STEVEN FRANCIS D'AMICO
v.
ROBERT CONNOR, WARDEN
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The appellate court affirmed the trial court's dismissal of a habeas corpus petition. The petition challenged a conviction but was filed in the wrong county and sought relief that should have been pursued through a postconviction motion in the sentencing court.
Yes, the petition was properly dismissed because it sought relief available through a postconviction motion in the sentencing court, and it would have been untimely, successive, or raised claims that could have been raised earlier if considered as such a motion.
[1] A habeas corpus petition seeking collateral postconviction relief may be dismissed rather than transferred to the sentencing court if the petition would be untimely, succ…
Previewing 1 of 1 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“A petition for a writ of habeas corpus should normally be filed in the county of the petitioner’s detention.”
Establishes the general rule for venue in habeas corpus petitions.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceSteven D'Amico, incarcerated in Liberty County, filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus challenging his conviction. He filed the petition in Libe…
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LONG, J.
The trial court dismissed D’Amico’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The petition challenged the legality of his conviction. He is incarcerated in Liberty County. He petitioned in Liberty County rather than in Broward County where he was adjudicated and sentenced. A petition for a writ of habeas corpus should normally be filed in the county of the petitioner’s detention. Coakley v. State, 43 So. 3d 790, 791 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010). But if the petition attacks the validity of a judgment or sentence, the court that entered the judgment and imposed the sentence has jurisdiction. Torres v. State, 208 So. 3d 831 (Fla. 1st DCA 2017).
Dismissal, rather than transfer, of petitions is proper if they seek:
the kind of collateral postconviction relief available through a motion filed in the sentencing court, and which (1) would be untimely if considered as a motion for postconviction relief under rule 3.850, (2) raise claims that could have been raised at trial or, if properly preserved, on direct appeal of the judgment and sentence, or (3) would be considered a second or successive motion under rule 3.850 that either fails to allege new or different grounds for relief that were known or should have been known at the time the first motion was filed.
Baker v. State, 878 So. 2d 1236, 1245−46 (Fla. 2004). Though his petition is meritless, D’Amico’s claim sought the type of relief available through a postconviction motion in the sentencing court. Transfer to the sentencing court was not appropriate because, if considered as a motion for postconviction relief, the petition would be untimely, successive, and raise claims that could have been raised at trial or on direct appeal—any one of which would be sufficient for dismissal. It was, therefore, properly dismissed by the trial court.
AFFIRMED.
ROWE and OSTERHAUS, JJ., concur. _____________________________
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Authorities Cited
- Baker v. State, 878 So. 2d 1236 (Fla. 2004)
- Torres v. State, 208 So. 3d 831 (Fla. 1st DCA 2017)
- Coakley v. State, 43 So. 3d 790 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010)