Kevin J. Sullivan v. Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections

MARCUS, Circuit Judge:

The Secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections (“Secretary”) appeals the district court’s grant of federal habeas corpus relief to petitioner Kevin Sullivan based on Sullivan’s claim that he received ineffective assistance of counsel when his trial attorney advised him to turn down the State’s plea offer and proceed to trial based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the relevant state law. After thorough review, and with the benefit of oral argument, we conclude that the petitioner was denied the effective assistance of counsel in violation of the Sixth…