STATE
v.
CATALANO

9th Cir. Ct. App. Div. | 2013-03-20
No. 2011-AP-41
1 FLCA 2811 Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, Appellate Division (2013)

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Synopsis

Appellant challenged the suppression of evidence from a vehicle stop based on an allegedly unconstitutional statute (Florida's "Boom Box" law). The court affirmed the denial of the suppression motion, holding that the Good Faith Exception to the exclusionary rule applied because law enforcement could not reasonably have known of the statute's constitutional invalidation just hours after the invalidating opinion was published.


Holding

The court affirmed the denial of the suppression motion, holding that the Good Faith Exception to the Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule applies and that the trial court did not err. A reasonably trained law enforcement officer could not have known of Catalano's holding just hours after its publication, and the Catalano opinion was not final until affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court over a year later.


Headnotes

[1] The Good Faith Exception to the Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule applies when law enforcement officers act in reliance on a statute that is later declared unconstitutio…

[2] A law enforcement officer cannot reasonably be expected to know of a judicial holding invalidating a statute immediately upon its publication, especially when the decisio…

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Key Quotes

“There is no way a reasonably trained law enforcement officer could have known, indeed should have known of the holding of that case.”

Establishes the basis for applying the Good Faith Exception—officers could not have had actual or constructive knowledge of the constitutional invalidity just hours after the opinion's publication.

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Facts & Procedural History

Appellant's vehicle was stopped at 11:00 p.m. on May 11, 2011, based on alleged violations of section 316.3045, Florida Statutes (the "Boom Box" law).…

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Opinion of the Court

Before POWELL, LAUTEN, and MIHOK, J.J.

PER CURIAM.

FINAL ORDER AFFIRMING TRIAL COURT

Appellant appeals from an order denying his pretrial motion to suppress evidence stemming from the stop of his vehicle based upon an alleged violation of section 316.3045, Florida Statutes, colloquially known as Florida’s “Boom Box” law. We dispense with oral argument pursuant to Florida Appellate Rule 9.320, and affirm.2 of 3

Appellant argues that since section 316.3045 had been held constitutionally invalid at the time of the stop by the Second District Court of Appeal in State v. Catalano, 60 So. 3d 1139 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011), the stop was likewise invalid.

We agree with the State, however, and conclude that the Good Faith Exception1 to the 4th Amendment Exclusionary Rule applies to the facts of this case, and that the trial court did not err in denying the motion. The stop occurred at 11:00 p.m. on May 11, 2011, just a few hours after the Catalano opinion had been published that same day. There is no way a reasonably trained law enforcement officer could have known, indeed should have known of the holding of that case. Further, the Catalano court in its opinion certified to the Florida Supreme Court an issue of great public importance; thus its opinion was not final until it was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court over a year later.2 State, 710 So. 2d 635 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998), and it was not challenged again until Catalano.

AFFIRMED.

DONE AND ORDERED at Orlando, Florida this 20th day of March, 2013.

/S/

ROM W. POWELL Senior Judge

/S/

/S/

FREDERICK J. LAUTEN A. THOMAS MIHOK Circuit Judge Circuit Judge

I HEREBY CERTIFY that a copy of the foregoing order was furnished to James Steven Fisher, Assistant Public Defender, 435 N. Orange Avenue, Ste. 400, Orlando, Florida 32801; Dugald McMillan, Assistant State Attorney, 415 N. Orange Avenue, Ste. 200, Orlando, Florida 32802-1673, this 20th day of March, 2013.

/S/

Judicial Assistant

Footnotes
1 See Illinois v. Krull, 480 U.S. 340 (1987); Montgomery v. State, 69 So. 3d 1023 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011) (agreeing with Catalano that the later version of the statute was unconstitutional, but applying the Exclusionary Rule Exception thus validating the stop made thereunder. 2 See Catalano v. State, 104 So. 3d 1069 (Fla. 2012). 3 of 3 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
2 It might also be noted that our Fifth District Court of Appeal had upheld the statute’s constitutionality in Davis v.

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