KENNETH CHRISTIAN
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA

Fla. 1st DCA | 2024-05-01
No. 2023-2416
2024 FL 4854 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (2024)

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Synopsis

The Florida District Court of Appeal, First District, affirmed an order denying Kenneth Christian's postconviction motion under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a). The court found the appeal frivolous, noting Christian's history of multiple repetitious and frivolous postconviction appeals and petitions related to the same underlying criminal case.


Holding

The court affirmed the order denying Christian's postconviction motion and found the appeal frivolous. The court held that Christian's history of filing multiple repetitious and frivolous claims related to the same underlying case constitutes an abuse of the appellate process.


Headnotes

[1] A court may direct the clerk to forward a certified copy of an opinion to the appropriate institution for disciplinary procedures when an appeal is determined to be frivo…

[2] A party who has a history of filing repetitious and frivolous claims may be warned that future frivolous filings may result in additional sanctions, including a prohibiti…

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Key Quotes

“These cases reveal a history of filing repetitious and frivolous claims. The court finds this appeal is frivolous”

The court's rationale for affirming and finding the appeal frivolous based on Christian's pattern of repeated postconviction filings.

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Facts & Procedural History

Kenneth Christian filed an appeal from an order denying his postconviction motion in connection with Alachua County Circuit Court case number 2012-CF-…

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Per_curiam
Per Curiam

PER CURIAM.

AFFIRMED. This Court’s records reflect that, along with this appeal from an order denying his postconviction motion filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a), Kenneth Christian has filed at least four other postconviction appeals or petitions in this Court related to Alachua County Circuit Court case number 2012-CF-2148-A: • Christian v. State, 266 So. 3d 1143 (Fla. 1st DCA 2019) (affirming order denying rule 3.800 motion);

• Christian v. State, 1D18-4117 (consolidating petition alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel into existing case); • Christian v. State, 305 So. 3d 511 (Fla. 1st DCA 2019) (denying petition for writ of habeas corpus); • Christian v. State, 372 So. 3d 1250 (Fla. 1st DCA 2023) (affirming order denying rule 3.850 motion). These cases reveal a history of filing repetitious and frivolous claims. The court finds this appeal is frivolous and directs the Clerk to forward a certified copy of this opinion to the appropriate institution for disciplinary procedures pursuant to the rules of the Department of Corrections. See § 944.279, Fla. Stat. (2023). The court warns Christian that any future filings that this court determines to be frivolous may result in the imposition of additional sanctions, including a prohibition against any further pro se filings in this court and a referral to the appropriate institution for disciplinary procedures. See Ferris v. State, 100 So. 3d 142, 144 (Fla. 1st DCA 2012) (Wetherell, J., concurring) (“[T]here comes a point after which a defendant’s use of the appellate process to continue to litigate postconviction claims becomes an abuse of the process”).

LEWIS, ROWE, and M.K. THOMAS, JJ., concur. _____________________________


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