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Factual and Procedural Background

In 1982 Marcia Ellen Bunney was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life. Her conviction was affirmed by the California Court of Appeal on September 4, 1984. In October 1995 Bunney retained counsel and obtained an expert diagnosis of Battered Women's Syndrome (BWS). After a denied parole hearing in March 1996, Bunney filed a state habeas petition in the California Supreme Court on February 14, 1997, which was denied May 28, 1997. On September 4, 1997, Bunney filed a federal habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 in district court claiming ineffective assistance of trial counsel for failing to investigate or present expert BWS testimony and seeking a new trial. The district court dismissed the petition as untimely under AEDPA's one-year statute of limitations; after receiving a certificate of appealability, Bunney appealed. The Ninth Circuit affirmed.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether Bunney's federal habeas petition was timely under AEDPA's one-year statute of limitations, specifically when the limitations period began to run under 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1).
  2. Whether the limitations period was tolled during the 90-day period in which Bunney could have petitioned the United States Supreme Court for certiorari following the denial of her state habeas petition.
  3. Whether equitable tolling applies to excuse Bunney's untimely filing based on her counsel's negligence.

Arguments of the Parties

Petitioner-Appellant's Arguments

  • The statute of limitations did not begin to run on April 24, 1996; under 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(D) it began in January 1997 when counsel's investigation uncovered the factual predicate and evidence making the claim credible.
  • The limitations period should be tolled during the 90-day period in which she could have sought certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court after the denial of her state petition.
  • Equitable tolling should apply because counsel's failure to file timely constituted an extraordinary circumstance beyond her control.

Respondent-Appellee's Arguments

  • The government moved to dismiss the federal petition as untimely under AEDPA's one-year statute of limitations.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Miles v. Prunty, 187 F.3d 1104, 1105 (9th Cir. 1999) Standard of review: de novo review of district court's dismissal on statute-of-limitations grounds and of equitable tolling. The court stated it reviews de novo and applied that standard to this appeal.
Lindh v. Murphy, 521 U.S. 320, 336, 117 S.Ct. 2059, 138 L.Ed.2d 481 (1997) Applicability of AEDPA provisions to petitions filed after the statute's effective date. The court held AEDPA applies because Bunney filed after its effective date.
28 U.S.C. § 2244(d) Text of AEDPA's one-year statute of limitations and tolling provisions. The court applied subsection (d) to calculate limitation period and tolling.
Saffold v. Newland, 224 F.3d 1087, 1088 (9th Cir. 2000) For convictions final before AEDPA, the one-year period began on AEDPA's effective date, April 24, 1996. The court used this rule to determine Bunney's limitation period began April 24, 1996 and expired April 23, 1997.
Flanagan v. Johnson, 154 F.3d 196, 198-99 (5th Cir. 1998) Distinction between knowledge of factual predicate and later gathering of evidence; limitations begin when petitioner knows the facts, not when evidence is later obtained. The court relied on Flanagan to reject Bunney's contention that limitations began only when evidence making her claim credible was gathered.
Isham v. Randle, 226 F.3d 691, 695 (6th Cir. 2000) Held § 2244(d)(2) does not toll for the 90-day certiorari period. Cited as one of the circuits rejecting tolling during the certiorari period and supporting the court's conclusion.
Coates v. Byrd, 211 F.3d 1225, 1227 (11th Cir. 2000) Rejected tolling during the certiorari period. Cited in support of the conclusion that § 2244(d)(2) does not toll while a certiorari petition could be filed.
Ott v. Johnson, 192 F.3d 510, 513 (5th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1099, 120 S.Ct. 1834, 146 L.Ed.2d 777 (2000) Rejected tolling for certiorari period; interpreted statutory language regarding tolling. Used to support the court's interpretation that § 2244(d)(2) does not toll during the certiorari period and to illustrate congressional intent via comparison of statutory language.
Rhine v. Boone, 182 F.3d 1153, 1155 (10th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 1084, 120 S.Ct. 808, 145 L.Ed.2d 681 (2000) Rejected tolling for certiorari period. Cited among cases holding no tolling during certiorari period.
Gutierrez v. Schomig, 233 F.3d 490, 492 (7th Cir. 2000) Held limitations not tolled during the 90-day certiorari period; noted limitation of its holding where petitioner did not file certiorari. Cited for the proposition that the Seventh Circuit reached a similar result but declined to decide the issue where certiorari was actually filed.
Jiminez v. Rice, 222 F.3d 1210, 1213 (9th Cir. 2000) Interprets that "State" modifies both "post-conviction review" and "other collateral review" in § 2244(d)(2). The court applied Jiminez to conclude that § 2244(d)(2) refers only to State postconviction/collateral review and not to certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bowen v. Roe, 188 F.3d 1157, 1159 (9th Cir. 1999) Under § 2244(d)(1)(A), the limitation period does not begin until after the Supreme Court has denied review or the time for filing such a petition has expired for direct review. Cited to contrast Congress' treatment of the certiorari period for direct review with its omission of comparable language in § 2244(d)(2).
Lucht v. Molalla River Sch. Dist., 225 F.3d 1023, 1027 (9th Cir. 2000) Principle that Congress' inclusion of a phrase in one section but not another suggests an intent to differentiate. Used to support the court's view of congressional intent regarding tolling language.
Calderon v. United States Dist. Ct., 128 F.3d 1283, 1288 (9th Cir. 1997) Equitable tolling applies only if "extraordinary circumstances" beyond a prisoner's control make it impossible to file on time. The court applied this standard to reject equitable tolling for counsel negligence.
Calderon v. United States Dist. Ct., 163 F.3d 530, 541 (9th Cir. 1998) (en banc) Quoted definition/standard of equitable tolling from prior Calderon decision. Cited as authority for the "extraordinary circumstances" standard for equitable tolling.
Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 498 U.S. 89, 96, 111 S.Ct. 453, 112 L.Ed.2d 435 (1990) Equitable tolling does not extend to "garden variety claim[s] of excusable neglect," e.g., counsel's absence from the office. Cited to reject equitable tolling based on ordinary attorney negligence.
Kreutzer v. Bowersox, 231 F.3d 460, 463 (8th Cir. 2000) Refused to equitably toll AEDPA based on lawyer's mistake. Cited as an example of circuits uniformly refusing equitable tolling for counsel mistakes.
Harris v. Hutchinson, 209 F.3d 325, 330-31 (4th Cir. 2000) Refused to equitably toll AEDPA based on counsel's mistake. Cited among cases rejecting equitable tolling for attorney error.
Taliani v. Chrans, 189 F.3d 597, 598 (7th Cir. 1999) Refused to equitably toll AEDPA for counsel's mistake. Cited in support of the court's refusal to equitably toll here.
Sandvik v. United States, 177 F.3d 1269, 1272 (11th Cir. 1999) Refused equitable tolling under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 for counsel error; similar principle applied to AEDPA situations. Cited as consistent authority refusing equitable tolling for attorney negligence.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court applied AEDPA's one-year limitation (28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)). For convictions final before AEDPA, the limitation began on April 24, 1996 and expired April 23, 1997 (citing Saffold). The district court had tolled the period for 103 days while Bunney's state petition was pending (Feb 14–May 28, 1997), but Bunney's federal filing on Sept 4, 1997 was 31 days late.

Addressing Bunney's arguments the court concluded:

  • On the "factual predicate" issue, subsection (d)(1)(D) begins the limitations period when the petitioner knows (or should know through due diligence) the facts on which the claim is predicated, not when evidence sufficient to prove the claim is later gathered. Relying on Flanagan, the court found Bunney knew the relevant facts by March 1996 (as shown at her parole hearing and her expert's diagnosis), so the statute began April 24, 1996.
  • On tolling for the certiorari period, § 2244(d)(2) tolls only while a "properly filed application for State post-conviction or other collateral review" is pending; the court (citing Jiminez and multiple circuits) held a certiorari petition to the U.S. Supreme Court is not State postconviction review, and Congress omitted language tolling the certiorari period in § 2244(d)(2). Thus the limitations period was not tolled for the 90-day certiorari window.
  • On equitable tolling, the court applied the Ninth Circuit's "extraordinary circumstances" standard (Calderon) and Irwin's limitation that garden-variety attorney negligence does not warrant tolling. Bunney's reliance on counsel's failure to file timely was regrettable but not extraordinary; other circuits similarly refuse to toll for counsel mistake. Accordingly, equitable tolling did not apply.

Holding and Implications

AFFIRMED.

Holding: The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Bunney's federal habeas petition as untimely under AEDPA. The court concluded the limitations period began April 24, 1996, was not tolled for the certiorari period, and equitable tolling was inappropriate for counsel's negligence.

Implications: The direct effect is that Bunney's petition was dismissed and her appeal was denied. The opinion applies existing statutory interpretation and circuit precedent to reject tolling and equitable tolling arguments in these circumstances.

Marcia Ellen BUNNEY, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Gwendolyn MITCHELL, Warden of the Central California Women's Facility, Respondent-Appellee. Gwendolyn Mitchell is substituted for her predecessor, as Warden of the Central California Women's Facility. Fed.R.App.P. 43(c)(2).

GRABER, Circuit Judge:

In 1982, Petitioner Marcia Ellen Bunney was convicted of first-degree murder in California. On September 4, 1997, she filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. The district court dismissed the petition as untimely. Petitioner appeals, and we affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Petitioner shot and killed her ex-boyfriend, Ted DuBois. She was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder, waived her right to a jury trial, and was tried before the court. She alleged at trial that, because of her mental condition, she was unable to premeditate, deliberate, or harbor malice. She presented expert testimony about her mental condition; the government presented expert testimony in response. On May 25, 1982, the court found Petitioner guilty of first-degree murder and imposed a sentence of between 25 years and life in prison. Petitioner appealed to the California Court of Appeal, which affirmed her conviction on September 4, 1984.

In October 1995, Petitioner retained her present counsel in preparation for a March 1996 parole hearing. Counsel interviewed Petitioner and reviewed her prison mental health file and the transcript of her trial. Counsel then retained the services of Dr. Daniel Sonkin, a psychotherapist and expert on domestic violence. After interviewing Petitioner and reviewing her psychological reports from the time of trial, Sonkin concluded that Petitioner had suffered from Battered Women's Syndrome (BWS) at the time she killed DuBois. At Petitioner's March 21, 1996, parole hearing, counsel relied on Sonkin's diagnosis of BWS, but the parole board denied parole nonetheless.

On February 14, 1997, Petitioner filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the California Supreme Court. That motion was denied on May 28, 1997.

On September 4, 1997, Petitioner filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the district court, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. In her petition, she claimed that (1) her trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate or present expert testimony about BWS; and (2) in view of Sonkin's diagnosis of BWS, she was entitled to a new trial.

The district court issued an order in which it (1) noted that the petition appeared to be untimely under the one-year statute of limitations in the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA); and (2) directed the government to bring a motion to dismiss the petition as untimely or, alternatively, to explain why such a motion was unwarranted. The government filed a motion to dismiss; Petitioner filed an opposition.

The district court granted the government's motion to dismiss. After requesting and receiving a certificate of appealability from the district court, Petitioner timely appealed.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

This court reviews de novo a district court's dismissal, on statute-of-limitations grounds, of a petition for writ of habeas corpus. Miles v. Prunty, 187 F.3d 1104, 1105 (9th Cir. 1999). This court also reviews de novo a district court's decision on the issue of equitable tolling. Id.

DISCUSSION

I. Background

Because Petitioner filed her petition in district court after the effective date of AEDPA, the provisions of that statute apply in this case. Lindh v. Murphy, 521 U.S. 320, 336, 117 S.Ct. 2059, 138 L.Ed.2d 481 (1997). AEDPA contains a one-year statute of limitations for petitions for writs of habeas corpus:

(1) A 1-year period of limitation shall apply to an application for a writ of habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court. The limitation period shall run from the latest of —
(A) the date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such review;
(B) the date on which the impediment to filing an application created by State action in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States is removed, if the applicant was prevented from filing by such State action;
(C) the date on which the constitutional right asserted was initially recognized by the Supreme Court, if the right has been newly recognized by the Supreme Court and made retroactively applicable to cases on collateral review; or
(D) the date on which the factual predicate of the claim or claims presented could have been discovered through the exercise of due diligence.
(2) The time during which a properly filed application for State post-conviction or other collateral review with respect to the pertinent judgment or claim is pending shall not be counted toward any period of limitation under this subsection.
28 U.S.C. § 2244(d).

For prisoners like Petitioner, whose convictions became final before AEDPA was enacted, that one-year limitation period began to run on the statute's effective date, April 24, 1996, and expired on April 23, 1997, unless it was tolled. Saffold v. Newland, 224 F.3d 1087, 1088 (9th Cir. 2000).

In dismissing the petition as untimely, the district court concluded that (1) in Petitioner's case, AEDPA's one-year statute of limitations began to run on April 24, 1996, and ended on April 23, 1997; (2) Petitioner filed her petition on September 4, 1997, 134 days after the statute of limitations had expired; (3) under 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2), the statute of limitations was tolled for the 103-day period between the date on which Petitioner filed her state-court habeas petition (February 14, 1997) and the date on which the state supreme court denied that petition (May 28, 1997); and (4) despite that 103-day period of tolling, the petition was still 31 days late.

Petitioner argues that her petition was timely for three reasons. We will address her arguments in turn.

II. Petitioner was aware of the "factual predicate" of her claim more than one year before she filed her petition.

First, Petitioner argues that her petition is timely because the statute of limitations actually did not begin to run on April 24, 1996. Relying on 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(D), she contends that the statute of limitations began to run only in January 1997. Subsection (d)(1)(D) provides that the statute of limitations does not begin to run until "the date on which the factual predicate of the claim or claims presented could have been discovered through the exercise of due diligence." According to Petitioner, she was not aware of the "factual predicate" of her claims until January 1997, when "counsel's investigation had uncovered the facts underlying Petitioner's application for relief and evidence which made her claim credible." (Emphasis added.)

The Fifth Circuit rejected that approach in Flanagan v. Johnson, 154 F.3d 196, 198-99 (5th Cir. 1998). In that case, the petitioner argued that his trial counsel had been ineffective for failing to inform him that he did not have to testify at his 1989 trial. The petitioner neglected to file his federal habeas petition within AEDPA's one-year statute of limitations. However, he argued that he was unaware of the "factual predicate" of his claim until November 1996, when he obtained an affidavit from his trial counsel, in which counsel stated that he did not remember whether he had discussed with the petitioner the concept that the petitioner could refuse to testify.

In rejecting the petitioner's argument, the Fifth Circuit concluded that he was aware of the factual predicate of his claim — "the fact that he was called to testify and did not know he had the right to refuse" — long before he had obtained trial counsel's affidavit. Id. at 199. By focusing on the affidavit, rather than on his knowledge of the facts underlying his claim, the petitioner was "confusing his knowledge of the factual predicate of his claim with the time permitted for gathering evidence in support of that claim. Trial counsel's affidavit neither change[d] the character of [the] claim nor provide[d] any new ground for [the] petition." Id.

As in Flanagan, Petitioner's argument in this case conflates her knowledge of the "factual predicate" of a claim with the development of sufficient evidentiary support to prove the claim. But the text of AEDPA answers Petitioner's argument; under subsection (d)(1)(D), the statute of limitations begins to run when a petitioner knows (or should know through the exercise of due diligence) the facts on which a claim is predicated, without reference to when (or if) she can muster evidence sufficient to prove that claim.

By March 1996, Petitioner knew enough facts to tell a state parole board (1) that she had suffered from BWS when she killed DuBois, having been beaten by her father, her ex-husband, and an ex-boyfriend (not DuBois); and (2) that her condition was not investigated or revealed at trial. That is the precise factual predicate of her habeas claim. Accordingly, the district court did not err in holding that the statute of limitations began to run on April 24, 1996.

III. The district court did not err in refusing to toll the statute of limitations for the period during which Petitioner could have sought certiorari.

Second, Petitioner argues that, although she did not petition the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, the district court nevertheless should have tolled the statute of limitations during the 90-day period in which she could have done so. Petitioner relies on the AEDPA provision that tolls the statute of limitations while "a properly filed application for State post-conviction or other collateral review . . . is pending." 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2).

This court has not addressed the issue of whether § 2244(d)(2) tolls the statute of limitations for the 90-day period during which a party may petition for certiorari following the denial of a state-court petition. All other circuit courts that have considered the issue have rejected the argument Petitioner makes here. See Isham v. Randle, 226 F.3d 691, 695 (6th Cir. 2000); Coates v. Byrd, 211 F.3d 1225, 1227 (11th Cir. 2000); Ott v. Johnson, 192 F.3d 510, 513 (5th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1099, 120 S.Ct. 1834, 146 L.Ed.2d 777 (2000); Rhine v. Boone, 182 F.3d 1153, 1155 (10th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 1084, 120 S.Ct. 808, 145 L.Ed.2d 681 (2000).

The Seventh Circuit also recently held that the statute of limitations was not tolled during that 90-day period. See Gutierrez v. Schomig, 233 F.3d 490, 492 (7th Cir. 2000). However, the Seventh Circuit based its ruling on the fact that the petitioner there (like Petitioner in this case) had not filed a petition for certiorari. The court declined to address the larger question whether the statute of limitations would be tolled in a case in which a petitioner actually filed a petition for certiorari.

Consistent with those cases, we conclude that the statute of limitations was not tolled. AEDPA provides that the limitation period is tolled while "a properly filed application for State post-conviction or other collateral review . . . is pending." 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2). This court has held that the word "State" modifies both the phrase "post-conviction review" and the phrase "other collateral review." Jiminez v. Rice, 222 F.3d 1210, 1213 (9th Cir. 2000). A petition for certiorari in the United States Supreme Court is not "State postconviction . . . review" or "other [State] collateral review." See, e.g., Isham, 226 F.3d at 695 (so stating). Thus, by its plain terms, 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2) does not toll the limitation period while a petition for certiorari from a state court's denial of a petition for post-conviction relief is pending in the United States Supreme Court.

Further, in 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A), Congress expressly considered the time within which a party could petition for certiorari following the denial of a direct appeal. That subsection provides that the statute of limitations begins to run on "the date on which the judgment became final by the conclusion of direct review or the expiration of the time for seeking such review." (Emphasis added.) This court has held that, under subsection (d)(1)(A), the limitation period does not begin to run until after the United States Supreme Court has denied review or, if no petition for certiorari is filed, until after the time for filing such a petition has expired. Bowen v. Roe, 188 F.3d 1157, 1159 (9th Cir. 1999). But Congress did not include anything comparable to the phrase "or the expiration of the time for seeking such review" in the subsection that applies to state post-conviction petitions. Rather, as noted, that subsection tolls the limitation period only while such state-court petitions are pending. Congress' decision to include that wording in 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(1)(A), while omitting it from 28 U.S.C. § 2244(d)(2), further supports our conclusion that Congress did not intend to toll AEDPA's statute of limitations in these circumstances. Accord Ott, 192 F.3d at 513 (so stating); see also Lucht v. Molalla River Sch. Dist., 225 F.3d 1023, 1027 (9th Cir. 2000) (stating proposition that Congress' inclusion of a particular phrase in one section of a statute but not in another section of the same statute is presumed to reflect Congress' intent to differentiate the two).

In summary, the district court did not err in holding that the statute of limitations was not tolled for the period during which Petitioner could have sought certiorari in the United States Supreme Court.

IV. The district court did not err in refusing to toll the statute of limitations on equitable grounds.

Finally, Petitioner argues that her failure to file in a timely manner should be excused under the doctrine of equitable tolling. AEDPA's statute of limitations may be equitably tolled only "if `extraordinary circumstances' beyond a prisoner's control make it impossible to file a petition on time." Calderon v. United States Dist. Ct., 128 F.3d 1283, 1288 (9th Cir. 1997), quoted in Calderon v. United States Dist. Ct., 163 F.3d 530, 541 (9th Cir. 1998) (en banc). The doctrine does not extend to "garden variety claim[s] of excusable neglect." Irwin v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 498 U.S. 89, 96, 111 S.Ct. 453, 112 L.Ed.2d 435 (1990) (refusing to equitably toll the statute of limitations in a case in which untimely filing was due to counsel's absence from the office).

Petitioner argues that her counsel's failure to file in a timely manner constituted the "extraordinary circumstance" beyond her control. Petitioner acknowledges that she was aware of the statutory deadline and discussed it with her counsel, but states that she relied on counsel to comply with the deadline. Counsel's negligence certainly was regrettable, but it was not extraordinary. In these circumstances, equitable tolling does not apply.

Other circuit courts faced with similar facts uniformly have refused to toll AEDPA's statute of limitations on equitable grounds. See Kreutzer v. Bowersox, 231 F.3d 460, 463 (8th Cir. 2000) (refusing to equitably toll the statute of limitations based on a lawyer's mistake); Harris v. Hutchinson, 209 F.3d 325, 330-31 (4th Cir. 2000) (same); Taliani v. Chrans, 189 F.3d 597, 598 (7th Cir. 1999) (same); Sandvik v. United States, 177 F.3d 1269, 1272 (11th Cir. 1999) (same result under 28 U.S.C. § 2255). This case is unfortunate but commonplace; counsel negligently failed to comply with a statute of limitations of which he and Petitioner both were aware. We conclude that the district court did not err in refusing to toll the statute of limitations on equitable grounds.

AFFIRMED.

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BUNNEY v. MITCHELL
(Mar 5, 2001)