In Re Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases—report No. 2014-06

191 So. 3d 411, 2016 WL 2586287
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMay 5, 2016
DocketSC14-1909
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 191 So. 3d 411 (In Re Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases—report No. 2014-06) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases—report No. 2014-06, 191 So. 3d 411, 2016 WL 2586287 (Fla. 2016).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (Committee) has submitted a report proposing amendments to two existing standard criminal jury instructions. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

The Committee proposes amending instructions 3.6(f) — Justifiable Use of Deadly Force and 3.6(g) — Justifiable Use of Non-Deadly Force. Before filing its report with the Court, the Committee published its proposals in The Florida Bar News. Four comments were received. Upon consideration of the comments, the Committee modified the language in various parts of its proposals. The Committee did not republish its proposals.

After the Committee filed its report, the Court published the Committee’s proposals for comment. A comment was received from the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Committee received a comment from an individual commentator. The Court thereafter granted the Committee’s request to 'amend its pro-posáis. Having considered the Committee’s report and amended proposals, the comments filed, and the Committee’s response, we hereby'authorize for publication and use instructions 3.6(f) and 3.6(g), with the modification, discussed below.

We decline to authorize for publication and use the Committee’s proposed note to trial judges in both instructions regarding the applicability of the forcible felony instruction. The forcible felony instruction is based on section 776.041(1), Florida Statutes (2015), and instructs jurors that a defendant's, use or threatened use of force is not justified if he or she attempted to commit; committed, or was in the process of escaping from the commission of a forcible felony. This Court has previously held that use of the forcible felony instruction is limited to those cases in which the defendant is charged with committing an independent forcible felony. Martinez v. State, 981 So.2d 449, 457 (Fla.2008). The note proposed by the Committee, however, states that the forcible- felony instruction should be given if there is evidence the defendant committed an independent forcible felony. The proposed note is thus inconsistent with our existing ease law on the issue of when the forcible felony instruction should be given. Because we are concerned that the proposed note’s inconsistency with our case law will create unnecessary confusion and litigation, we decline to authorize it for publication and use. 1

We also refer instruction 3.6(f) back to the Committee for consideration of whether the instruction should be amended to include language addressing a defendant’s duty to retreat under section 776.013(3), *413 Florida Statutes (2015). The enactment of chapter 2014-195, § 4, Laws of Florida, significantly revised language in section 776.013(3), Florida Statutes, pertaining to the circumstances under which a defendant does not have a duty to retreat before using force. The proposal submitted by the Committee, while addressing a defendant’s duty to retreat under sections 776.012(2) and 776.031(2), Florida Statutes, does not address' 1 'a defendant’s duty to retreat under section 776.013(3), Florida Statutes. We are concerned that instruction 3.6(f) as proposed by the Committee does not fully address the circumstances under which a defendant does not have a duty to retreat before using force. We therefore refer instruction 3.6(f) back to the Committee for it to consider whether the instruction should be amended to include language' addressing a defendant’s duty to retreat under section 776.013(3), Florida Statutes.

Accordingly, the instructions, as set forth in the appendix to this opinion,- are authorized for publication and use. 2 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. New language is indicated by underlining and deleted language is indicated by struck-through type. 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.

Appendix

3.6(f) JUSTIFIABLE USE OF DEADLY FORCE

Because there are many defmsessta-tutes applicable to self-defense, give only those parts of the instructions that are required by the evidence. However, unless the evidence establishes the force or threat of force was deadly or non-deadly as a matter of law, both 8.6(f) and 8.6(g) must be given, Mathis v. State, 863 So.2d 863 (Fla. 1st DCA 2004). Only the discharge of a firearm, whether accidental or not, has been deemed to be the use of deadly force as a matter of law. Hosnedl v. State, 126 So.Sd UPO (Fla, tfh DCA 2013).

Read in all cases.

An-issue- in this case -is whether - the defendant acted in self defense. It is a defense to the offense with which (defendant-)-is charged if the [death-of]-⅛-jur-y-to j- (victim) resulted from crime[s] of (name[s] of relevant crime[s]) if the actions of (defendant) constituted the justifiable use of deadly force.

Definition.

*414 “Deadly force” means force likely to cause death or great bodily harm.

Both Chapter 776 and § 782.02, Fla. Stat., address the justifiable use of deadly force.

Give if applicable. ■§ 782.02, Fla. Stat.

The use of deadly force is justifiable onlyif the defendant reasonably believ-esd that the force iswas necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to [himself] [herself] while resisting:

1. another’s attempt to murder [him] [her], or
2. any attempt to commit (applicable felony) upon [him] [her], or
3. any attempt to commit (applicable felony) upon or in any dwelling, residence, or vehicle occupied by [him] [her].

insert-mid defineGive the elements of the applicable felony that defendant alleges victim attempted io commit, but omit any reference to burden of proof. See Montijo v. State, 61 So.3d 424 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011).

Give if applicable. §§ 776.012(2), 776.031(2)j Fla. Stat.

the right to stand [his] [her] ground . A-person-is(Defendant) was justified in [using] [or] [threatening to use] deadly force if [he] [she] reasonably believesd that such [force] [or] [threat of force] iswas necessary to prevent [imminent death or great bodily harm to [himself] [herself] [or] [another] [or] [the immi-s O ⅞ 00 ⅞ ⅜ 55’ o cb I - 5T i-S ⅝ fb § V p ⅛ sr te ST ÍL ¡3* p ⅛ ¡3 O &

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191 So. 3d 411, 2016 WL 2586287, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-standard-jury-instructions-in-criminal-casesreport-no-2014-06-fla-2016.