ANDREA HOLLOWAY COBB, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Andrea Holloway Cobb appeals her conviction for attempted murder and aggravated battery, challenging the trial court's denial of her motion for mistrial and exclusion of expert testimony regarding involuntary intoxication. The appellate court affirms both rulings, holding that Cobb's knowing and excessive use of prescription medications beyond prescribed dosages does not qualify for the involuntary intoxication defense under Florida law.
The court affirmed the exclusion of the expert testimony because Cobb's knowing and excessive use of prescription medicines foreclosed any claim that she had taken those medicines 'pursuant to a lawful prescription.' The involuntary intoxication defense under Florida law is limited to circumstances where medication was prescribed and taken as prescribed by the patient.
[1] Voluntary intoxication is not a defense to any criminal offense under Florida law.
[2] Evidence of voluntary intoxication is inadmissible to show a lack of specific intent or insanity, except when the controlled substance was used pursuant to a lawful presc…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Voluntary intoxication resulting from the consumption, injection, or other use of alcohol or other controlled substance as described in chapter 893 is not a defense to any offense proscribed by law.”
Establishes the general prohibition on voluntary intoxication as a defense under Florida Statutes section 775.051
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceCobb shot her former lover and a bystander. In the weeks leading up to the shooting, Cobb exceeded the prescribed dosages of Xanax by four to five tim…
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PER CURIAM.
Appellant, Andrea Holloway Cobb, raises two issues on appeal of her conviction for attempted murder and aggravated battery. We affirm the trial court’s denial of Cobb’s motion for mistrial without further comment. We also affirm the trial court’s decision to exclude the testimony of defense expert Dr. Gary Jacobsen because it appeared irrelevant to any issues at trial. In doing so, however, a brief discussion of the law regarding the defense of involuntary intoxication is warranted.
Cobb sought to introduce Dr. Ja-cobsen’s testimony for the purpose of establishing that Cobb was involuntarily intoxicated at the time she shot her former lover and a bystander. Upon proffer by the defense, Dr. Jacobsen opined that Cobb’s behavior resulted from the use of various prescription and over-the-counter medications combined with the effects of an organic brain disorder. According to Dr. Jacobsen, Cobb had exceeded the prescribed dosages of Xanax by four to five times and Paxil by three to four times in the weeks leading up to the shooting. While Dr. Jacobsen testified that Cobb knew she was exceeding the prescribed dosages, he asserted that she interpreted the negative side effects as symptoms of her psychological disorders rather than side effects of overdosing on these medicines. As a result, Cobb would take more and more Xanax and Paxil thinking her condition would improve. The defense argued that this excessive dosing resulted in Cobb’s involuntary intoxication because she had no way of knowing that it would culminate in a violent episode.
We agree with the trial court’s determination that Dr. Jacobsen’s testimony could have only supported a voluntary rather than an involuntary intoxication defense. Through enactment of section 775.051, Florida Statutes, the Legislature has all but eliminated the defense of voluntary intoxication. That statute provides:
Voluntary intoxication resulting from the consumption, injection, or other use of alcohol or other controlled substance as described in chapter 893 is not a defense to any offense proscribed by law. Evidence of a defendant’s voluntary intoxication is not admissible to show that the defendant lacked the specific intent to commit an offense and is not admissible to show that the defendant was insane at the time of the offense, except when the consumption, injection, or use of a controlled substance under chapter 893 was pursuant to a lawful prescription issued to the defendant by a practitioner as defined in s. 898.02.
(Emphasis added). The Legislature expressly limited the use of an intoxication defense to those circumstance where the defendant’s lack of specific intent or insanity is attributable to the use of a prescription medicine “pursuant to a lawful prescription.” In this instance, the statutory language is “clear and unambiguous,” and must therefore “be given its plain and ordinary meaning.” Dep’t of Educ. v. Cooper, 858 So. 2d 394, 396 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003).
We conclude that Cobb’s knowing and excessive use of prescription medicines foreclosed any claim that she had taken those medicines “pursuant to a lawful prescription.” Our conclusion is not inconsistent with the Fourth District Court’s decision in Brancaccio v. State, 698 So. 2d 597 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997), a case heavily relied upon by Cobb. There, the court held that the appellant was entitled to a jury instruction on involuntary intoxication while observing:
Because a patient is entitled to assume that an intoxicating dose would not be prescribed or administered by a physician, where intoxication results from medicine which has been prescribed (and taken as prescribed) or administered by a physician, such intoxication is generally considered involuntary.
Id. at 599 (emphasis added) (quoting Phillip E. Hassman, Annotation, When Intoxication Deemed Involuntary so as to Constitute a Defense to Criminal Charge, 73 A.L.R.3d 195 (1976)). In this case, Cobb did not claim that she had been prescribed or administered an intoxicating dose. Nor did she claim that she had taken her medications as prescribed. Thus, the admissibility of Dr. Jacobsen’s testimony in support of Cobb’s involuntary intoxication defense is not compelled by Brancaccio or section 775.051. Accordingly, Cobb’s judgment and sentence is AFFIRMED.
ERVIN, KAHN, and VAN NORTWICK, JJ., CONCUR.
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Montero v. State, 996 So. 2d 888 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008)…698 So. 2d 597 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997). A claim of this type of involuntary intoxication, i.e., a claim under the statutory exception, does not apply where the defendant abuses the prescribed medication by exceeding the prescribed dosage. Cobb v. State, 884 So. 2d 437 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004). Appellant did not allege that he took the hydrocodone and alprazolam in the prescribed dosage, or that he advised counsel that he unexpectedly became intoxicated as a result of taking his lawful prescription. Hydrocodone and al…
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In re Standard Jury Instructions IN Crim. Cases-Report 2012-07, 122 So. 3d 302 (Fla. 2013)…the time the crime was allegedly committed. A person is considered involuntarily intoxicated to the point of insanity when: Give a orb as applicable. a. § 775.051 Fla. Stat.; Brancaccio v. State, 698 So. 2d 597 (Fla, 4th DCA 1997); Cobb v. State, 884 So. 2d 437 (Fla. 5th [1st ] DCA 2001.). 1. (Defendant) was lawfully prescribed [ (name of Chapter 893 substance) ] by a practitioner. 2. (Defendant) [used] [consumed] [injected] [ (name of Chapter 893 substance) ] as it was prescribed and directed by the pra…
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Stimus v. State, 995 So. 2d 1149 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008)…commit the crime. Because involuntary intoxication is an affirmative defense, Stimus had the burden to establish the defense and present evidence that he was taking the medication as prescribed and pursuant to a lawful prescription. Cobb v. State, 884 So. 2d 437, 439 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004) (defendant’s voluntary ingestion of prescription and over-the-counter medications in amounts exceeding prescribed dosages did not support claim of involuntary intoxication, rather supported finding of voluntary intoxication…
Previewing 3 of 6 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Brancaccio v. State, 698 So. 2d 597 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997)
- Delbridge Edwards v. State, 858 So. 2d 394 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003)
- Fla. Dep't OF Educ. v. Cooper, 858 So. 2d 394 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003)