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Dearas-Kurilich v. Ashcroft

Citation: 65 F. App'x 656Docket: No. 02-72602; INS No. A70-781-824

Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; June 12, 2003; Federal Appellate Court

Narrative Opinion Summary

The case involves a petitioner, a Honduran national, challenging the denial by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) of her motion to reopen her immigration case, which was filed late. The jurisdiction was confirmed under 8 U.S.C. 1105a(a) due to transitional rules, permitting a review of the BIA’s decision. The petitioner argued for the equitable tolling of the filing deadline, alleging misconduct by her previous attorney. The court, however, found no evidence of fraudulent or deceptive actions by the attorney that would warrant equitable tolling. Consequently, the motion to reopen was ruled untimely, and the court dismissed the petition without addressing the petitioner's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. The Ninth Circuit's decision to deny the petition is not designated for publication or citation pursuant to Circuit Rule 36-3, thus reflecting its procedural rather than substantive nature.

Legal Issues Addressed

Denial of Petition for Review

Application: The court denied the petition for review due to untimeliness and lack of merit in the arguments for equitable tolling.

Reasoning: The petition is denied.

Equitable Tolling of Filing Deadlines

Application: The court found no basis for equitable tolling as there was no evidence of fraudulent or deceptive behavior by the previous attorney.

Reasoning: However, she argued for equitable tolling of the filing deadline due to her previous attorney's misconduct, which the court rejected, finding no evidence of fraudulent or deceptive behavior by the attorney.

Jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. 1105a(a)

Application: The court established jurisdiction due to transitional rules, allowing the review of the BIA’s order.

Reasoning: Jurisdiction is established under 8 U.S.C. 1105a(a) due to transitional rules, and the review of the BIA’s denial is for abuse of discretion and legal questions de novo.

Untimeliness of Motion to Reopen

Application: The motion to reopen was deemed untimely, and thus the court did not address the merits of the petitioner's ineffective assistance of counsel claims.

Reasoning: As Dearas-Kurüich's motion to reopen was untimely, the court did not address the merits of her claims regarding ineffective assistance of counsel.