Daniel Rodriguez v. USA

[DO NOT PUBLISH]
In the
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eleventh Circuit
____________________
No. 23-10502
Non-Argument Calendar
____________________
DANIEL ANGEL RODRIGUEZ,
Petitioner-Appellant,
versus
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Respondent-Appellee.
____________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Florida
D.C. Docket No. 1:22-cv-22058-CMA
____________________
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2 Opinion of the Court 23-10502
Before J ORDAN, L AGOA, and B LACK , Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Daniel Rodriguez appeals the denial of his motion to vacate
his sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. He asserts his trial counsel
provided ineffective assistance by advising him that, even after
pleading guilty in an unconditional guilty plea, he would be able to
appeal the trial court’s decisions on his pretrial motions. Rodriguez
contends but for that advice, he would not have pled guilty. Ro-
driguez was granted a certificate of appealability on the following
issue:
Whether the district court erred in denying Rodri-
guez’s claim that his counsel was ineffective for advis-
ing him that his guilty plea would not waive his right
to appeal his pretrial motions.
After review,1 we vacate and remand for the district court to hold
an evidentiary hearing on this claim.
A federal prisoner “claiming the right to be released upon
the ground that the sentence was imposed in violation of the Con-
stitution or laws of the United States . . . may move the court which
imposed the sentence to vacate . . . the sentence.” 28 U.S.C.
§ 2255(a). “Unless the motion and the files and records of the case
1 We review claims of ineffective assistance of counsel de novo as a mixed ques-
tion of law and fact. Jones v. United States, 224 F.3d 1251, 1256–57 (11th Cir.
2000).
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23-10502 Opinion of the Court 3
conclusively show that the prisoner is entitled to no relief, the court
shall . . . grant a prompt hearing thereon . . . .” Id. § 2255(b). An
evidentiary hearing must be held “if the petitioner alleges facts that,
if true, would entitle him to relief” unless his claims are “patently
frivolous,” “unsupported generalizations,” or “affirmatively con-
tradicted by the record.” Aron v. United States, 291 F.3d 708, 714–15
(11th Cir. 2002) (quotation omitted); Holmes v. United States, 876
F.2d 1545, 1553 (11th Cir. 1989) (quotation omitted).
An ineffective assistance of counsel claim has two elements:
(1) deficient performance; and (2) prejudice. Strickland v. Washing-
ton, 466 U.S. 668, 687 (1984). Performance is deficient if “counsel
made errors so serious that counsel was not functioning as the
‘counsel’ guaranteed the defendant by the Sixth Amendment.” Id.
Generally, prejudice is shown if “there is a reasonable probability
that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the pro-
ceeding would have been different.” Id. at 694.
In the context of a guilty plea, the Supreme Court has held
“in order to satisfy the ‘prejudice’ requirement, the defendant must
show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s
errors, he would not have pleaded guilty and would have insisted
on going to trial.” Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 59 (1985). Post hoc
assertions that a defendant would not have pled guilty but for the
attorney’s deficient advice are generally not sufficient and courts
should instead “look to contemporaneous evidence to substantiate
a defendant’s expressed preferences.” Lee v. United States, 582 U.S.
357, 369 (2017). The likelihood of success on the merits following
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4 Opinion of the Court 23-10502
maintenance of a not guilty plea is not determinative, so long as
the chance is truly central to the defendant’s decision making. See
id. at 368–71. “[A] voluntary, unconditional guilty plea waives all
nonjurisdictional defects in the proceedings.” United States v. Patti,
337 F.3d 1317, 1320 (11th Cir. 2003). This includes recusal and sup-
pression issues. Id. at 1322; United States v. McCoy, 477 F.2d 550, 551
(5th Cir. 1973).2
The district court erred in denying Rodriguez’s motion
without holding an evidentiary hearing. The district court applied
an incorrect legal analysis on the prejudice prong of the ineffective
assistance inquiry. The district court analyzed prejudice as whether
Rodriguez’s claims would have been successful on appeal if not un-
knowingly waived by his guilty plea. Instead of asking whether,
without the attorney’s deficient advice, “there is a reasonable prob-
ability that . . . [Rodriguez] would not have pleaded guilty and
would have insisted on going to trial,” the district court instead in-
quired whether Rodriguez would have succeeded on appeal in the
absence of waiving the recusal issue with his guilty plea. See Hill,
474 U.S. at 59. The Supreme Court has held the low likelihood of
success on the merits does not prevent a defendant from showing
prejudice, so long as the chance of success is genuinely central to
their decision whether to plead guilty. See Lee, 582 U.S. at 368-71.
2 In Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206, 1209 (11th Cir. 1981) (en banc),
this Court adopted as binding precedent all decisions of the former Fifth Cir-
cuit handed down prior to close of business on September 30, 1981.
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23-10502 Opinion of the Court 5
As such, the low chance of Rodriguez’s success on appeal without
the waiver is not dispositive of the prejudice inquiry. See id.
The correct inquiry was whether Rodriguez would not have
pled guilty and instead insisted on going to trial had his counsel
correctly advised him. Under this analysis, Rodriguez “allege[d]
facts that, if true, would entitle him to relief” and his claims were
not “patently frivolous,” “unsupported generalizations,” or “af-
firmatively contradicted by the record.” See Aron, 291 F.3d at 714-
15; Holmes, 876 F.2d at 1553. First, Rodriguez alleged and provided
supporting evidence in an affidavit by his trial counsel, Ana Davide,
that she gave him incorrect advice that he “would be able to appeal
all the issues regarding his case, including all pretrial motions.” See
Patti, 337 F.3d at 1320, 1322; McCoy, 477 F.2d at 551. This was de-
fective performance. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687.
Second, liberally construing Rodriguez’s pro se initial § 2255
motion, he alleged he would not have pled guilty but for Davide’s
erroneous advice regarding the appealability of his pretrial mo-
tions. See Tannenbaum v. United States, 148 F.3d 1262, 1263 (11th
Cir. 1998) (“Pro se pleadings are held to a less stringent standard
than pleadings drafted by attorneys and will, therefore, be liberally
construed.”). This is an allegation of prejudice, and can be consid-
ered sworn, as can all the supporting documents attached to Rodri-
guez’s motion. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687; Hill, 474 U.S. at 59;
United States v. One Olivetti Elec. 10-Key Adding Mach., 406 F.2d 1167,
1168 (5th Cir. 1969) (stating unsworn statements by the same per-
son incorporated by reference into sworn affidavits and complaints
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6 Opinion of the Court 23-10502
are considered sworn). While it is a post hoc assertion and insuffi-
cient, by itself, to carry Rodriguez’s burden, it is supported by the
facts that: (1) he pled guilty without a plea agreement and without
receiving any beneficial dismissals; (2) the specificity of Davide’s
advice has at least some tendency to show Rodriguez was con-
cerned with being able to appeal his pretrial issues; (3) he raised the
issues in motions in the district court; (4) he raised these issues,
among others, on his direct appeal; and (5) he stated, admittedly
post hoc, that the recusal issue was significant in the firing of his trial
counsel and his request to proceed pro se.
Nor does other evidence defeat his claim. The trial court did
not inform him that he had waived these issues. While the record
contains ample evidence of other considerations which impacted
his decision to plead guilty, none “affirmatively contradict[s]” his
claim that the advice about his ability to raise pretrial motions on
appeal was a but for cause of his guilty plea. Thus, the district court
erred in denying Rodriguez’s § 2255 motion without holding an ev-
identiary hearing. 28 U.S.C. § 2255(b); Aron, 291 F.3d at 714-15;
Holmes, 876 F.2d at 1553. Accordingly, we vacate and remand for
the district court to hold an evidentiary hearing on whether Rodri-
guez’s counsel was ineffective for advising him that his guilty plea
would not waive his right to appeal his pretrial motions.
VACATED AND REMANDED.
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