STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
SANDRA MARIE LAZARRE, APPELLEE
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.
The State appeals a trial court's order discharging a defendant based on expiration of speedy trial time. The court held that a demand for speedy trial filed before the state files an information is a nullity and does not trigger the speedy trial deadline, reversing the discharge order.
A demand for speedy trial filed before the state files an information is a nullity and does not commence the running of speedy trial time under rule 3.191(b). The state filed the information within the 175-day speedy trial period from arrest, so no violation occurred.
[1] A demand for speedy trial filed prior to the filing of an information or indictment by the state is a nullity.
[2] The speedy trial time under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.191(b) commences upon the filing of a demand for speedy trial after the filing of an information or indic…
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“every person charged with a crime by indictment or information shall have the right to demand a trial within 60 days, by filing with the court a separate pleading entitled "Demand for Speedy Trial"”
Establishes the requirement under Rule 3.191(b) that a demand can only be filed by a person charged with a crime, which Lazarre was not at the time of her demand
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceLazarre was arrested on December 4, 2003, for possession of a counterfeit driver's license, triggering a 175-day speedy trial period. On January 9, 20…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Discharge cases and more on FLexlaw
WARNER, J.
The state appeals a trial court’s order granting the defendant’s motion for discharge. The defendant filed her demand for speedy trial prior to the filing of an information in the case. Because a demand for speedy trial filed prior to the filing of the information is a nullity, we reverse. See State v. Branam, 434 So. 2d 950, 950 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983).
Lazarre was arrested on December 4, 2003 and charged with possession of a counterfeit driver’s license. The 175-day time frame in which the state was required to bring her to trial commenced on that date. See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.191(a). On the same day, she bonded out of jail and was given an arraignment date of January 9, 2004. Her counsel entered a notice of appearance, waived arraignment, entered a plea of not guilty, and demanded a jury trial. On the date of the arraignment, the state announced “no action.” That same date, Lazarre filed a demand for speedy trial. On April 7, 2004, the state then filed an information charging Lazarre with giving false information to obtain health care licensure, unauthorized possession of a driver’s license, and perjury by false written declaration. Lazarre moved for discharge pursuant to the expiration of speedy trial time from her demand, and the trial court ordered her discharge. The state appeals.
Rule 3.191(b) provides:
(b) Speedy Trial Upon Demand. Except as otherwise provided by this rule, and subject to the limitations imposed under subdivisions (e) and (g), every person charged with a crime by indictment or information shall have the right to demand a trial within 60 days, by filing with the court a separate pleading entitled “Demand for Speedy Trial,” and serving a copy on the prosecuting authority.
(emphasis added). Lazarre’s demand for speedy trial was filed on January 9, 2004, three months before the information was filed. Therefore, it was a nullity and did not commence the running of the speedy trial time under rule 3.191(b). State v. Hill, 313 So. 2d 766 (Fla.1975); State ex. rel. Hanks v. Goodman, 253 So. 2d 129 (Fla.1971); Branam, 434 So. 2d at 950 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983); State v. Gravlee, 276 So. 2d 480 (Fla.1973); Smith v. State, 444 So. 2d 542 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984), receded from on other grounds by Hughes v. State, 701 So. 2d 378 (Fla. 1st DCA 1997) (all holding that demands for speedy trials filed prior to filing of information or indictment by state were a nullity).
The trial court relied on Genden v. Fuller, 648 So .2d 1183, 1185 (Fla.1994), which held “the speedy trial time begins to run when an accused is first taken into custody and continues to run when the State voluntarily terminates prosecution before formal charges are filed and the State may not file charges based on the same conduct after the speedy trial period has expired.” That case, however, is distinguishable because it involved a rule 3.191(a) speedy trial discharge, rather than a rule 3.191(b) demand for trial.
Genden followed State v. Agee, 622 So. 2d 473 (Fla.1993), in which the defendant had filed a demand for speedy trial after the state filed an information charging Agee with a crime. The state nolle prossed the information and then later refiled the information. The court held that the nolle prosequi did not toll the running of the statute of limitations, and the state could not refile the charges after the running of the speedy trial time. However, Agee is distinguishable because the state filed the information before the defendant filed his demand for speedy trial.
Neither Genden nor Agee overruled Hill, which held that a speedy trial motion filed prior to an information is a nullity. Thus, Lazarre’s filing of the demand for speedy trial had no effect. The state filed the information within the 175-day speedy trial time. Therefore, the trial court erred in granting Lazarre’s motion for discharge based upon the expiration of speedy trial time.
Reversed and remanded for reinstatement of charges against Lazarre.
POLEN and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Juan v. Simmons, 46 So. 3d 1133 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010)…[*1134] PER CURIAM. DENIED. State v. Lazarte, 906 So. 2d 314 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005); see also McKinney v. Yawn, 625 So. 2d 885 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993). BENTON, PADOVANO, and CLARK, JJ., concur.…
Authorities Cited
- State v. Agee, 622 So. 2d 473 (Fla. 1993)
- State of Fla. ex rel. Terry Michael Hanks & Rudolph Frank Seymour v. The Honorable Murray Goodman, 253 So. 2d 129 (Fla. 1971)
- Genden v. Fuller, 648 So. 2d 1183 (Fla. 1994)
- State v. Thompson, 444 So. 2d 542 (Fla. 3d DCA 1984)
- State v. Gravlee, 276 So. 2d 480 (Fla. 1973)
- State v. Hill, 313 So. 2d 766 (Fla. 1975)
- Hughes v. State, 701 So. 2d 378 (Fla. 1st DCA 1997)
- State v. Branam, 434 So. 2d 950 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983)