STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
JOHN T. MOORMAN, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 1985-09-18
No. 84-2526
RYDER, C.J., and SCHEB, J., concur.
475 So. 2d 312 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1985) Positive Treatment
Cited by 2 cases

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.

Synopsis

Florida appealed the dismissal of a perjury indictment against Moorman, who testified falsely before a grand jury. The court affirmed the dismissal because section 914.04's immunity provision foreclosed prosecution for perjury based on testimony given pursuant to a subpoena, though the legislature subsequently amended the statute to permit such prosecutions.


Holding

The indictment must be dismissed because section 914.04, as it existed at the time of Moorman's testimony, granted him immunity from prosecution for perjury based on testimony procured in response to a subpoena. Although the legislature subsequently amended section 914.04 in 1985 to permit perjury prosecutions, that amendment cannot be applied retroactively.


Headnotes

[1] A statutory grant of immunity forecloses prosecution for perjury committed during testimony procured in response to a subpoena issued for a purpose prescribed by the immu…

[2] Statutory immunity conferred upon a witness testifying before a grand jury pursuant to a subpoena prevents prosecution for perjury committed during that testimony.

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Key Quotes

“No person who has been duly served with a subpoena or subpoena duces tecum shall be excused from attending and testifying or producing any book, paper, or other document before any court having felony trial jurisdiction, grand jury, or state attorney upon investigation, proceeding, or trial for a violation of any of the criminal statutes of this state upon the ground or for the reason that the testimony or evidence, documentary or otherwise, required of him may tend to convict him of a crime or to subject him to a penalty or forfeiture, but no testimony so given or evidence so produced shall be received against him upon any criminal investigation or proceeding.”

The immunity statute that bars prosecution for perjury based on subpoenaed testimony

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Facts & Procedural History

On August 22, 1984, Moorman was subpoenaed to testify before a Pasco County grand jury. Two days later, the grand jury indicted him for perjury under …

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Opinion of the Court
FRANK, Judge.

FRANK, Judge.

The state appeals from the lower court’s order dismissing the indictment charging the appellee, John T. Moorman, with perjury. We are compelled to affirm the lower court’s order. The events giving rise to the indictment disclose that on August 22, 1984, Moorman was subpoenaed to and did testify before a Pasco County grand jury. Two days after his appearance before the grand jury, it found that Moorman had willfully testified falsely in an official proceeding when he stated that Gail Meyer made a $1,000.00 contribution to the campaign of Sheriff John M. Short. The indictment asserted the allegedly perjurious testimony to be violative of section 837.02, Florida Statutes, the “official proceedings” perjury statute. Moorman challenged the indictment in a multi-pronged motion to dismiss. Among the several grounds urged in support of the motion was the immunity shield conferred upon him by section 914.04, Florida Statutes, as it existed at that time, which provides as follows:

No person who has been duly served with a subpoena or subpoena duces te-cum shall be excused from attending and testifying or producing any book, paper, or other document before any court having felony trial jurisdiction, grand jury, or state attorney upon investigation, proceeding, or trial for a violation of any of the criminal statutes of this state upon the ground or for the reason that the testimony or evidence, documentary or otherwise, required of him may tend to convict him of a crime or to subject him to a penalty or forfeiture, but no testimony so given or evidence so produced shall be received against him upon any criminal investigation or proceeding.

On October 23, 1984, the date when the lower court considered and granted Moor-man’s motion to dismiss, the Supreme Court had not passed upon the question we certified to it in State v. Fowler, 447 So. 2d 296 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984).

Thus, the lower court was obligated to follow the reluctant but, as we point out below, ineluctable result reached by this court in Fowler. The question we certified in Fowler was prompted and ultimately controlled by the supreme court’s decision in The Florida Bar v. Doe, 384 So. 2d 30 (Fla.1980). The supreme court determined in Doe that a statutory grant of immunity, such as that provided in section 914.04, Florida Statutes, foreclosed prosecution under section 837.-02, Florida Statutes, for perjurious state ments uttered during testimony procured in response to a subpoena issued for a purpose prescribed in section 914.04.

Hence, based upon Doe, the supreme court left our Fowler decision intact. State v. Fowler, 466 So. 2d 210 (Fla.1985). In affirming Fowler, the supreme court observed that it, and we note that this court as well, “is not empowered to pass judgment on the wisdom of unequivocal legislative enactments.” 466 So. 2d at 211.

Thus, in the absence of legislative action altering the inescapable effect of section 914.04, the supreme court was unable to recede from its decision in Doe.

The lower court was bound to accord full obedience to the immunity granted Moorman by section 914.04, Florida Statutes. We do not, of course, pass upon the merits of the state’s contention that Moorman willfully testified falsely-

The unfortunate but operative consequence of section 914.04, however, has been cured. The legislature during its 1985 session enacted an amendment to section 914.04, with an effective date of May 28, 1985, to provide that “[s]uch testimony or evidence, however, may be received against [the subpoenaed witness] upon any criminal investigation or proceeding for perjury committed while giving such testimony or producing such evidence or for any perjury subsequently committed.” Thus, Doe and Fowler are no longer impediments to the prosecution of a witness who falsely testifies when appearing before a grand jury pursuant to a subpoena. We cannot, however, constitutionally give a retroactive effect to section 914.04 as it has been amended. Rodriguez v. State, 880 So. 2d 1123 (Fla. 2d DCA 1980).

Affirmed.

RYDER, C.J., and SCHEB, J., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Baker v. State, 480 So. 2d 659 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985)
    …g from Doe. [*660] The immunity statute has now been changed and adds language which permits prosecution for perjury when one lies while giving an immunized statement. § 914.04, Fla.Stat. (1985). It cannot be applied retroactively. State v. Moorman, 475 So. 2d 312 (Fla. 2d DCA 1985). The sentences are not in accordance with the law. One guideline sheet should be prepared, the points should be scored correctly and properly, and a legal sentence imposed. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(1); Gallagher v. State, 476 So. 2…

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