Mosley v. State

182 So. 3d 797, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 137, 2016 WL 56448
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJanuary 6, 2016
Docket2D13-4395
StatusPublished

This text of 182 So. 3d 797 (Mosley v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mosley v. State, 182 So. 3d 797, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 137, 2016 WL 56448 (Fla. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

SILBERMAN, Judge.

Tonya. Catrice Mosley appeals her convictions and sentences for (1) battery on a person over sixty-five years of age .and (2) felony battery (prior battery conviction). Mosley admitted that she sprayed eighty-nine-year-old Haywood Roberts and his grandson Barrett Roberts with pepper spray. She contended at trial that she acted 1 in - self-defense after Haywood hit her with his- cane. -Mosley argues on appeal that the trial court erred in excluding defense witness Julius Little and in excluding photographs of her.injuries. Because the trial court committed harmful error in excluding a significant defense witness, we reverse and remand for a new trial.

• Just before 'the start of Mosley’s trial, the prosecutor advised the trial court that he was informed the prior afternoon that the defense added a witness, Julius Little. The prosecutor had not had an opportunity to speak with Little and objected to adding a witness after the jury had been selected. Defense counsel told the court that she had not known Little’s exact identity and had not located him until the prior day when Mosley knocked on Little’s door. Little had been misidentified at a prior hearing as Julo Little rather than Julius Little, and he was an -eyewitness to the altercation involving Mosley, Hayward Roberts, and Barrett Roberts.

The trial court noted that jeopardy had attached and it would have to declare .a mistrial to allow the State to have more time. The prosecutor objected to the witness and to a mistrial. The defense requested a brief break to allow the State to depose the witness. Because the jury was impaneled and it was scheduled as a one-day trial, the trial court denied the. request. The trial court stated that the defense could make a proffer later. The defense moved for a mistrial and informed the court that Little was potentially the only unbiased witness. '

The. trial judge stated, “Given the situation I find it is prejudicial.” But the court did not explain the nature of the prejudice to the State., The judge,also stated, “I am not saying there is any willful violation. It was inadvertent since you didn’t know about it. The disclosure is too little too *800 late. We are ready to start the trial.” The court noted the State’s objection, excluded the witness, and denied the motion for mistrial.

Before- the defense called its first witness, the court asked the prosecutor if he had an opportunity to talk to the witness and if that removed any prejudice. • The prosecutor said he talked to Little but still objected. The prosecutor wanted a typed transcript because Little was “very combative and very upset to be here” and was screaming at the prosecutor and “[ajccus-ing .the prosecutor of calling .him a liar.” The court stated it would fake a proffer at the. end of trial.

The evidence presented at trial included videos Mosley recorded with.-her cell phone on the morning of the, incident. Mosley is Hayward Robert’s niece by marriage. The videos capture some of the verbal sparring between Mosley and a woman in the neighborhood and between Mosley and Hayward that occurred prior to the incident. Mosley engaged in a particularly vulgar tirade, and State’s witnesses testified that Haywood was telling Mosley to stop cursing because they were close to a home daycare with children in the vicinity. State’s.witnesses also testified that Mosley sprayed Haywood with pepper spray first. Then, while stumbling around and under the effects of the peppier spray, Haywood began swinging his cane. Defense witnesses, however, testified that Haywood attacked Mosley with his cane and that Mosley then used the pepper spray.

At the conclusion of the evidence, the trial court allowed the proffer of Little’s testimony. Little stated that Mosley and Hayward Roberts were his cousins, that he loved both of his cousins, and that he was not trying to take sides. He considered himself neutral. He was outside sitting on his step , across the street at the time of the altercation. He saw Hayward hit Mosley with his cane three or four times on her side and then saw Mosley spray Hayward with pepper spray. Little did not want Mosley to go to prison for defending herself. Little admitted to having “[pjrobably like” thirty-five felony convictions.

Mosley contends on appeal that the trial court conducted an inadequate Richardson 1 hearing as to the late disclosure of defense witness Little. The appellate court reviews the exclusion of evidence for a discovery violation for an abuse of discretion. Grace v. State, 832 So.2d 224, 226-27 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002). A trial court can. properly exercise its discretion only after an adequate Richardson inquiry that addresses “(1) whether the discovery violation was willful or inadvertent; (2) whether it was trivial or substantial; and (3) whether it had a prejudicial effect on the opposing party’s trial preparation.” McDuffie v. State, 970 So.2d 312, 321 (Fla.2007). Prejudice in the Richardson context means procedural prejudice that significantly affects the trial preparation of the opposing party. Id, The appellate court “will review the record to determine if this full inquiry was made and if the trial court’s actions pursuant to the inquiry were proper.” Id.

Even if the trial court finds that the defense discovery violation causes substantial procedural prejudice to the State, the trial court must make further inquiry. “First, the judge must decide whether the discovery violation 1 prevented the aggrieved party from properly preparing for trial. Second, the judge must determine the appropriate sanction to invoke for the violation.” Id. at 322 (quoting Smith v. State, 372 So.2d 86, 88 (Fla.1979)).

*801 Because the trial court excluded a defense witness, Mosley’s fundamental right to present witnesses in her defense must also be considered. See id. at 321. Although Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.220(n)(l) allows a trial court to exclude a witness to sanction a discovery violation, the trial court should exclude a witness only when no other remedy is adequate. Id. When a trial court determines that a discovery violation is not willful or blatant, the sanction of exclusion of a witness “is generally too severe ‘when the only prejudice to the State is its inability to obtain evidence for impeachment of the witness.’” Id. (quoting Grace, 832 So.2d at 227). In considering the exclusion of relevant evidence, the trial court must “conduct an adequate inquiry to determine whether other reasonable alternatives can be employed to overcome or mitigate, any possible prejudice.” Sanchez-Andujar v. State, 60 So.3d 480, 485 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011). (quoting Wilkerson v. State, 461 So.2d 1376, 1379 (Fla., 1st DCA 1985)). When a continuance or other remedy is unavailable to allow the State to prepare for the late disclosure of exculpatory evidence, “the proper course of action is to declare a mistrial” as provided for in rule 3.220(n)(l). Id. at 486.

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Related

Wilkerson v. State
461 So. 2d 1376 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1985)
Solorzano v. State
25 So. 3d 19 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2009)
McDuffie v. State
32 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 763 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2007)
Smith v. State
372 So. 2d 86 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1979)
Richardson v. State
246 So. 2d 771 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1971)
Grace v. State
832 So. 2d 224 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2002)
State v. DiGuilio
491 So. 2d 1129 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1986)
SANCHEZ-ANDUJAR v. State
60 So. 3d 480 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2011)

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Bluebook (online)
182 So. 3d 797, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 137, 2016 WL 56448, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mosley-v-state-fladistctapp-2016.