State v. Davis (Slip Opinion) , 2020 Ohio 309 ( 2020 )


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  • [Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it may be cited as State
    v. Davis, Slip Opinion No. 2020-Ohio-309.]
    NOTICE
    This slip opinion is subject to formal revision before it is published in an
    advance sheet of the Ohio Official Reports. Readers are requested to
    promptly notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of Ohio, 65
    South Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, of any typographical or other
    formal errors in the opinion, in order that corrections may be made before
    the opinion is published.
    SLIP OPINION NO. 2020-OHIO-309
    THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLEE, v. DAVIS, APPELLANT.
    [Until this opinion appears in the Ohio Official Reports advance sheets, it
    may be cited as State v. Davis, Slip Opinion No. 2020-Ohio-309.]
    Criminal law—Ineffective assistance of counsel—When defense counsel fails to
    request that the trial court waive court costs on behalf of a defendant who
    has previously been found to be indigent, a determination of prejudice in an
    ineffective-assistance-of-counsel analysis depends on whether the facts and
    circumstances presented by the defendant establish that there is a
    reasonable probability that the trial court would have granted the request
    to waive court costs had one been made—Court of appeals’ judgment
    reversed and cause remanded.
    (No. 2018-0312—Submitted March 5, 2019—Decided February 4, 2020.)
    CERTIFIED by the Court of Appeals for Licking County,
    No. 2017-CA-55, 2017-Ohio-9445.
    _________________
    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    FISCHER, J.
    {¶ 1} In this certified-conflict case, we are asked to determine whether trial
    counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive court costs at a defendant’s sentencing
    hearing constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel when the defendant has
    previously been found indigent.       We decline to answer the certified-conflict
    question in either the affirmative or the negative. Rather, a court’s finding of
    ineffective assistance of counsel depends on the facts and circumstances in each
    case. See Strickland v. Washington, 
    466 U.S. 668
    , 688-689, 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L. Ed. 2d 674
     (1984).      We hold that when an indigent defendant makes an
    ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim based upon counsel’s failure to request a
    waiver of court costs, a reviewing court must apply the test in State v. Bradley, 
    42 Ohio St. 3d 136
    , 141-142, 
    538 N.E.2d 373
     (1989), which adopted the standard that
    had been announced in Strickland, for determining whether a defendant received
    ineffective assistance of counsel. If a court analyzes the prejudice prong, then it
    must consider the facts and circumstances of the case objectively to determine
    whether the defendant established the necessary prejudice sufficient to support that
    claim—i.e., but for counsel’s deficient performance, there exists a reasonable
    probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different.
    I. Background
    {¶ 2} A jury found appellant, Benjamin A. Davis, guilty of assaulting a
    peace officer, a violation of R.C. 2903.13(A) and (C)(5). At Davis’s sentencing
    hearing, the trial court imposed a prison term among other penalties and assessed
    court costs against Davis. Despite Davis’s indigent status, defense counsel did not
    request that the trial court waive Davis’s court costs.
    {¶ 3} Davis appealed the judgment. He asserted that his trial counsel was
    ineffective for failing to request that the trial court waive Davis’s court costs. To
    support his argument, Davis relied on State v. Springer, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No.
    104649, 2017-Ohio-8861, in which the Eighth District Court of Appeals reaffirmed
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    January Term, 2020
    its decision in State v. Gibson, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 104363, 2017-Ohio-102,
    and stated that “a prior finding by the trial court that a defendant was indigent
    demonstrated a reasonable probability that the trial court would have waived costs
    had counsel made a timely motion,” Springer at ¶ 46.
    {¶ 4} The Fifth District, in analyzing Davis’s ineffective-assistance-of-
    counsel claim, rejected the Eighth District’s rationale in Springer. Recognizing
    that Gibson relied on State v. Clevenger, 
    114 Ohio St. 3d 258
    , 2007-Ohio-4006, 
    871 N.E.2d 589
    , an opinion from this court that predated the enactment of R.C.
    2947.23(C)—which allows a trial court to waive the costs of prosecution at any
    time after sentencing—the Fifth District determined that Davis was “not prejudiced
    by trial counsel’s failure to request waiver of costs at sentencing because he [was]
    not foreclosed from filing a request at a later time.” 2017-Ohio-9445, ¶ 31. The
    Fifth District thus determined that “the basis for a finding of ineffective assistance
    of counsel for failure to request that waiver no longer exists.” Id.
    {¶ 5} Subsequently, the Fifth District certified a conflict between its
    judgment and the Eighth District’s judgment in Springer. This court accepted the
    following conflict question for review: “ ‘Is trial counsel’s failure to file a motion
    to waive court costs at sentencing ineffective assistance of counsel when defendant
    has previously been found indigent?’ ” 
    152 Ohio St. 3d 1441
    , 2018-Ohio-1600, 
    96 N.E.3d 297
    , quoting the court of appeals’ February 13, 2018 judgment entry.
    II. Analysis
    A. Davis’s right to assert ineffective assistance of counsel
    {¶ 6} As a preliminary issue, the second dissenting opinion raises a concern
    over whether Davis has a constitutional right to assert ineffective assistance of
    counsel based on defense counsel’s failure to request a waiver of court costs. We
    recognize that this issue was not raised by either party. Without either party having
    preserved that argument and without briefing, we decline to hold in this case that a
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    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    defendant has no right to assert an ineffective-assistance claim based on counsel’s
    failure to request a waiver of court costs.
    {¶ 7} We recognize that court costs are not punishment, State v. Threatt,
    
    108 Ohio St. 3d 277
    , 2006-Ohio-905, 
    843 N.E.2d 164
    , ¶ 15, superseded by statute
    as stated in State v. Braden, __ Ohio St.3d __, 2019-Ohio-4204, __ N.E.3d __, and
    are thus not a part of a sentence, State v. White, 
    156 Ohio St. 3d 536
    , 2019-Ohio-
    1215, 
    130 N.E.3d 247
    , ¶ 14. However, under R.C. 2947.23(A)(1)(a), the General
    Assembly has nevertheless ordered trial courts to include the costs in an offender’s
    sentence and judgment. Because R.C. 2947.23 costs are imposed at sentencing and
    because sentencing is a critical stage in which a felony offender has a right to
    counsel, State v. Schleiger, 
    141 Ohio St. 3d 67
    , 2014-Ohio-3970, 
    21 N.E.3d 1033
    ,
    ¶ 15, see also Gardner v. Florida, 
    430 U.S. 349
    , 358, 
    97 S. Ct. 1197
    , 
    51 L. Ed. 2d 393
     (1977), an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim regarding counsel’s failure
    to request a waiver of costs may be raised on appeal, as they are a particular result
    of the sentencing process. To hold otherwise would permit the parsing of the right
    to effective counsel to particular instances rather than to critical stages of
    proceedings. We decline to adopt such a ruling without the benefit of argument
    and briefing.
    {¶ 8} We acknowledge the second dissenting opinion’s concern regarding
    the impact of this interpretation on R.C. 2947.23(C) motions that are made after
    sentencing. But the treatment of those motions need not be addressed in this
    opinion. The only issue currently before this court is determining the correct
    analysis for whether defense counsel may be found ineffective for failing to a
    request a waiver of an indigent client’s court costs.
    {¶ 9} Therefore, we proceed to address the certified-conflict question.
    B. Appellate courts must apply the test announced in Bradley
    {¶ 10} In order to prevail on an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim, a
    defendant must prove that counsel’s performance was deficient and that the
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    January Term, 2020
    defendant was prejudiced by counsel’s deficient performance. Bradley, 42 Ohio
    St.3d at 141-142, 
    538 N.E.2d 373
    ; Strickland, 
    466 U.S. 668
    , 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L. Ed. 2d 674
    . Thus, the defendant must demonstrate that counsel’s performance
    fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and that there exists a reasonable
    probability that, but for counsel’s error, the result of the proceeding would have
    been different. See Bradley at paragraphs two and three of the syllabus. “ ‘A
    reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the
    outcome.’ ” Id. at 142, quoting Strickland at 694.
    {¶ 11} The conflict cases address the same question but reach different
    results, specifically as to the prejudice prong of the ineffective-assistance-of-
    counsel test.   In Springer, the Eighth District determined that “ ‘it is nearly
    impossible to establish prejudice as a result of counsel’s failure to move for a
    waiver of costs at sentencing’ because under R.C. 2947.23(C), as amended in 2013,
    trial courts now retain jurisdiction to waive, suspend or modify the payment of court
    costs at any time.” 2017-Ohio-8861 at ¶ 45, quoting State v. Mihalis, 8th Dist.
    Cuyahoga No. 104308, 2016-Ohio-8056, ¶ 33. The court found, however, that a
    narrow exception applied for indigent defendants: “a prior finding by the trial court
    that a defendant was indigent demonstrated a reasonable probability that the trial
    court would have waived costs had counsel made a timely motion.” Springer at
    ¶ 46. After determining that counsel’s performance was deficient and that Springer
    was prejudiced by counsel’s deficient performance, the court determined that
    Springer had received ineffective assistance of counsel. Id.
    {¶ 12} The Fifth District, on the other hand, rejected the argument that
    defense counsel was ineffective for failing to request that the trial court waive
    Davis’s court costs due to demonstrated indigency, relying solely on the prejudice
    prong of the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel analysis. 2017-Ohio-9445 at ¶ 31;
    see also State v. Madrigal, 
    87 Ohio St. 3d 378
    , 389, 
    721 N.E.2d 52
     (2000) (“A
    defendant’s failure to satisfy one prong of the Strickland test negates a court’s need
    5
    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    to consider the other”).     The Fifth District determined that Davis was “not
    prejudiced by trial counsel’s failure to request waiver of costs at sentencing because
    he [was] not foreclosed from filing a request at a later time.” 2017-Ohio-9445 at
    ¶ 31.
    {¶ 13} R.C. 2947.23(A)(1)(a) requires a trial court to impose the costs of
    prosecution against all convicted criminal defendants. White, 
    103 Ohio St. 3d 580
    ,
    2004-Ohio-5989, 
    817 N.E.2d 393
    , at ¶ 14. While the imposition of those costs is
    mandatory, the court may waive the payment of all costs when the defendant is
    determined to be indigent. Id.; see also R.C. 2743.70, 2949.091, and 2949.092.
    R.C. 2947.23(C) permits the trial court “to waive, suspend, or modify the payment
    of the costs of prosecution, including any costs under section 2947.231 of the
    Revised Code, at the time of sentencing or at any time thereafter.”
    {¶ 14} An appellate court’s reliance on the fact that a defendant may move
    for a waiver of costs at a later time under R.C. 2947.23(C) in its prejudice analysis
    is improper. Whether the defendant may move for a waiver of court costs at a later
    time has little or no bearing on whether the trial court would have granted a motion
    to waive court costs at the time of sentencing. The enactment of R.C. 2947.23(C)
    did not change how courts of appeals should evaluate the prejudice prong of the
    ineffective-assistance-of-counsel analysis. The analysis remains the same: a court
    must review the facts and circumstances of each case objectively and determine
    whether the defendant demonstrated a reasonable probability that had his counsel
    moved to waive court costs, the trial court would have granted that motion.
    {¶ 15} To evaluate whether a defendant has been prejudiced, as part of an
    ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim, a court does not assess whether the
    defendant was simply harmed by counsel’s alleged deficient performance. More
    specifically, the court does not analyze whether the defendant has been required to
    pay court costs at a given moment, see, e.g., State v. Cowan, 7th Dist. Columbiana
    No. 18 CO 0010, 2019-Ohio-2691, ¶ 59, or even whether the defendant has the
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    January Term, 2020
    ability to have court costs waived in the future. Furthermore, a determination of
    indigency alone does not rise to the level of creating a reasonable probability that
    the trial court would have waived costs had defense counsel moved the court to do
    so, contrary to the Eighth District’s holding in Gibson, 2017-Ohio-102, and in
    Springer, 2017-Ohio-8861. See State v. Dean, 
    146 Ohio St. 3d 106
    , 2015-Ohio-
    4347, 
    54 N.E.3d 80
    , ¶ 233; State v. Smith, 12th Dist. Warren No. CA2010–06–057,
    2011-Ohio-1188, ¶ 63-64, rev’d in part on other grounds, 
    131 Ohio St. 3d 297
    ,
    2012-Ohio-781, 
    964 N.E.2d 423
     (an indigent defendant fails to show that there is a
    reasonable probability that the trial court would have waived costs when the trial
    court made a finding that the defendant had the ability to work and therefore had
    the ability to pay the costs in the future). The court of appeals, instead, must look
    at all the circumstances that the defendant sets forth in attempting to demonstrate
    prejudice and determine whether there is a reasonable probability that the trial court
    would have granted a motion to waive costs had one been made.
    {¶ 16} For these reasons, we answer the certified-conflict question neither
    in the affirmative nor in the negative. Instead, we conclude that when trial counsel
    fails to request that the trial court waive court costs on behalf of a defendant who
    has previously been found to be indigent, a determination of prejudice for purposes
    of an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel analysis depends upon whether the facts and
    circumstances presented by the defendant establish that there is a reasonable
    probability that the trial court would have granted the request to waive costs had
    one been made.
    III. Conclusion
    {¶ 17} Because the Fifth District incorrectly analyzed the prejudice prong
    of the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel analysis in this case, we reverse its
    judgment and remand the cause to that court so that it may conduct the ineffective-
    assistance-of-counsel analysis set forth in Bradley, 42 Ohio St.3d at 141-142, 538
    7
    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    N.E.2d 373, in accordance with this opinion. See In re Adoption of P.L.H., 
    151 Ohio St. 3d 554
    , 2017-Ohio-5824, 
    91 N.E.3d 698
    , ¶ 33.
    Judgment reversed
    and cause remanded.
    O’CONNOR, C.J., and FRENCH, DONNELLY, and STEWART, JJ., concur.
    DONNELLY, J., concurs, with an opinion.
    KENNEDY, J., dissents, with an opinion.
    DEWINE, J., dissents, with an opinion.
    _________________
    DONNELLY, J., concurring.
    {¶ 18} I concur in the majority’s decision to reject the categorical
    ineffective-assistance-of-counsel analyses advocated by the parties and reverse the
    judgment of the court of appeals. I agree that a reviewing court must objectively
    consider, on a case-by-case basis, the specific facts and circumstances of a case
    when determining whether a reasonable probability exists that a sentencing court
    would have waived a defendant’s payment of court costs had such a request been
    made by defense counsel.
    {¶ 19} In reviewing those facts and circumstances, courts should be mindful
    of the true impact that court costs have. Many jurisdictions impose interest and late
    fees on court costs, thereby multiplying the financial burden on those debtors who
    are least able to pay. See, e.g., Sara Dorn, Some Cuyahoga County Municipal
    Courts      Bluff   About     Their    Payment      Plans    (Apr.     27,    2017),
    https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2017/04/some_cuyahoga_county_municipal.ht
    ml (accessed Oct. 4, 2019) [https://perma.cc/NK5L-RR4X]. Aggressive collection
    practices against an indigent defendant may result in negative collateral
    consequences, such as damaging a person’s credit, interfering with a defendant’s
    other commitments (like child support), restricting employment opportunities, and
    otherwise impeding a defendant’s rehabilitation and reentry into society. When
    8
    January Term, 2020
    coupled with these debilitating collateral consequences, court-costs debt imposes
    an enduring burden that may sometimes exceed the penalty for the crime. See
    Appleman, Nickel and Dimed into Incarceration: Cash-Register Justice in the
    Criminal System, 57 B.C.L.Rev. 1483 (2016); Development in the Law Policing,
    Chapter One Policing and Profit, 128 Harv.L.Rev. 1723 (2015). The law permits
    the prison-commissary accounts of those who are incarcerated to be attached,
    depriving inmates from purchasing necessities and small creature comforts that
    their meager earnings or family contributions are able to provide. R.C. 2949.14;
    Ohio Adm.Code 5120-5-03. Thus, the burdens imposed by assessing court costs
    on indigent defendants are by no means inconsequential.
    {¶ 20} As a former trial-court judge, I am keenly aware that certain costs
    (such as witness-subpoena fees) have been incorrectly assessed against a first-
    named defendant in a case involving one or more codefendants. An indigent
    defendant would have no way of knowing whether a cost has been imposed
    inequitably. Thus, it is incumbent on defense counsel to ensure that any court costs
    that have been assessed against his or her client are accurate and equitable.
    {¶ 21} It is not unreasonable for a client who has already been declared
    indigent to expect counsel to move for a waiver of court costs at sentencing. The
    process for doing so is not particularly difficult, but the failure to do so could expose
    a client to significant financial burdens and subject defense counsel to a claim of
    professional nonfeasance.
    {¶ 22} I agree with the majority’s determination that the court of appeals’
    analysis was improper because whether Davis may move for a waiver of court costs
    at a later time has little to no bearing on whether the trial court would have granted
    a motion to waive court costs at the time of sentencing. Because the court of
    appeals did not apply the correct analysis to Davis’s claim for ineffective assistance
    of counsel, I concur.
    _________________
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    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    KENNEDY, J., dissenting.
    {¶ 23} This court accepted this case based on a certified conflict that
    presents the following question: “ ‘Is trial counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive
    court costs at sentencing ineffective assistance of counsel when defendant has
    previously been found indigent?’ ” 
    152 Ohio St. 3d 1441
    , 2018-Ohio-1600, 
    96 N.E.3d 297
    , quoting 5th Dist. Licking No. 17-CA-55 (Feb. 13, 2018). In contrast
    with the majority’s determination that the certified-conflict question cannot be
    answered with a simple yes or no, I would answer the certified-conflict question in
    the negative.
    {¶ 24} Courts should apply the two-prong test for ineffective assistance of
    counsel established in Strickland v. Washington, 
    466 U.S. 668
    , 687-688, 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L. Ed. 2d 674
     (1984), and adopted by this court in State v. Bradley, 42 Ohio
    St.3d 136, 141-143, 
    538 N.E.2d 373
     (1989), to determine whether a defendant has
    met his burden of demonstrating that counsel was ineffective, State v. Gondor, 
    112 Ohio St. 3d 377
    , 2006-Ohio-6679, 
    860 N.E.2d 77
    , ¶ 62, for failing to file a motion
    to waive court costs. And here, the Fifth District Court of Appeals—like the Eighth
    District Court of Appeals in the conflict case, State v. Springer, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga
    No. 104649, 2017-Ohio-8861—created a bright-line rule for determining whether
    trial counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive court costs at sentencing constitutes
    ineffective assistance of counsel for a defendant who has previously been found
    indigent. Because bright-line rules are contrary to Strickland, I dissent.
    {¶ 25} An application of the prejudice prong of the Strickland analysis to
    appellant Benjamin Davis’s case shows that he has failed to demonstrate that he
    was prejudiced by trial counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive court costs at
    sentencing. Consequently, I would affirm the judgment of the Fifth District but on
    different grounds.
    {¶ 26} Resolution of the certified-conflict question begins with an
    examination of the underlying facts in this case and in Springer. In this case, Davis
    10
    January Term, 2020
    argued in the court of appeals that in accordance with Springer, a previous
    determination of indigency by the trial court required the court of appeals to hold
    that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request a waiver of court costs at his
    sentencing hearing. The Fifth District began its analysis by setting out Strickland’s
    two-prong test for ineffective assistance of counsel:
    First, the trial court must determine whether counsel’s assistance was
    ineffective; i.e., whether counsel’s performance fell below an objective
    standard of reasonable representation and was violative of any of his or her
    essential duties to the client. If the court finds ineffective assistance of
    counsel, it must then determine whether or not the defense was actually
    prejudiced by counsel’s ineffectiveness such that the reliability of the
    outcome of the trial is suspect. This requires a showing [that] there is a
    reasonable probability that but for counsel’s unprofessional error, the
    outcome of the trial would have been different.
    2017-Ohio-9445, ¶ 25. The appellate court recognized that to find trial counsel’s
    performance ineffective, Davis needed to establish both prongs of Strickland. Id.
    at ¶ 26.
    {¶ 27} In rejecting Davis’s challenge, the Fifth District considered only the
    prejudice prong. See State v. Madrigal, 
    87 Ohio St. 3d 378
    , 389, 
    721 N.E.2d 52
    (2000) (an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel challenge lacking in merit may be
    expediently disposed of by finding that the defendant failed to establish one of the
    Strickland prongs), citing Strickland, 466 U.S. at 697, 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L. Ed. 2d 674
    . The Fifth District held, “Because R.C. 2947.23(C) grants [Davis] the ability
    to seek waiver of costs at any time, including after sentencing, [he] has not been
    prejudiced by the failure of his counsel to request a waiver at sentencing.” 2017-
    Ohio-9445 at ¶ 27. Therefore, considering only the effect of R.C. 2947.23(C), the
    11
    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    appellate court created a per se rule, holding that trial counsel’s failure to file a
    motion to waive court costs at the time of a defendant’s sentencing hearing could
    never constitute prejudice in an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim because the
    defendant is able to file a motion to waive court costs at any time after sentencing.
    {¶ 28} Similar to the Fifth District’s analysis, the Eighth District’s
    ineffective-assistance-of-counsel analysis in Springer also focused on the prejudice
    prong: “As to Springer’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel relating to the
    imposition of costs, he must show that a reasonable probability exists that the trial
    court would have waived payment of the costs if such motion had been filed.”
    2017-Ohio-8861 at ¶ 45.
    {¶ 29} The Springer court held that trial counsel was ineffective for failing
    to request a waiver of court costs when the trial court had previously found Springer
    indigent.   Id. at ¶ 46 (“under such circumstances counsel’s failure * * * was
    deficient and prejudiced the defendant” [emphasis added]), citing State v. Gibson,
    8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 104308, 2016-Ohio-8056, ¶ 16.                Considering only
    Springer’s prior determination of indigency, the Eighth District enforced a per se
    rule that that prior finding “demonstrate[s] a reasonable probability that the trial
    court would have waived costs had counsel made a timely motion.” Id. at ¶ 46,
    citing Gibson at ¶ 16.
    {¶ 30} The majority sets forth the two-prong test of Strickland. However,
    neither the Fifth District nor the Eighth District actually applied the Strickland test.
    Each court established a bright-line rule.
    {¶ 31} As set forth above, the Fifth District held that a defendant who has
    previously been found indigent could never be prejudiced by trial counsel’s failure
    to file a motion to waive court costs at sentencing, because R.C. 2947.23(C) permits
    the defendant to file a motion to waive court costs after sentencing. Conversely,
    the Eighth District held that a defendant who has previously been found indigent is
    always prejudiced by trial counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive court costs at
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    January Term, 2020
    sentencing. By creating bright-line rules, however, both courts failed to “consider
    the totality of the evidence,” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 695, 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L. Ed. 2d 674
    , in determining whether prejudice was established. See also Lee v.
    United States, __ U.S. __, 
    137 S. Ct. 1958
    , 1966, 
    198 L. Ed. 2d 476
     (2017).
    {¶ 32} Therefore, I would answer the certified-conflict question in the
    negative. When a defendant has previously been found to be indigent, trial
    counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive court costs at sentencing does not
    constitute per se ineffective assistance of counsel. When reviewing whether a
    defendant has met his burden of demonstrating that trial counsel was ineffective for
    failing to file a motion to waive an indigent defendant’s court costs, see Gondor,
    
    112 Ohio St. 3d 377
    , 2006-Ohio-6679, 
    860 N.E.2d 77
    , at ¶ 62 (defendant has the
    burden of proof to establish ineffective assistance of counsel), lower courts should
    apply the two-prong test for ineffective assistance of counsel established in
    Strickland, 687-688, and adopted by this court in Bradley, 42 Ohio St.3d at 141-
    143, 
    538 N.E.2d 373
    . And when considering the second prong of the Strickland
    test, courts should review the totality of the evidence. See Strickland at 695; Lee at
    __, 137 S.Ct. at 1966.
    {¶ 33} Moreover, contrary to the majority’s determination, I would not
    remand this cause to the Fifth District. Davis has the burden to prove that he was
    prejudiced by trial counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive court costs at
    sentencing. See Gondor at ¶ 62. To satisfy the prejudice prong, Davis needed to
    show that but for trial counsel’s error in failing to file the motion to waive court
    costs at sentencing, there was a reasonable probability that the trial court would
    have waived court costs at sentencing. Strickland at 694. In support of his claim,
    Davis relies on the Eighth District’s opinion in Springer, 2017-Ohio-8861, and the
    fact that the trial court had previously declared him to be indigent. Having rejected
    the analysis in Springer, I would hold that evidence of a prior determination of
    indigency, standing alone, does not support a finding of prejudice.
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    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    {¶ 34} R.C. 2947.23 addresses the imposition of court costs. In State v.
    White, this court held that the plain language of R.C. 2947.23 requires a trial court
    to impose court costs on all defendants, including those defendants who have been
    determined to be indigent. 
    103 Ohio St. 3d 580
    , 2004-Ohio-5989, 
    817 N.E.2d 393
    ,
    ¶ 8, 14. This court further held that it is within the sound discretion of the trial court
    whether to waive an indigent defendant’s court costs. Id. at ¶ 14. Therefore, a prior
    determination that a defendant is indigent, standing alone, does not demonstrate
    prejudice in an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim when trial counsel’s sole
    failure is not filing a motion to waive his client’s court costs at the time of
    sentencing. Based on this record, Davis has failed to satisfy his burden. Therefore,
    I would affirm the Fifth District Court of Appeals on different grounds.
    {¶ 35} I dissent.
    _________________
    DEWINE, J., dissenting.
    {¶ 36} The majority today remands this case for the court of appeals to
    decide whether Benjamin A. Davis’s rights under the Sixth Amendment to the
    United States Constitution were violated when his attorney failed to file a motion
    for a waiver of court costs on the day of Davis’s sentencing. I respectfully dissent.
    {¶ 37} To start with, Davis’s right to effective assistance of counsel could
    not have been violated in this case because there is no Sixth Amendment right to
    counsel to ask for a waiver of court costs. “[W]here there is no constitutional right
    to counsel there can be no deprivation of effective assistance.” Coleman v.
    Thompson, 
    501 U.S. 722
    , 752, 
    111 S. Ct. 2546
    , 
    115 L. Ed. 2d 640
     (1991), citing
    Wainwright v. Torna, 
    455 U.S. 586
    , 
    102 S. Ct. 1300
    , 
    71 L. Ed. 2d 475
     (1982). Thus,
    before determining whether to remand for application of Strickland v. Washington,
    
    466 U.S. 668
    , 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L. Ed. 2d 674
     (1984), the majority should have
    first asked whether Davis possessed a right to counsel to request a waiver of court
    costs.
    14
    January Term, 2020
    {¶ 38} The answer is most assuredly no. By its terms, the Sixth Amendment
    guarantees an accused the right “to have the [a]ssistance of [c]ounsel for his
    defen[s]e” against a “criminal prosecution[].”          Once the right to counsel
    commences through the initiation of a criminal prosecution, it applies to any
    “critical stage” of the proceedings. Rothgery v. Gillespie Cty., Tex., 
    554 U.S. 191
    ,
    212, 
    128 S. Ct. 2578
    , 
    171 L. Ed. 2d 366
     (2008). A stage is critical if appointed
    counsel is necessary to “guarantee effective assistance at trial.” Id. at 218 (Alito,
    J., concurring). The Supreme Court of the United States has never suggested that
    the right extends beyond the defense of criminal charges to include a right to
    counsel to seek a waiver of court costs.
    {¶ 39} Under Ohio law, a judge “shall include in the sentence the costs of
    prosecution * * * and render a judgment against the defendant for such costs.” R.C.
    2947.23(A)(1)(a). The judge, however, retains jurisdiction to “waive, suspend, or
    modify” the payment of costs “at the time of sentencing or at any time thereafter.”
    R.C. 2947.23(C).     Court costs are not a criminal sanction but rather a civil
    obligation that “may be collected only by the methods provided for the collection
    of civil judgments.” Strattman v. Studt, 
    20 Ohio St. 2d 95
    , 103, 
    253 N.E.2d 749
    (1969). Because court costs are a civil matter, the Sixth Amendment right to
    counsel “for defen[s]e” against a “criminal prosecution[]” simply does not apply.
    {¶ 40} Indeed, if one accepts the majority’s premise that there is a right to
    counsel to seek a waiver of court costs, there is no plausible justification to limit
    that right to the time of a defendant’s sentencing. If such a right is really guaranteed
    by the federal Constitution, then the defendant has the right to counsel whenever
    he decides to ask for a waiver of court costs.
    {¶ 41} That there is no Sixth Amendment right to counsel to ask for a
    waiver of court costs is not to say that counsel has no duty to advise his client about
    court costs and a possible waiver—counsel is always bound to provide “competent
    representation” to his client. See Prof.Cond.R. 1.1. And it may well be a good idea
    15
    SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
    as a policy matter for state and county public-defender offices to instruct appointed
    counsel to seek a waiver of court costs for indigent clients unless there are good
    reasons not to do so. But nothing in the Sixth Amendment requires that counsel be
    provided for that purpose. At the very least, before remanding for an assessment
    whether Davis was prejudiced by his counsel’s failure to file a motion to waive
    court costs at sentencing, the majority should consider whether the Sixth
    Amendment even guarantees such a right.
    {¶ 42} The majority protests that neither party has properly preserved the
    issue about the existence of a right to counsel to seek a waiver of court costs. But
    there is no way to determine whether Davis suffered a constitutional deprivation
    when his counsel failed to request a waiver without first determining whether the
    Constitution guarantees him a right to counsel for that purpose. As we have
    explained:
    When an issue of law that was not argued below is implicit in
    another issue that was argued and is presented by an appeal, we may
    consider and resolve that implicit issue. To put it another way, if we
    must resolve a legal issue that was not raised below in order to reach
    a legal issue that was raised, we will do so.
    Belvedere Condominium Unit Owners’ Assn. v. R.E. Roark Cos., Inc., 67 Ohio
    St.3d 274, 279, 
    617 N.E.2d 1075
     (1993). This is such a case. If there is no right to
    counsel to ask for a waiver of court costs, it is nonsensical to remand to ask if that
    right was violated. And if the majority’s concern is a lack of briefing, it would be
    far better for it to order additional briefing on the matter than to blithely presume
    the existence of a previously unrecognized constitutional right.
    {¶ 43} Furthermore, even setting aside the questionable underpinnings of
    the majority’s opinion, Davis has suffered no prejudice of a type that calls for a
    16
    January Term, 2020
    remand. As mentioned, a convicted criminal defendant has the option to ask a trial
    court to “waive, suspend, or modify” the payment of court costs “at the time of
    sentencing or at any time thereafter.” (Emphasis added.) R.C. 2947.23(C). So, if
    Davis is successful in the remand ordered by the majority, what he will get is no
    more than what he already has.
    {¶ 44} Indeed, we recently rejected an argument similar to the one that
    prevails today. In State v. Beasley, the trial court did not mention court costs during
    the sentencing hearing but imposed them in its entry. State v. Beasley, 153 Ohio
    St. 3d 497, 2018-Ohio-493, 
    108 N.E.3d 1028
    , ¶ 263. Beasley asked this court to
    order a remand, but we refused. Id. We held that a remand was not necessary in
    order for Beasley to file a motion to waive costs because R.C. 2947.23(C) already
    allowed him to do so. Id. at ¶ 265. Based on the majority’s decision today, Beasley
    was wrongly decided.
    {¶ 45} Finally, I agree with much of the first dissent’s analysis. The record
    does not demonstrate a reasonable probability that the trial court would have
    waived court costs had it been requested to do so. But I see no need to get to this
    issue. Because there is no Sixth Amendment right to counsel to request a waiver
    of court costs, Davis has not suffered a deprivation of his constitutional rights.
    _________________
    William Hayes, Licking County Prosecuting Attorney, and Clifford J.
    Murphy, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for appellee.
    Anzelmo Law and James A. Anzelmo; and Durst Law Firm and Alexander
    J. Durst, for appellant.
    Timothy Young, Ohio Public Defender, and Nikki Trautman Baszynski,
    Assistant Public Defender, urging reversal for amicus curiae, Office of the Ohio
    Public Defender.
    ___________________
    17