United States v. Galen Fisher

MEMORANDUM

Galen Fisher appeals the district court’s denial of his motion for relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 as untimely. Fisher argues that his lawyer’s refusal to file an appeal justifies equitable tolling. Fisher requests an evidentiary hearing to develop his claim.

This court reviews de novo the dismissal of a petition for writ of habeas corpus as time-barred. See Spitsyn v. Moore, 345 F.3d 796, 799 (9th Cir.2003). Fisher is entitled to equitable tolling if he can show “(1) that he has been pursuing his rights diligently, and (2) that some extraordinary circumstance stood in his way and prevented timely filing.” United States v. Buckles, 647 F.3d 883, 889 (9th Cir.2011), cert. denied; — U.S.-, 132 S.Ct. 436 , 181 L.Ed.2d 283 (2011) (internal quotation marks omitted). He must also show that the extraordinary circumstances caused the untimeliness. Id.

Regardless of whether Fisher’s lawyer’s conduct constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel, Fisher has not shown that this conduct caused the untimeliness of his § 2255 motion. See Id. at 890 (holding that counsel’s ineffective failure to help petitioner file a Rule 4-1 (e) motion “had no effect” on the timeliness of a § 2255…