HARRY J. AIKEN ET AL., PETITIONERS,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
The Florida Supreme Court resolved a conflict between district courts regarding whether intent for sexual gratification is a required element of sexual battery under Florida law. The Court held that sexual gratification is not a necessary element of the crime, and that the statute protects individuals' sexual privacy from violence regardless of the defendant's motive.
The Florida Supreme Court held that intent for sexual gratification is not an element of sexual battery. The statute is satisfied by non-consensual penetration as defined in the statute, and Chapter 794 demonstrates a clear legislative intent to protect individuals' sexual privacy from violence without requiring proof of sexual gratification as a motive.
[1] The sexual battery statute is violated when a sexual attack is made, regardless of any sexual gratification motives, provided the battery falls within the statutory defin…
[2] Intent for sexual gratification is not a necessary element of the crime of sexual battery under Florida Statute section 794.011.
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“a desire for sexual gratification is not a necessary element to the crimes charged in these consolidated cases”
The Fourth District's core holding that sexual gratification is not required as an element of sexual battery
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceHarry Aiken and Fred Davis were charged with sexual battery. Aiken was charged with oral, anal, and vaginal penetration of a female without consent wh…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Sexual Battery Statute Construction cases and more on FLexlaw
ADKINS, Justice.
By petition for certiorari we have for review a decision of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, State v. Aiken, 370 So. 2d 1184 (Fla. 4th DCA 1979), which conflicts with a prior decision of another district court of appeal on the same point of law. State v. Alonso, 345 So. 2d 740 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977). We have jurisdiction pursuant to article V, section 3(b)(3), Florida Constitution (1972).
This appeal involves two criminal cases in which the defendants/appellants are charged with the crime of sexual battery, proscribed by section 794.011, Florida Statutes (1977). The trial court dismissed the informations in both cases because they contained no allegation of criminal intent to obtain sexual gratification.
The only issue before us is whether the sexual battery statute is violated when a sexual attack is made, regardless of any sexual gratification motives, provided the battery falls within the statutory definition set out below.
“Sexual battery” means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object; however, sexual battery shall not include acts done for bona fide medical purposes.
Section 794.011(l)(f), Florida Statutes (1977).
Informations were filed against appellants Aiken and Davis as follows. In the case of State v. Aiken, Count II of the information alleges that defendant:
n the 17th day of March 1977 in the County of Palm Beach and State of Florida, did commit sexual battery upon [A.G. W.], a person over the age of eleven (11) years, without her consent, to-wit: by ocal, anal and vaginal sex and in the process thereof did use or threaten to use a deadly weapon, to-wit: knife, razor, or other sharp instrument or did threaten to use actual physical force likely to cause serious personal injury, contrary to Florida Statute 794.011(3) ...
In the case of State v. Davis, Count I alleged that:
[Tjn the County of Palm Beach and State of Florida, on the 13th day of February in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and seventy seven in the County and State aforesaid, Fred Davis did commit sexual battery upon [G.P.], a person over the age of eleven (11) years, without her consent, to-wit: sexual intercourse and in the process thereof did use or threaten to use a deadly weapon, to-wit: a gun, and did use actual physical force, to-wit: striking [G.P.] on head with a gun, likely to cause serious personal injury, contrary to Florida Statute 794.011(3)
Count II alleged that defendant Davis:
[O]n the 13th day of February 1977 in the County of Palm Beach and State of Florida, did commit sexual battery upon [G.P.], a person over the age of eleven (11) years, without her consent, to-wit: sexual intercourse and in the process thereof did use or threaten to use deadly weapons, to-wit: an axe, pitchfork, and did use actual physical force, to-wit: hitting [G.P.] in face with fist, cutting said person with pitchfork, and swinging an axe, likely to cause serious personal injury, contrary to Florida Statute 794.011(3)
Appellants filed motions to dismiss these charges because the information failed to allege intent for sexual gratification. After argument, the trial court granted appellant’s motions on the authority of State v. Alonso, 345 So. 2d 740 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977). The court in Alonso upheld a trial judge’s conclusion that in order to be convicted of the crime of involuntary sexual battery a defendant must be charged with intent to attain sexual gratification.
In the case sub judice, the state appealed the decision of the trial court. The appeals were consolidated in the Fourth District Court of Appeal, which reversed the trial court, holding that intent for sexual gratification is not an element of sexual battery.
We agree with the decision of the Fourth District Court of Appeal. For the court, Judge Beranek wrote:
Our review of the Alonso and Hendricks [Hendricks v. State, 360 So. 2d 1119 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978)] cases and of the prior decisions construing the rape statute convinces us that a desire for sexual gratification is not a necessary element to the crimes charged in these consolidated cases. Here we are dealing with sexual batteries alleged to have been committed by males upon females with the male’s sexual organ. No foreign objects are involved. We, therefore, do not consider the question of intent to gain sexual gratification where the actor used a foreign object. It is simply our decision that a desire for sexual gratification is not a necessary element to a sexual battery as charged here. Chapter 794 of the Florida Statutes shows a clear intent to protect an individual’s sexual privacy from violence. The Florida Legislature is clearly within its legislative prerogative in making criminal the particular conduct involved here.
Chapter 794 proscribing sexual battery says nothing .. . about a desire for sexual gratification and we see nothing improper in this approach.
State v. Aiken, 370 So. 2d at 1185, 1186.
The decision of the Third District Court of Appeal in Alonso is overruled. The decision of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in the case sub judice is approved.
It is so ordered. SUNDBERG, C. J., and BOYD, OVER-TON, ENGLAND, and ALDERMAN, JJ., concur. McDONALD, J., concurs specially with an opinion, with which OVERTON, ENGLAND and ALDERMAN, JJ., concur.
McDONALD, Justice,
specially concurring.
I concur with the majority opinion but also agree with the specially concurring opinion of Judge Dauksch in this cause and the specially concurring opinion of Judge Schwartz in Surace v. State, 378 So. 2d 895 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1980). Like Judge Schwartz, I would go further and hold that the attainment of sexual gratification is not an element of the crime in question, and that a violation of the sexual battery statute occurs whenever, as in this case, there is an intentional, non-consensual intrusion into the sexual privacy of another. Id. at 899.
OVERTON, ENGLAND and ALDERMAN, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Grunzel v. State, 484 So. 2d 97 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986)…accused. However, it is clear that application of the statute to these facts was well within the intent of the legislature. Chapter 794 of Florida Statutes shows a clear intent to protect an individual’s sexual privacy from violence. Aiken v. State, 390 So. 2d 1186 (Fla.1980) “[A] violation of the sexual battery statute occurs whenever ... there is intentional, non-consensual intrusion into the sexual privacy of another.” Surace v. State, 378 So. 2d 895, 899 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980) (Schwartz, J., specially concurri…
-
Kirby v. State, 625 So. 2d 51 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993)…y of battery where he did not insert his fingers or any other object into the victim’s vagina. We disagree. Section 794.011, Florida Statutes (1989), the sexual battery statute, protects an individual’s sexual privacy from violence. Aiken v. State, 390 So. 2d 1186 (Fla.1980); Gruzel v. State, 484 So. 2d 97 (Fla. 1st DCA1986); Surace v. State, 378 So. 2d 895, 897 (Fla. 3d DCA1980).. Section 794.011(l)(h) defines “sexual battery” as “oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of anot…
-
State v. Rider, 449 So. 2d 903 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984)…ect such a contention,” id. at 1129 (emphasis added). We agree. [*905] A As pointed out by the fifth district in Smith, the sexual battery statute, § 794.011, Fla.Stat. (1981), proscribes a crime of violence, not a crime of sex. See Aiken v. State, 390 So. 2d 1186 (Fla.1980); Smith, 401 So. 2d at 1129. Sexual gratification is not an element of sexual battery. “ ‘Chapter 794 of the Florida Statutes shows a clear intent to protect an individual’s sexual privacy from violence,’ ” Aiken at 1187 (quoting State v.…
Previewing 3 of 8 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Hendricks v. State, 360 So. 2d 1119 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978)
- Rocco James Surace v. State, 378 So. 2d 895 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980)
- State v. Aiken, 370 So. 2d 1184 (Fla. 4th DCA 1979)
- State v. Alonso, 345 So. 2d 740 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977)