OTIS WOODEN, PETITIONER,
v.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, RESPONDENT

Fla. 1st DCA | 1970-06-09
No. N-236
JOHNSON, C. J., and SPECTOR, J., concur.
236 So. 2d 137 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1970) Positive Treatment
Cited by 4 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Otis Wooden petitioned for habeas corpus relief, challenging his conviction and 30-year sentence for forcible rape. The court granted relief because Wooden's court-appointed counsel unconstitutionally refused to pursue a direct appeal after Wooden explicitly requested one, thereby depriving him of appellate review through state action.


Holding

A defendant is unconstitutionally deprived of appellate review when state action through court-appointed counsel's refusal to appeal, contrary to the defendant's request, prevents him from pursuing a direct appeal. The defendant is entitled to a full appeal and must be provided with new appointed counsel to perfect the review.


Headnotes

[1] A defendant's right to a direct appeal is unconstitutionally deprived when court-appointed counsel refuses to file an appeal after the defendant expresses a desire to app…

[2] A court-appointed attorney's professional judgment, including the assessment of potential retrial outcomes or the existence of damaging evidence, does not justify refusin…

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

Key Quotes

“he has been unconstitutionally deprived of a direct appeal from the judgment of conviction”

The court's central holding that state action through appointed counsel's refusal to appeal violated Wooden's constitutional rights.

Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Facts & Procedural History

Wooden was convicted of forcible rape and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. He was declared indigent and appointed counsel. After conviction and sen…

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Opinion of the Court
RAWLS, Judge.

RAWLS, Judge.

By petition for writ of habeas corpus Otis Wooden seeks to set aside his judgment of conviction and sentence of 30 years for the offense of forcible rape.

Petitioner seeks to raise a number of issues which might properly be reviewable on a direct appeal but cannot be reached in this proceeding. However, we find merit in petitioner’s contention that he has been unconstitutionally deprived of a direct appeal from the judgment of conviction, and for the reasons hereinafter set forth we grant relief.

Defendant Wooden was adjudicated to be indigent and counsel was timely appointed by the trial court. After the jury verdict was rendered and judgment and sentence pronounced, Wooden was advised by the trial court:

“Now, I want to advise you that you have the right to appeal the foregoing judgment or sentence, or both, within 30 days from the date of this judgment and sentence, and if you are indigent the court will appoint an attorney to represent you on appeal at State expense.”

As a part of its return to the rule nisi issued in this cause the State attached an affidavit executed by Wooden’s court-appointed counsel which states in effect that subsequent to the adjudication of guilt and *138imposition of sentence of 30 years and after Wooden was advised of his right to appeal, his court-appointed counsel had a conference with him regarding the taking of an appeal, and Wooden requested him to appeal. The affidavit further states that Wooden’s court-appointed counsel “ * * refused to appeal for reasons of professional judgment in that upon a retrial Otis Wooden would again be in jeopardy for his life and that furthermore Affiant had knowledge of additional evidence available to the State which might be admitted in a retrial of this offense and that said evidence would have been damaging to Otis Wooden’s chances of acquittal and also damaging to his chances of having the jury recommend mercy; and that furthermore Affiant was and is of the opinion that no reversible error was committed in said trial.” Therefore, in this proceeding we are confronted with the uncontradicted evidence that Wooden was advised of his right to appeal; he expressed a desire to appeal, and his court-appointed counsel refused to institute the appeal.

The State contends that State action has not been shown to be the basis of deprivation of petitioner’s right to appeal. We cannot sustain such contention. See Douglas v. California, 372 U.S. 353, 83 S.Ct. 814, 9 L.Ed.2d 811.

The question which we have here entertained by reason of Wooden’s petition for writ of habeas corpus is more properly presented by a motion to vacate judgment and sentence pursuant to Criminal Procedure Rule 1.850, 33 F.S.A.; however, since the return of the State, which includes the affidavit executed by Wooden’s trial attorney, reflects without contradiction that Wooden was deprived of a direct appeal from his judgment of conviction and sentence by State action in that Wooden’s court-appointed counsel refused to take an appeal, we conclude that the administration of justice will best be served by granting relief in this extraordinary proceeding. Although Wooden is not entitled to be discharged from custody, he is entitled to a full appeal. The Public Defender of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida is hereby designated as court-appointed counsel to represent Wooden and to forthwith perfect a review of the judgment of conviction and sentence in this cause pursuant to the method designated in Hollingshead v. Wainwright, 194 So.2d 577 (Fla.1967).

JOHNSON, C. J., and SPECTOR, J., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • State v. Wooden, 246 So. 2d 755 (Fla. 1971)
    …st for reasons of professional judgment, among which was counsel’s conclusion that no meritorious ground for appeal existed. No appeal was taken. By petition for writ of habeas corpus directed to the First District Court of Appeal [Wooden v. State, 236 So. 2d 137 (Fla.App. 1st, 1970] respondent alleged that his right to a direct appeal had been frustrated by state action and sought, under Baggett v. Wainwright, 229 So. 2d 239 (Fla.1969), delayed appellate review. The District Court, citing Douglas v. Califor…
  • Wooden v. State, 254 So. 2d 234 (Fla. 1st DCA 1971)
    …PER CURIAM. Appellant has been granted a belated direct appeal. The circumstances leading to this appeal are reported in Wooden v. State, 236 So. 2d 137 (Fla.DCA 1st, 1970), and State v. Wooden, 246 So. 2d 755 (Fla.1971). We now proceed to the merits. The appellant challenges a jury verdict and judgment of conviction of rape (with a recommendation for mercy) of an 11-year-old girl. He argues that t…

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw