STATE OF FLORIDA, PETITIONER,
v.
MICHAEL CLARK, RESPONDENT

Fla. 2d DCA | 1994-10-12
No. 94-03276
PARKER, A.C.J., and PATTERSON, J., concur.
644 So. 2d 556 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1994) Positive Treatment
Cited by 7 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

The Florida Supreme Court's Second District Court of Appeal granted certiorari to review a trial court's denial of the State's motion to compel a defendant to disclose penalty phase witnesses before conviction. The court held that Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220 applies to the penalty phase of capital cases regardless of whether the defendant has been convicted, requiring reciprocal discovery of witness lists.


Holding

The court held that Rule 3.220 applies to capital sentencing proceedings and requires reciprocal discovery of penalty phase witnesses regardless of whether the defendant has been convicted. The phrase 'or hearing' in Rule 3.220(d)(1)(A) encompasses sentencing proceedings, obligating a participating defendant to furnish prosecutors with witness lists even prior to conviction.


Headnotes

[1] Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220(d)(1)(A) obligates a defendant to furnish the prosecutor with a written list of the names and addresses of all witnesses whom the…

[2] The phrase "or hearing" in Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220(d)(1)(A) should be interpreted to include sentencing.

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Key Quotes

“Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220(d)(1)(A) obligates a participating defendant to furnish the prosecutor with a written list of the names and addresses of all witnesses whom the defendant expects to call 'at the trial or hearing.'”

Establishes the textual basis for requiring reciprocal discovery in capital cases

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Facts & Procedural History

Michael Clark was indicted for first-degree murder and arson. After invoking discovery provisions under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220, Clar…

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Opinion of the Court
LAZZARA, Judge.

LAZZARA, Judge.

The State of Florida seeks our certiorari review of the trial court’s order denying its motion to compel the respondent to furnish the names and addresses of witnesses he intends to call at the capital sentencing proceeding to be convened under section 921.141, Florida Statutes (1993), should he be convicted of first-degree murder.

We conclude that in denying the motion the trial court deviated from the essential requirements of the law, resulting in a miscarriage of justice to the state. State v. Pettis, 520 So. 2d 250 (Fla.1988).

Accordingly, we grant certiorari and quash the order. The respondent was indicted for first-degree murder and arson and thereafter invoked the discovery provisions of Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220. The state then filed a motion to compel the respondent to furnish a list of witnesses he intended to call at the penalty phase of the trial. The state relied principally on Booker v. State, 634 So. 2d 301 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994), for the proposition that rule 3.220 applies to the penalty phase of a capital ease. The respondent resisted the motion, contending that the reciprocal discovery provisions of the rule did not entitle the state to penalty phase witnesses until he had been convicted of capital murder. In Booker, the court denied the defendant’s petition for writ of certiorari which sought to quash the trial court’s order compelling him to provide reciprocal discovery pertaining to the penalty phase of the case. It noted that “Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220(d)(1)(A) obligates a participating defendant to furnish the prosecutor with a written list of the names and addresses of all witnesses whom the defendant expects to call ‘at the trial or hearing.’ ” 634 So. 2d at 302. The court then determined that “[t]he phrase ‘or hearing’ should be interpreted to include sentencing.” 634 So. 2d at 302. It concluded, therefore, that once the defendant elected to participate in discovery, he was then obligated to provide the state with reciprocal discovery as to the penalty phase.

The trial court distinguished Booker by noting the defendant in that case had pled guilty to first-degree murder. It concluded, therefore, that the holding of Booker should be limited to a procedural setting in which a defendant has already suffered a conviction for capital murder. In declining to follow Booker, the trial court specifically commented on the absence of any law governing the reciprocal penalty phase discovery obligation of a defendant prior to conviction.

Subsequent to the trial court’s ruling, however, we adopted the holding of Booker and applied it to a procedural setting in which a defendant had not yet been convicted of first-degree murder. Sexton v. State, 643 So. 2d 53 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994). We rejected the contention that rule 3.220 does not apply to capital sentencing proceedings, and thus upheld the trial court’s order requiring the defendant to provide reciprocal discovery of matters relating to the penalty phase of his trial. Accordingly, based on Sexton, we grant certiorari and quash the trial court’s order in this case.

We point out, however, that our opinion should not be construed as limiting a trial court’s authority under rule 3.220(k) and (l), upon good cause shown, to control the time and scope of reciprocal penalty phase discovery in order to protect the substantial rights of a person accused, but not convicted, of first-degree murder. Certiorari granted; order quashed.

PARKER, A.C.J., and PATTERSON, J., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Bailey v. State, 100 So. 3d 213 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012)
    …ert witnesses. Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 8.220, which delineates the reciprocal discovery rules used in criminal proceedings, applies to guilt and penalty phase proceedings. Abdool v. State, 53 So. 3d 208, 219-20 (Fla.2010); State v. Clark, 644 So. 2d 556, 556 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994); Sexton v. State, 643 So. 2d 53, 53 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994); Booker v. State, 634 So. 2d 301 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994). The rule requires disclosure of “reports or statements of experts made in connection with the particular case, inclu…
  • Davis v. State, 73 So. 3d 304 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011)
    …discovery in the trial and penalty phases of a capital case.” 634 So. 2d 301, 302 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994). The Second District favorably cited Booker in two cases, each holding that Rule 3.220 extends to sentencing in capital cases. See State v. Clark, 644 So. 2d 556, 557 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994); Sexton v. State, 643 So. 2d 53 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994).3 From a policy perspective, this is logical as sentencing hearings often involve evidentiary issues which may have not been addressed at trial. Issues such as mitigation or…
  • State v. British Moss, 194 So. 3d 402 (Fla. 3d DCA 2016)
    …nd evidence that a defendant intends to present at the penalty phase. Abdool v. State, 53 So. 3d 208, 219-20 (Fla.2010); Bailey v. State, 100 So. 3d 213, 216 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012); Davis v. State, 73 So. 3d 304, 308 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011); State v. Clark, 644 So. 2d 556 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994); Booker v. State, 634 So. 2d 301 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994). In addition, rule 3.220(k) allows a trial court to alter the timing of disclosure but only upon a showing of good cause. Times Pub. Co. v. State, 903 So. 2d 322, 326-27 (Fla. 2…

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