Darryl Burke v. USA

[DO NOT PUBLISH]
In the
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eleventh Circuit
____________________
No. 21-14152
Non-Argument Calendar
____________________
DARRYL BURKE,
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 Nos. 1:17-cv-22629-JIC,
1:13-cr-20616-JIC-1
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2 Opinion of the Court 21-14152
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Before WILSON, J ORDAN, and B RANCH, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Darryl Burke, a federal prisoner pro se,1 appeals the district
court’s denial of his 28 U.S.C. § 2255 motion to vacate his sentence.
He argues that the district court violated Clisby v. Jones, 960 F.2d
925 (11th Cir. 1992) (en banc), by not fully addressing his claim that
his sentencing counsel’s failure to investigate and subpoena rele-
vant records was unconstitutionally ineffective. After careful re-
view, we affirm.2
We review de novo whether a district court violated Clisby
by failing to address a claim. Dupree v. Warden, 715 F.3d 1295, 1299–
1300 (11th Cir. 2013). In Clisby, we directed district courts to re-
solve all claims for relief raised in a habeas petition, regardless of
whether habeas relief is granted or denied. 960 F.2d at 935–36. Un-
der Clisby, this court’s only role is to determine whether the district
court failed to address a claim, not whether the underlying claim is
1 We liberally construe pro se filings, including pro se applications for relief
under § 2255. Winthrop-Redin v. United States, 767 F.3d 1210, 1215 (11th Cir.
2014).
2 Burke’s brief addresses several issues that we did not grant a certificate of
appealability (COA) for. Thus, we need not address those issues as they are
beyond the scope of the COA. Murray v. United States, 145 F.3d 1249, 1251
(11th Cir. 1998) (per curiam) (“[I]n an appeal brought by an unsuccessful ha-
beas petitioner, appellate review is limited to the issues specified in the
COA.”).
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21-14152 Opinion of the Court 3
meritorious. Dupree, 715 F.3d at 1299. A habeas petitioner must
present a claim in clear and simple language such that the district
court may not misunderstand it. Id.
In his § 2255 motion, Burke argued that if not for his coun-
sel’s ineffectiveness, he could have shown that a co-conspirator had
acquired a mortgage before she met Burke. In its order § 2255 mo-
tion, the district court explicitly addressed this claim and concluded
that Burke had failed to show prejudice. See Clisby, 960 F.2d at 935–
36. Thus, there was no Clisby error.3
AFFIRMED.
3 Burke argues that the district court erred in not finding prejudice because his
counsel failed to obtain documents about his co-conspirator paying off her
mortgage. But he does not argue that the district court erred in not consider-
ing that specific claim. Even if he did make that argument, Burke did not ad-
equately present that claim in his § 2255 motion such that the district court
could not misunderstand it. See Barritt v. Sec’y, Fla. Dep’t of Corr., 968 F.3d 1246,
1251 (11th Cir. 2020).
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