In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases – Report No. 2014-03

156 So. 3d 1037, 2015 WL 358011
Supreme Court of Florida·Decided January 29, 2015·No. SC14-465·Published

Opinion

Supreme Court of Florida ____________

No. SC14-465 ____________

IN RE: STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN CRIMINAL CASES—REPORT NO. 2014-03.

[January 29, 2015]

PER CURIAM.

The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal

Cases (Committee) has submitted a report proposing changes to the standard

criminal jury instructions and asks the Court to authorize the amended standard

instructions for publication and use. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla.

Const.

The Committee proposes changes to the following six standard criminal jury

instructions: (1) 11.1, Sexual Battery–Victim Less Than 12 Years of Age; (2) 11.2,

Sexual Battery–Victim 12 Years of Age or Older–Great Force; (3) 11.3, Sexual

Battery–Victim 12 Years of Age or Older–Specified Circumstances; (4) 11.4,

Sexual Battery–Person 12 Years of Age or Older; (5) 11.5, Solicitation of Child

Under 18 Years of Age to Engage in an Act that Constitutes Sexual Battery by Person in Familial or Custodial Authority; and (6) 11.6, Sexual Battery Upon Child

12 Years of Age or Older but Under 18 Years of Age by Person in Familial or

Custodial Authority.

The Committee previously proposed amendments to Criminal Jury

Instruction 11.1. The Court declined to authorize the proposed changes due to a

lack of supporting legal authority for certain proposed changes and a perceived

logical inconsistency in the table of lesser-included offenses. See In re Std. Jury

Instrs. in Crim. Cases—Report No. 2012-05, 131 So. 3d 755, 756 (Fla. 2013). We

asked the Committee to reconsider its proposal. The current report provides the

legal support previously found lacking and clarifies the Committee’s reasoning

with respect to the table of lesser-included offenses. After the Committee’s report

was filed with the Court, the proposed changes were published in The Florida Bar

News and comments were solicited. No comments were filed.

In reconsidering its proposed changes to instruction 11.1, the Committee

discovered additional issues affecting not only instruction 11.1 but also instructions

11.2–11.6. All six instructions are amended in order to include all the possible

ways the various offenses can be committed based on the statutory language

defining the offenses. Other changes are made to conform the instructions and

notes to the statutory language and caselaw. Obsolete notes and comments are

-2- deleted from the instructions. The tables of lesser-included offenses are revised for

technical correctness and consistency.

Upon consideration of the Committee’s report, we authorize the amended

instructions, as set forth in the appendix to this opinion, for publication and use.1

New language is indicated by underlining, and deleted language is indicated by

struck-through type.

In authorizing the publication and use of these instructions, we express no

opinion on their correctness and remind all interested parties that this authorization

forecloses neither requesting additional or alternative instructions nor contesting

the legal correctness of the instructions. We further caution all interested parties

that any comments associated with the instructions reflect only the opinion of the

Committee and are not necessarily indicative of the views of this Court as to their

correctness or applicability. The instructions as set forth in the appendix shall be

effective when this opinion becomes final.

It is so ordered.

LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, POLSTON, and PERRY, JJ., concur.

1. The amendments as reflected in the appendix are to the Criminal Jury Instructions as they appear on the Court’s website at www.floridasupremecourt.org /jury_instructions/instructions.shtml. We recognize that there may be minor discrepancies between the instructions as they appear on the website and the published versions of the instructions. Any discrepancies as to instructions authorized for publication and use after October 25, 2007, should be resolved by reference to the published opinion of this Court authorizing the instruction.

-3- NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND IF FILED, DETERMINED.

Original Proceedings – Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases

Judge Jerri Lynn Collins, Chair, Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases, Sanford, Florida; Judge Joseph Anthony Bulone, Past Chair, Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases, Clearwater, Florida; and Bart Neil Schneider, Staff Liaison, Office of the State Courts Administrator, Tallahassee, Florida,

for Petitioner

-4- APPENDIX

11.1 SEXUAL BATTERY — VICTIM LESS THAN 12 YEARS OF AGE § 794.011(2), Fla. Stat.

To prove the crime of Sexual Battery upon a Person Less Than 12 Years of Age, the State must prove the following three elements beyond a reasonable doubt:

1. (Victim) was less than 12 years of age.

Give 2a, 2b, 2c, or 2d as applicable. 2. a. (Defendant) committed an act [upon] [with] (victim) in which the sexual organ of the [(defendant)] [(victim)] penetrated or had union with the [anus] [vagina] [mouth] of the [(victim)] [(defendant)].

b. (Defendant) committed an act [upon] [with] (victim) in which the [anus] [vagina] of [(victim)] [(defendant)] was penetrated by an object.

c. (Defendant) injured the sexual organ of (victim) in an attempt to commit an act [upon] [with] (victim) in which the sexual organ of the [(defendant)] [(victim)] would have penetrated or would have had union with the [anus] [vagina] [mouth] of the [(victim)] [(defendant)].

d. (Defendant) injured the sexual organ of (victim) in an attempt to commit an act upon (victim) in which the [anus] [vagina] of (victim) would be penetrated by an object.

Give 3a or 3b as applicable. 3. a. (Defendant) was 18 years of age or older at the time of the sexual battery.

b. (Defendant) was less than 18 years of age at the time of the sexual battery.

-5- Give if applicable. However, any act done for bona fide medical purposes is not a sexual battery. Definition. Give if applicable. “Union” means contact.

Give if requested. Khianthalat v. State, 974 So. 2d 359 (Fla. 2008). Consent of (victim) is not a defense to the crime charged.

Give if requested. § 794.022, Fla. Stat. (Victim’s) lack of chastity is not a defense to the crime charged.

§ 794.021, Fla. Stat. Ignorance of (victim’s) age, (victim’s) misrepresentation of his or her age, or a defendant’s bona fide belief of (victim’s) age is not a defense to the crime charged.

In the event that multiple perpetrators is charged and proven, give instruction on enhancement. § 794.023, Fla. Stat.

The option of the word “[with] (victim)” in 2a and 2c is provided to reflect the manner in which the crime was committed. See Coleman v. State, 484 So.2d 624 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986), at pages 627, 628.

Lesser-Included Offenses

SEXUAL BATTERY — VICTIM UNDER 12 — 794.011(2)(a)–(b) CATEGORY ONE CATEGORY TWO FLA. STAT. INS. NO. Battery 784.03(1)(a)1 8.3 Solicitation by person in 794.011(8)(c) 11.5 familial authority Attempt 777.04(1) 5.1 Assault Aggravated battery 784.011 8.18.4 784.045(1)(a) Felony Battery 784.041(1) 8.5 Aggravated assault 784.021(1)(a) 8.2 Aggravated battery Assault 784.045(1)(a) 8.4 8.1 784.011

-6- Comment

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In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases – Report No. 2014-03, 156 So. 3d 1037, 2015 WL 358011 (Fla. 2015).

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