ELIZABETH JOHNSON, APPELLANT,
v.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Elizabeth Johnson appealed her bribery conviction, arguing the trial court violated her speedy trial rights under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.191(d)(3) by commencing trial more than 90 days after a state-requested continuance. The court reversed and remanded, holding that Johnson was entitled to discharge because she did not waive her speedy trial right by failing to continuously object to trial date resets.
The trial court erred in denying the motion to dismiss. Under the 90-day speedy trial rule established in Negron v. State and State v. Reese, a defendant must be brought to trial within 90 days of a state continuance if uninterrupted by defense motions or waivers. Johnson did not waive her speedy trial right by failing to continuously object to the trial date reset, and therefore was entitled to discharge.
[1] A trial court errs in denying a motion to dismiss under the speedy trial rule when the trial commences more than 90 days after a state-initiated continuance, provided the…
[2] A continuance granted by the trial court on its own initiative is treated as a state continuance for speedy trial rule purposes.
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“in the event of a State continuance, whether or not it follows an earlier defense continuance, the basic constitutional time limit, for the commencement of trial, is no more than 90 days after any State continuance, which is uninterrupted by any further defense motions for continuance or waivers, providing the requisite 180 days has also run under Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.191(a)(1)”
Establishes the controlling legal standard for speedy trial rights after a state continuance
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceJohnson was arrested on July 8, 1976. She requested a continuance on October 21, 1976, which was granted and trial was set for December 6, 1976. Due t…
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KEHOE, Judge.
Appellant, defendant below, brings this appeal from her judgment of conviction and sentence for bribery. We reverse.
The sole question presented by this appeal is whether the trial court erred in denying appellant’s motion to dismiss pursuant to the speedy trial rule, Florida Rule Criminal Procedure 3.191(d)(3), because her trial commenced more than 90 days after a State continuance, which period was uninterrupted by any defense motions, and after the requisite 180 days had run from the arrest date.
The facts pertinent to this cause may be summarized as follows: Appellant was arrested on July 8, 1976. On October 21, 1976, appellant moved for a continuance which was granted by the trial court. Trial was set for December 6, 1976. , However, trial was not held on December 6, 1976, because of a crowded court calendar. Upon its own initiative, the trial court set the trial for February 14, 1977. At this latter date, appellant indicated she was ready for trial; however, the trial court continued the case to March 7, 1977. On March 8, 1977, the trial court heard appellant’s motion to dismiss pursuant to the speedy trial rule, Florida Rule Criminal Procedure 3.191(d)(3). The ground for appellant’s motion was that more than 90 days had elapsed after a State, i. e., the trial court, requested continuance and that more than 180 days had elapsed after her arrest. The motion was denied by the trial court. Appellant was subsequently convicted of two counts of bribery.
Although seemingly simple, Rule 3.191 is compound in its complexities. However, predicated upon the facts in the instant cause, in our opinion the Florida Supreme Court in Negron v. State, 306 So. 2d 104 (Fla.1974), has supplied us with the answer to the instant problem. The Court in Neg-ron has applied the 90 day provision from Florida Rule Criminal Procedure 3.191(d)(3) by adopting its time provision for use as the standard for when a defendant must be brought to trial after a State continuance. We perceive no difference, nor have the appellant and appellee urged one, between a State continuance and continuance em-nating from the trial court, as was the case herein. In the recent case of State v. Reese, 359 So. 2d 33 (Fla. 4th DCA 1978), which followed Negron, the principle was instructively set-forth as follows:
“. . .in the event of a State continuance, whether or not it follows an earlier defense continuance, the basic constitutional time limit, for the commencement of trial, is no more than 90 days after any State continuance, which is uninterrupted by any further defense motions for continuance or waivers, provid ing the requisite 180 days has also run under Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.191(a)(1).” Id. at 34.
But cf. Coppola v. State, 318 So. 2d 181 (Fla. 2d DCA 1975) (90 day rule applies after motion for discharge is filed).
In the instant case, appellant moved to dismiss pursuant to Florida Rule Criminal Procedure 3.191(d)(3), 243 days after her arrest and 92 days after a State requested continuance. The State requested continuance was uninterrupted by any defense motions for continuance; however, appellee contends that, as found by the trial court in its denial of appellant’s motion to dismiss for breach of the speedy trial rule, appellant “acquiesced” in the resetting of her trial. Our review of the record reflects that appellant announced she was ready for trial, but did not specifically object to the resetting of her trial by the trial court on any speedy trial ground. At the time the trial court made its determination that appellant had “acquiesced” in the resetting of her trial, the trial court did not have the benefit of the Florida Supreme Court’s opinion in Stuart v. State, 360 So. 2d 406 (Fla.1978), which held that a defendant is under no obligation to continuously object to the setting of a trial date beyond the speedy trial limits where the defendant is continuously available for trial. Based on the principle set forth in Stuart and the facts herein, appellant did not waive her right to a speedy trial.
Accordingly, based upon the authorities set forth above, appellant is entitled to a discharge. Therefore, the cause is remanded to the trial court with directions to discharge appellant.
Reversed and remanded with directions.
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Citator
Cited By
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Honorable Robert A. Butterworth v. Fluellen, 389 So. 2d 968 (Fla. 1980)…e demand for a speedy trial. For the reasons expressed in this opinion, we quash the instant decision of the district court and disapprove of its decision in State v. Reese and the decision of the Third District Court of Appeal in Johnson v. State, 366 So. 2d 525 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979), cert. denied, 376 So. 2d 76 (Fla.1979). We remand this cause to the District Court of Appeal for further proceedings consistent with the views expressed in this opinion. It is so ordered. SUNDBERG, C. J., and ENGLAND, ALDERMAN…
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Fluellen v. Honorable Robert A. Butterworth, 372 So. 2d 943 (Fla. 4th DCA 1979)…waivers, PROVIDING that the requisite 180 days has also run under Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.191(a)(1).” (359 So. 2d at 34) This holding was based upon the decision of the Supreme Court in Negron v. State, 306 So. 2d 104 (Fla.1974). See also Johnson v. State, 366 So. 2d 525 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1979). In the case at bar when Petitioner moved for discharge more than 90 days had expired since a State continuance without interruption by any defense motions for continuance or waivers, and more than 180 days had expired since Pet…
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State v. Leonetti, 393 So. 2d 1199 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981)…lant was taken into custody and more than 90 days2 after the original trial date appellant moved for a discharge. The trial court granted the discharge citing State ex rel. Meredith v. Glickstein, 377 So. 2d 27 (Fla. 4th DCA 1979); Johnson v. State, 366 So. 2d 525 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978), cert. denied, 376 So. 2d 76 (Fla.1979); and State v. Reese, 359 So. 2d 33 (Fla. 4th DCA), cert. denied, 365 So. 2d 715 (Fla.1978), and was correct in doing so at that time. However, those cases have now been disapproved and effec…
Authorities Cited
- Ozzie Joseph Negron and Teresa Negron v. State, 306 So. 2d 104 (Fla. 1974)
- Alphonso Stuart v. State, 360 So. 2d 406 (Fla. 1978)
- State v. Reese, 359 So. 2d 33 (Fla. 4th DCA 1978)
- Coppola v. State, 318 So. 2d 181 (Fla. 2d DCA 1975)