Ex parte Deramus

• Court: Supreme Court of Alabama
• Citation: 882 So.2d 875
• Parties: Ex parte Christopher DERAMUS. (In re Christopher Deramus v. State of Alabama).
• Decision Date: 07 June 2002

882 So.2d 875

Ex parte Christopher DERAMUS.
(In re Christopher Deramus
v.
State of Alabama)

1010923.

Supreme Court of Alabama.

June 7, 2002.

Christopher Deramus, pro se.

Andrew W. Wedd, general counsel, and Jane LeCroy Brannan, asst. gen. counsel, Department of Corrections, for respondent.

LYONS, Justice.

Christopher Deramus was convicted of murder in 1988 and was sentenced to 45 years' imprisonment. Deramus began serving his sentence in September 1988. In October 1988, Deramus posted an appeal bond and was released pending the outcome of his appeal. Deramus was unsuccessful in his efforts to appeal, and in June 1990, he was returned to Kilby Correctional Facility to serve the remainder of

882 So.2d 876

his sentence. In 1994, Deramus was granted work-release status. In 1995, Deramus began participating in the "PDL" work-release program, and he continued in the program for approximately five years. On June 23, 2000, Deramus was removed from work-release status and returned to Kilby Correctional Facility. Following his removal from the program, the Alabama Department of Corrections ("DOC") notified Deramus that he had been reclassified as a "heinous offender" and that he was permanently ineligible to participate in the work-release program

On February 12, 2001, Deramus filed a "petition for writ of certiorari" in the Limestone Circuit Court. The petition alleged that DOC had improperly classified him as a "heinous offender." The circuit court restyled the petition as one for a writ of habeas corpus and, after conducting a hearing, denied the petition. Deramus appealed. The Court of Criminal Appeals did not address the merits of Deramus's argument; instead that court affirmed the judgment of the circuit court because Deramus had mislabeled his petition — Deramus's petition was styled as a "petition for writ of certiorari," rather than a "petition for writ of habeas corpus." 882 So.2d 874 (Ala.Crim.App.2001). We granted certiorari review to determine whether the Court of Criminal Appeals erred in refusing to address the merits of Deramus's claims. We conclude that it did, and we reverse the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals and remand the case.

In determining whether the Court of Criminal Appeals should have treated Deramus's petition as a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, we take note that the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure apply to habeas corpus proceedings to the extent that the practice in this matter is not provided for by statute. Rule 81(a)(13), Ala. R. Civ. P., see also Rayburn v. State, 366 So.2d 708 (Ala.1979). Although § 15-21-4, Ala.Code 1975, sets forth certain requirements that an application for a writ of habeas corpus must contain, the provision does not address whether a mislabeled petition may be treated as an application for a writ of habeas corpus based upon the relief requested. However, as the Committee Comments to Rule 1, Ala. R. Civ. P., note, "the policy of [the Rules of Civil Procedure] is to disregard technicality and form in order that the civil rights of litigants may be asserted and tried on the merits." Rule 1, Ala. R. Civ. P., Committee Comments on 1973 Adoption, citing Mitchell v. White Consol., Inc., 177 F.2d 500 (7th Cir.1949).

Indeed, the mere mislabeling of a motion is not fatal. King Mines Resort, Inc. v. Malachi Mining & Minerals, Inc., 518 So.2d 714,...