Jose Luis Carmonajaca v. the State of Florida

• Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida
• Decided: May 14, 2025
• Docket: 3D2023-2173
• Status: Published

Opinion

Third District Court of Appeal State of Florida

Opinion filed May 14, 2025. Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.

________________

No. 3D23-2173 Lower Tribunal No. M23-2175 ________________

Jose Luis Carmonajaca, Appellant,

vs.

The State of Florida, Appellee.

An Appeal from the County Court for Miami-Dade County, Elisabeth Espinosa Marin, Judge.

Carlos J. Martinez, Public Defender, and Deborah Prager, Assistant Public Defender, for appellant.

James Uthmeier, Attorney General, and Kayla Heather McNab, Assistant Attorney General, for appellee.

Before EMAS, SCALES and GOODEN, JJ.

PER CURIAM. Appellant Jose Luis Carmonajaca appeals his conviction and sentence

for battery. He raises two issues. First, he asserts that the trial court abused

its discretion by denying a cause challenge for a juror who allegedly showed

bias in favor of police officers. Second, he argues the trial court abused its

discretion by precluding cross-examination of the victim on her mental

health, including her prior thoughts of self-harm, her stay at a psychiatric

hospital, and an unused prescription for depression medication.

We disagree. A thorough review of the record and transcript

demonstrates that the trial court acted within its discretion in each instance.

See Mosley v. State, 349 So. 3d 861, 869 (Fla. 2022); Hedvall v. State, 283

So. 3d 901, 914 (Fla. 3d DCA 2019); Guzman v. State, 934 So. 2d 11, 16

(Fla. 3d DCA 2006); Whitby v. State, 933 So. 2d 557, 558 (Fla. 3d DCA

2006). As a result, we affirm.

Affirmed.