THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
MEREDITH JONES, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 1990-05-08
No. 89-2322
Before BARKDULL, NESBITT and BASKIN, JJ.
562 So. 2d 740 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1990) Caution
Cited by 4 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 appeals the suppression of a taped phone conversation between the defendant and her friend. The court affirms the suppression, holding that the defendant, as an aggrieved person under Florida's wiretapping statute, had standing to challenge whether her friend voluntarily consented to the interception.


Holding

The court held that the defendant is an aggrieved person under Florida Statute § 934.02(9) and therefore has standing under § 934.09(9)(a) to move for suppression of the conversation. The conversation must be suppressed because the defendant's friend did not voluntarily consent to the interception.


Headnotes

[1] A law enforcement officer may intercept a communication if one party consents and the purpose is to obtain evidence of a criminal act.

[2] An "aggrieved person" includes a party to an intercepted communication or a person against whom the interception was directed.

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Key Quotes

“a person who was a party to any intercepted wire, oral, or electronic communication or a person against whom the interception was directed”

Statutory definition of aggrieved person under section 934.02(9) establishing who has standing to challenge illegal interceptions

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Facts & Procedural History

Police investigating the sale of Metro Dade Fire Department promotion examinations went to the home of the defendant's friend, a county employee. Afte…

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Opinion of the Court
NESBITT, Judge.

[*741] NESBITT, Judge.

The state appeals an order suppressing a taped phone conversation. We affirm.

Through chapter 934 our legislature has acted to protect the privacy of wire, oral and electronic communication. See § 934.01, Fla.Stat. (1989). Section 934.03, Florida Statutes (1989), prohibits the intentional interception of any wire, oral, or electronic communication except as specifically provided by chapter 934. Section 934.03(2)(c) allows a law enforcement officer to intercept a communication when one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to such interception and the purpose of such interception is to obtain evidence of a criminal act. Section 934.09(9)(a) permits any aggrieved person to bring an action to suppress the contents of an unlawful interception, and section 934.02(9) defines an “aggrieved person” as “a person who was a party to any intercepted wire, oral, or electronic communication or a person-against whom the interception was directed.”

In the instant case, police, investigating the sale of Metro Dade Fire Department promotion examinations, went to the home of the defendant’s friend, a county employee. After approximately one hour, officers persuaded her to phone the defendant, a Metro Dade computer operator, and discuss the sale. The defendant claims that her friend was coerced into making the call. The friend agrees she was nervous, she was not read the consent form which she eventually signed in the wrong place, she was frightened, and she was pressured into cooperating. The defendant, as an aggrieved person to an unlawful interception, § 934.09(9), claimed the conversation should be suppressed because her friend had not voluntarily consented to place the call. § 934.03(2)(c). We agree.

The trial court was empowered to make a credibility assessment as to the employee’s testimony that she was coerced into calling the defendant. Further, the defendant is clearly an aggrieved person under the statute’s definition and therefore under section 934.09(9)(a) she had the right to move for suppression of the eonversation. In fact, at the suppression hearing the state conceded that the defendant had the right to question the voluntary nature of her friend’s consent to make the call. See State v. Schmitz, 450 So. 2d 1254 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984).

Notwithstanding its earlier concession, the state here cites federal case law and claims the defendant cannot assert a right personal to the employee claiming coercion. See Rawlings v. Kentucky, 448 U.S. 98, 100 S.Ct. 2556, 65 L.Ed.2d 633 (1980). We disagree. The state’s authority to utilize a taped conversation arises only through chapter 934. Consequently, the state must accept the legislative definition of an aggrieved person as set forth in the same legislative enactment. The legislature has clearly provided that any person who is a party to an unlawful interception may seek to suppress the content of an improperly intercepted message. The right of privacy is a fundamental right which demands compelling state interest standards. Winfield v. Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, Dept. of Bus. Reg., 477 So. 2d 544 (Fla.1985). The defendant was clearly free to assert her friend’s lack of voluntary consent.

Accordingly, the order to suppress is affirmed.


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Cited By

  • Isom v. State, 619 So. 2d 369 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993)
    …Cutler’s consent was not voluntary. The trial court ruled that defendant did not have standing to contest the volun-tariness of Cutler’s consent and denied the motion to suppress. While the ruling based on standing was in error, see State v. Jones, 562 So. 2d 740 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990), we conclude that the point is not properly preserved for appellate review. There was no proffer of evidence bearing on the issue of voluntariness.3 The other errors claimed with respect to denial of the motion to suppress are wit…
  • Gutierrez v. State, 967 So. 2d 322 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007)
    …State, 594 So. 2d 264, 266 (Fla.1992). The trial court is in the best position to evaluate the credibility of witnesses, and appellate courts are obligated to give the trial court great deference in making such findings of fact. See State v. Janes, 562 So. 2d 740 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990). Gonzalez cites to Jones for the proposition that the trial court improperly denied his motion to suppress with respect to this phone call. First, Jones is consistent with our decision today because in both cases we give proper d…

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