DAVID BLAKE JOHNSTON
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA

Fla. 2d DCA | 2023-09-29
No. 23-0013
Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (2023)

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Holding

Trial counsel's failure to file a motion for new trial on the ground that the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence constitutes a cognizable claim of ineffective assistance of counsel that must be addressed on postconviction review rather than summarily denied.


Headnotes

[1] A postconviction claim that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a motion for new trial on the ground that the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evid…

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Facts & Procedural History

David Blake Johnston appealed from an order summarily denying his Rule 3.850 postconviction motion. Johnston's claim was that his trial counsel was in…

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Opinion of the Court

LABRIT, Judge.

David Blake Johnston appeals from the order summarily denying

his motion filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850.

We reverse for the postconviction court to address Mr. Johnston's claim

that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a motion for new trial

on the ground that the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence.

The postconviction court shall either attach records that refute this claim

or hold an evidentiary hearing. We affirm in all other respects.

2

Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.

KHOUZAM and ROTHSTEIN-YOUAKIM, JJ., Concur.

Opinion subject to revision prior to official publication.


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