RICHARD ELLIOTT HOPE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1984-04-11
No. 83-2492
GRIMES, A.C.J., and CAMPBELL, J., concur.
449 So. 2d 1319 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1984)
Cited by 1 case

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Synopsis

Richard Elliott Hope was convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to testify before a grand jury despite being granted use immunity, ordered by the court, and given opportunity to consult with counsel. The Florida Second District Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction, rejecting arguments that a son-father privilege excused his refusal and that the trial judge should have been recused.


Holding

The court affirmed Hope's contempt conviction, holding that no son-father privilege exists in Florida law, and that Hope's reliance on a nonexistent privilege did not excuse his refusal to testify. The court also held that the record did not support recusal, as Hope failed to demonstrate a well-grounded fear of an unfair trial.


Headnotes

[1] Refusal to testify before a grand jury after being granted use immunity, ordered to testify, and having consulted with counsel constitutes criminal contempt.

[2] A motion for recusal of a trial judge is properly denied when the defendant fails to demonstrate a well-grounded fear of not receiving a fair trial.

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Key Quotes

“defendant refused to testify before a grand jury despite having been granted use immunity, having been ordered by the court to testify, and having been given the opportunity to exit the grand jury room and consult with, and having consulted with, his attorney”

Establishes the factual basis for the contempt finding

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Facts & Procedural History

Hope was granted use immunity and ordered by the trial court to testify before a grand jury. Despite being given the opportunity to consult with his a…

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Opinion of the Court
LEHAN, Judge.

LEHAN, Judge.

Defendant appeals his judgment of conviction and sentence for criminal contempt. We affirm.

In its judgment the trial court found, inter alia, that the defendant refused to testify before a grand jury despite having been granted use immunity, having been ordered by the court to testify, and having been given the opportunity to exit the grand jury room and consult with, and having consulted with, his attorney. Similar conduct has been found to be contemptuous. See In re Before Third Statewide Grand Jury, 360 So. 2d 4 (Fla. 2d DCA 1978).

Defendant argues that the trial court erred in denying defendant’s motion for recusal of the trial judge. The record does not support defendant’s contention that the trial judge improperly prejudged the case and was prejudiced against defendant. Defendant did not demonstrate that he had a “well grounded fear that he [would] not receive a fair trial at the hands of the judge.” Livingston v. State, 441 So. 2d 1083, 1087 (Fla.1983), quoting State ex rel. Brown v. Dewell, 131 Fla. 566, 573, 179 So. 695, 697 (1938). See Hope v. State, 449 So. 2d 1315 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984), which involved similar proceedings against the father of the defendant in this case and similar contentions concerning the denial of a motion to recuse the trial judge.

Defendant also argues that his refusal to testify was grounded upon a privilege of a son not to testify against his father. Defendant refused to answer only those questions dealing with the activities of his father. However, defendant conceded that he consulted with his attorney prior to his refusal to testify. Accordingly, defendant should have been, and presumably was, aware that no such son-father privilege has been recognized in Florida. Despite defendant's cogent arguments for such a privilege, we are not persuaded that justice would be best served thereby.

As defendant argues, the great value of a son-father relationship has been recognized through the ages. However, the legislature has not created a son-father privilege. See §§ 90.501-90.506, Fla.Stat. (1983). Also, aside from the pros and cons of an asserted son-father privilege, no justifiable reason to favor the son-father relationship over certain other family relationships has been shown nor has a proper rationale in our view been shown to extend a privilege to those other family relationships. In the final analysis, the benefits of a family relationship has concomitant burdens, one of which the defendant bore in this case. Under the circumstances of this case defendant’s reliance upon a nonexistent privilege is insufficient to support his disclaimer of intent to be contemptuous. See Ward v. State, 354 So. 2d 438 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978).

AFFIRMED.

GRIMES, A.C.J., and CAMPBELL, J., concur.


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