WILLIAM MICHAEL LYDEN, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1973-08-24
No. 73-553
BOARDMAN, J., concurs in result., LILES, J., dissents, with opinion.
281 So. 2d 591 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1973) 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

Lyden moved to dismiss his own appeal on the ground that he needed to exhaust state remedies before pursuing federal habeas corpus relief. The Florida appellate court denied the motion, holding that appellate courts have no more right to grant such motions than trial courts have to accept involuntary guilty pleas, and clarifying the requirements for voluntary dismissal of appeals.


Holding

An appellate court may not grant a motion to dismiss an appeal based on a gross misconception about federal habeas corpus procedure. An appellant may only voluntarily dismiss his appeal by filing a motion supported either by an affidavit showing understanding that dismissal is final, or by a federal court order granting leave to seek habeas corpus after voluntary dismissal. The failure to present oral argument does not deprive an appellant of appellate review when a written brief has been filed.


Headnotes

[1] An appellate court may deny a motion to dismiss an appeal if it is founded on a misconception of the law.

[2] A claim of ineffective appellate counsel is cognizable in the appellate court.

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Key Quotes

“an appellate court has no more right to grant such a motion as this as a trial judge would to receive a guilty plea involuntary on its face”

Establishes the principle that courts cannot grant motions that are founded on misconceptions or that would be improper exercises of judicial authority.

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Facts & Procedural History

Lyden filed an appeal from the denial of a petition for post-conviction relief under Florida Criminal Procedure Rule 3.850. While the appeal was pendi…

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Opinion of the Court
MANN, Chief Judge.

ON APPELLANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS APPEAL

MANN, Chief Judge.

The many papers Lyden has filed in this court support his statement that he is not a lawyer and does not understand law. This is his second motion to dismiss his own appeal. We deny it, after a polite refusal to entertain the first one, because it shows on its face that it is founded on a gross misconception. He states that he is seeking relief in the United States District Court on a petition for habeas corpus and must dismiss this appeal in order to exhaust state remedies. In the meantime, the record is not being prepared and his cause *592is being delayed, although this court is ready, willing and able to consider it. We conclude that an appellate court has no more right to grant such a motion as this as a trial judge would to receive a guilty plea involuntary on its face. When he filed the first motion, William A. Haddad, Esq., Clerk of this court, wrote him, at the Court’s direction, expressing doubt that a federal court would entertain a habeas petition after a voluntary dismissal. Lyden persisted, and to break the impasse we write this opinion.

Although Lyden’s appeal is taken from denial from a petition for post-conviction relief, cognizable in the trial court under CrPR 3.850, 33 F.S.A. one allegation in his motions before this court suggests a claim of ineffective appellate counsel, which would be cognizable in this court pursuant to Baggett v. Wainwright, Fla.1969, 229 So.2d 239. We treat the motion to dismiss alternatively as a Baggett petition for habeas corpus in order to deal with a claim which has enough superficial plausibility to mislead Lyden, though too little, we would hope, to mislead any of the able federal judiciary in Florida.

Lyden says that his counsel’s failure to argue orally his appeal violates Fla.Stat. § 924.31, F.S.A., which reads: “A judgment may be affirmed if the appellant fails to argue, but it shall not be reversed unless the appellant submits a written brief or makes oral argument.” Lyden conveniently overlooks “files a written brief or,” ignoring the excellent brief filed in this court in his behalf on his direct appeal. On the question of oral argument, Rule 3.-10(e) of the Florida Appellate Rules, 32 F.S.A. clearly permits dispensing with oral argument, and we customarily do so in most criminal cases because the public defenders and assistant attorneys general who argue here are kept inordinately busy by a large volume of appeals, many of which are frivolous. As to precedence between Fla.Stat. § 924.31 and Rule 3.10(e), we need say only that the statute is a plainly unconstitutional legislative intrusion into the realm of procedure committed exclusively to the Supreme Court, subject to legislative power to override by two-thirds vote. Florida Constitution Art. V, § 2, F. S.A. Therefore Lyden’s reliance on this statute is misplaced.

We decline to grant the petition, but do so without prejudice to Lyden’s right voluntarily to dismiss his appeal by a motion supported either by (1) an affidavit showing his understanding that dismissal is the end of the matter for this and all courts, or (2) an order of a federal court granting him leave to seek habeas corpus after voluntary dismissal. We do not think that cases are filed here simply to go through the motions on the way to the federal court house. We certainly do not regard these appeals lightly, though we confess a willingness to be relieved of the burden of considering Lyden’s claims if we are shown an understanding waiver of his right to appeal.

Motion denied.

BOARDMAN, J., concurs in result.

LILES, J., dissents, with opinion.

LILES, Judge

(dissenting).

I would dissent from the denial of the motion to dismiss Lyden’s appeal. While Lyden is not admitted to the Bar, he has labored with this appeal long enough for me to assume that he knows what he is doing when he asks for a dismissal. I would gladly grant him entrance to the federal court if he wants to be there. I do not concur in any of the majority opinion and particularly I would not recognize that Baggett v. Wainwright (Fla.1969), 229 So.2d 239, affords him an appeal because of “ineffective appellate counsel.” I do not construe Baggett as being anything but an opportunity for the appellant to appeal when the State has thwarted his right of appeal. This was not done in this instance and though he believes he had inef*593fective counsel, the record does not support such and therefore I would not lead him into a false reliance upon Baggett.

It is my firm opinion that when Lyden or any other appellant moves to dismiss an appeal, it is most helpful to the unclutter-ing of this court’s docket and I would gladly oblige him by granting his motion so that he might pursue his remedies wherever he desires.

Dissent
LILES, Judge

LILES, Judge

(dissenting).

I would dissent from the denial of the motion to dismiss Lyden’s appeal. While Lyden is not admitted to the Bar, he has labored with this appeal long enough for me to assume that he knows what he is doing when he asks for a dismissal. I would gladly grant him entrance to the federal court if he wants to be there. I do not concur in any of the majority opinion and particularly I would not recognize that Baggett v. Wainwright (Fla.1969), 229 So. 2d 239, affords him an appeal because of “ineffective appellate counsel.” I do not construe Baggett as being anything but an opportunity for the appellant to appeal when the State has thwarted his right of appeal. This was not done in this instance and though he believes he had inef fective counsel, the record does not support such and therefore I would not lead him into a false reliance upon Baggett.

It is my firm opinion that when Lyden or any other appellant moves to dismiss an appeal, it is most helpful to the unclutter-ing of this court’s docket and I would gladly oblige him by granting his motion so that he might pursue his remedies wherever he desires.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Swan v. State, 322 So. 2d 485 (Fla. 1975)
    …abrogate a court rule extends only to repeal and does not include the power of amendment. In re Clarification of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, 281 So. 2d 204 (Fla.1973). See Carmel v. Carmel, 282 So. 2d 9 (Fla.3d Dist.1973); Lyden v. State, 281 So. 2d 591 (Fla.4th Dist. 1973). We must presume that the Legislature enacted Section 921.-141 with deliberation and with the full knowledge of the existence of this Court’s constitutional authority to adopt the rule, and of its (Legislature’s) power to repeal…
  • Polly Kennedy v. State, 338 So. 2d 261 (Fla. 4th DCA 1976)
    …de by petitioner’s court appointed counsel amounting to state action, petitioner will be entitled to seek review by habeas corpus. Baggett v. Wainwright, 229 So. 2d 239 (Fla. 1969); Hooks v. State, 250 So. 2d 322 (Fla. 4th DCA 1971); Lyden v. State, 281 So. 2d 591 (Fla. 2d DCA 1973). Therefore the Petition for Common Law Writ of Certiora-ri is DENIED. CROSS and DOWNEY, JJ., concur.…

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