GREGORY HARRIS
v.
MARK S. INCH, ETC.
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.
A state prisoner who files repeated habeas petitions raising identical claims that have been consistently rejected may be sanctioned by barring future pro se filings related to those cases unless represented by counsel, and the frivolous petition must be reported to the Department of Corrections.
[1] A state prisoner who files multiple habeas petitions raising identical claims previously rejected by the court may be sanctioned by barring future pro se filings related…
[2] A habeas petition is frivolous when it represents a repetitive filing raising the same issues and seeking the same relief as previous petitions that have been dismissed a…
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“Based on his persistent history of filing pro se petitions that were meritless or otherwise inappropriate for this Court's review, Harris has abused the judicial process and burdened this Court's limited judicial resources.”
Establishes that repeated filing of meritless petitions constitutes abuse of the judicial process warranting sanctions.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceGregory Harris was convicted in 2013 of child abuse and grand theft in Miami-Dade County and sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment. Since 2011, Harr…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
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Supreme Court of Florida
____________
No. SC18-1984 ____________
GREGORY HARRIS, Petitioner,
vs.
MARK S. INCH, etc., Respondent.
August 29, 2019
PER CURIAM.
This case is before the Court on the petition of Gregory Harris for a writ of habeas corpus. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(9), Fla. Const. By order dated February 18, 2019, we dismissed Harris’s petition as unauthorized pursuant to Baker v. State, 878 So. 2d 1236 (Fla. 2004). Harris v. Inch, No. SC18-1984, 2019 WL 698109 (Fla. Feb. 18, 2019). Concurrent with the dismissal of the petition, we expressly retained jurisdiction to pursue possible sanctions against Harris. Id.; see Fla. R. App. P. 9.410(a) (Sanctions; Court’s Motion).
Harris was convicted in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade County) on one count of child abuse (case number 132011CF0002020001XX) and one
count of grand theft (case number 132011CF0133700001XX). He was sentenced in both cases to a total of fifteen years’ imprisonment on October 16, 2013. The Third District Court of Appeal per curiam affirmed Harris’s convictions and sentences on April 16, 2014. Harris v. State, 138 So. 3d 454 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014) (table).
Harris began filing petitions with the Court in 2011.1 State, 846 So. 2d 472 (Fla. 2003).
and referred to the Department of Corrections for possible disciplinary action pursuant to section 944.279, Florida Statutes (2018).
Harris filed a response to the order to show cause in which he reasserts his claims regarding the trial court’s lack of subject matter jurisdiction over his criminal cases. Although Harris concedes that he has raised the exact same claims in multiple petitions filed with this Court, he argues that his filings have not been frivolous because his claims have merit. In addition, Harris argues that in dismissing the instant habeas petition, the Court has violated its own policies and the law. Upon due consideration of Harris’s response, we conclude that it fails to show cause why sanctions should not be imposed. Based on his persistent history of filing pro se petitions that were meritless or otherwise inappropriate for this Court’s review, Harris has abused the judicial process and burdened this Court’s limited judicial resources. We further conclude that Harris’s habeas petition filed in this case, which represents the seventh petition for writ of habeas corpus in which he has raised the same issues and sought the same relief, is a frivolous proceeding brought before this Court by a state prisoner. See § 944.279(1), Fla. Stat. (2018).
Accordingly, the Clerk of this Court is hereby instructed to reject any future pleadings, petitions, motions, documents, or other filings submitted by Gregory
Harris that are related to case numbers 132011CF0002020001XX and 132011CF0133700001XX, unless such filings are signed by a member in good standing of The Florida Bar. Counsel may file on Harris’s behalf if counsel determines that the proceeding may have merit and can be brought in good faith. Furthermore, because we have found Harris’s petition to be frivolous, we direct the Clerk of this Court, pursuant to section 944.279(1), Florida Statutes (2018), to forward a copy of this opinion to the Florida Department of Corrections institution or facility in which Harris is incarcerated.
No motion for rehearing or clarification will be entertained by the Court.
It is so ordered. CANADY, C.J., and POLSTON, LABARGA, LAWSON, LAGOA, LUCK, and MUÑIZ, JJ., concur.
Original Proceeding – Habeas Corpus
Gregory Harris, pro se, Raiford, Florida,
for Petitioner No appearance for Respondent
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Authorities Cited
- Baker v. State, 878 So. 2d 1236 (Fla. 2004)
- Logan v. State, 846 So. 2d 472 (Fla. 2003)