with the rifle. At this point, the victim stated: “I’m going to get my gun.” York testified that he was aware that the victim had two hunting rifles in the van he was driving. While the victim went to his van, York moved onto the patio of his house with the rifle. York testified that the victim got into the van and then came out shooting. York fired back, shattering the windshield of the van. York fired again and then ran and hid. In closing argument, trial counsel argued that York was acting in self-defense.
The trial court instructed the jury on the charges of aggravated battery and shooting into an occupied vehicle. After giving these instructions, the trial court then instructed the jury on the justifiable use of deadly force. This instruction contained the following language:
However, the use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is not justifiable if you find: 1. James Edward York was attempting to commit, or committing, or escaping after the commission of aggravated battery.
(Emphasis added.) Thus, the jury was advised that the very action that York was attempting to justify as self-defense, shooting the victim,1 could not be considered self-defense. The trial court erred in so instructing the jury. See Giles v. State, 831 So. 2d 1263, 1265 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002). However, because trial counsel did not object to the erroneous instruction, for appellate counsel to raise the issue on direct appeal, the error would have to be fundamental. See Baker v. State, 877 So. 2d 856, 857 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004).
Giles was decided prior to appellate counsel’s filing the initial Anders brief in the direct appeal from York’s judgment and sentence. In Giles, trial counsel preserved the issue for direct review by objecting to the erroneous instruction on the justifiable use of nondeadly force. See Giles, 831 So. 2d at 1264. Thus, the court in Giles did not address the issue of whether the instruction as given constituted fundamental error. However, in an opinion issued one day prior to the filing of the initial Anders brief in York v. State, 872 So. 2d 910 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004) (table decision), the Fourth District issued its opinion in Fair v. State, 858 So. 2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003). The court in Fair held that appellate counsel was ineffective in neglecting to argue on direct appeal that the instruction given on the justifiable use of deadly force, which had the. effect of instructing the jury that “the defendant is not entitled to use force if he was committing, attempting to commit, or escaping after committing the crime charged,” constituted fundamental error. Fair, 858 So. 2d at 1104.
After the filing of the initial Anders brief in York, but prior to the filing of the answer brief, the Fourth District in Rich v. State, 858 So. 2d 1210, 1210-11 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003), held that it was fundamental error in that case to give a justifiable use of force instruction advising the jury that such use of force was not justified if the defendant was committing or attempting to commit an aggravated battery where the defendant was charged with aggravated battery.2 Although Fair and Rich were not available to appellate counsel prior to the completion of her initial Anders brief in York, she should have been aware of them and could have filed a motion to file a supplemental brief. See Gisi v. State, 848 So. 2d 1278, 1281 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003).
As we did in Baker, we conclude that the failure of appellate counsel to argue that the jury instruction on justifiable use of force constituted fundamental error was ineffective assistance of appellate counsel. Accordingly, we grant the petition. Because the determination as to whether the justifiable use of force instruction was fundamental error requires a full review of the record on appeal, we instruct the trial court, within thirty days from the issuance of the mandate in this case, to appoint an appellate attorney to file a brief limited to the issue outlined above. See Baker, 877 So. 2d at 858. Appellate counsel shall, within thirty days of the appointment, file a new notice of appeal and reference this opinion in the notice of appeal.
STRINGER and KELLY, JJ., Concur. . Although York was charged with aggravated battery and shooting at, within, or into a vehicle, both charges resulted from York’s shooting of the victim, which he sought to justify as self-defense.
. This court followed the reasoning of Rich in Zuniga v. State, 869 So. 2d 1239 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004). Furthermore, the opinion in Zuniga was filed three days prior to the issuance of the per curiam opinion in York. Appellate counsel could have filed a motion for rehearing based on this court's opinion in Zuniga.
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Cited By (16 total)
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Martinez v. State, 981 So. 2d 449 (Fla. 2008)…rocess who had filed petitions alleging that appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to present an unpre-served challenge to the reading of the forcible-felony instruction. See Ortiz v. State, 905 So. 2d 1016 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005); York v. State, 891 So. 2d 569 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004); Baker v. State, 877 So. 2d 856 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004); Hickson v. State, 873 So. 2d 474 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004); Estevez v. Crosby, 858 So. 2d 376 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003); Fair v. Crosby, 858 So. 2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003). In those cases…
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Ortiz v. State, 905 So. 2d 1016 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005)…f the initial Anders1 brief in Ortiz’s direct appeal from the judgment and sentence but prior to the filing of the State’s answer brief, the Fourth District issued its opinion in Fair v. Crosby, 858 So. 2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003). In York v. State, 891 So. 2d 569, 571 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004), this court stated: The court in Fair held that appellate counsel was ineffective in neglecting to argue on direct appeal that the instruction given on the justifiable use of deadly force, which had the effect of instructing…
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Granberry v. State, 919 So. 2d 699 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006)…2d 965 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005); Hawk v. State, 902 So. 2d 331 (Fla. 5th DCA 2005); Carter v. State, 889 So. 2d 937 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004), review denied, 903 So. 2d 190 (Fla.2005); Cleveland v. State, 887 So. 2d 362 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004). In York v. State, 891 So. 2d 569 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004), the court held that appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise the error, although not preserved, where Giles was decided before the initial brief was filed; Fair, which ruled that counsel was ineffective for failing…
Previewing 3 of 16 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Lamonda D. Giles v. State, 831 So. 2d 1263 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)
- Rich v. State, 858 So. 2d 1210 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003)
- Zuniga v. State, 869 So. 2d 1239 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004)
- Gisi v. State, 848 So. 2d 1278 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)
- Fair v. Crosby, 858 So. 2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003)
- Baker v. State, 877 So. 2d 856 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004)