People v. Smith

360 N.W.2d 841, 420 Mich. 1
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 28, 1984
Docket69449, (Calendar No. 12)
StatusPublished
Cited by94 cases

This text of 360 N.W.2d 841 (People v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Smith, 360 N.W.2d 841, 420 Mich. 1 (Mich. 1984).

Opinion

Williams, C.J.

The issue in this case is what should be the proper test for standing to seek suppression of illegally seized evidence where the requirements for both standing and the offense charged involve proof of a possessory interest. This issue relates to the police seizure of a stolen trailer from the open access parking lot of an abandoned restaurant. As to whether the defendant in this case has standing to challenge the search and seizure of that trailer, due to the inadequacy of the record we think it appropriate to remand this case to the trial court for a new suppression hearing. In addition, since the determination of the standing issue may make it unnecessary to resolve a second issue of whether the evidence resulting from the seizure should have been excluded, we will not reach this latter issue.

Defendant claimed "automatic standing,” citing People v Godwin, 94 Mich App 286; 288 NW2d 354 (1979), and arguing that because Const 1963, art 1, § 11 varies slightly from US Const, Am IV, it requires a more liberal interpretation. 1 Godwin relied on Jones v United States, 362 US 257; 80 S Ct 725; 4 L Ed 2d 697 (1960). Plaintiff contended that the test of "reasonable expectation of privacy” set forth in United States v Salvucci, 448 US 83; 100 S Ct 2547; 65 L Ed 2d 619 (1980), which overruled the "automatic standing” test of Jones, applies.

For this Court, this issue under art 1, § 11 of the *7 Michigan Constitution is for all intents and purposes an issue of first impression since Jones and Salvucci. For the United States Supreme Court, this issue under Am IV was settled in Salvucci. Under Salvucci, pp 92, 95, the test for standing is a "reasonable expectation of privacy.” Furthermore, Salvucci, p 85, expressly overruled the Jones test of "automatic standing.”

This Court’s first inquiry must be whether there are any policy considerations which commend the "automatic standing” test over the "reasonable expectation of privacy” test, and whether anything in the differences in language between art 1, § 11 and Am IV requires us to choose one test over the other. Upon consideration, we conclude that there are no policy considerations which incline us to adopt the "automatic standing” test and that there is nothing in the differences in language between art 1, § 11 and Am IV that requires or suggests the adoption of the "automatic standing” test. 2 We adopt a "reasonable expectation of privacy” test consonant with our search and seizure precedents. *8 We reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and overrule Godwin.

I. Facts

Defendant Smith was charged with receiving and concealing stolen property of a value over $100, to wit: a 45-foot van-type trailer. MCL 750.535; MSA 28.803. Following the preliminary examination, defendant, inter alia, filed a motion to suppress the trailer as evidence against him. Thereafter, an evidentiary hearing was conducted at which only one witness testified. That witness, Norman Anderson, was an investigator from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

In October of 1979, Mr. Anderson was provided with information concerning the theft of certain automobile transmissions. He learned that the stolen transmissions had been sold to a company in Dallas, Texas. In November of 1979, Mr. Anderson went to Dallas to investigate this report. He interviewed several employees of the recipient company. He was told that two tractor-trailer rigs had delivered the transmissions. One of the tractors was a Peterbilt and the other was a Ken-worth. The trailers were silver and appeared to be new. In addition, Mr. Anderson received four checks that had been given to the drivers of the vehicles in payment for the transmissions. One of the checks had been made payable to a Mr. Carr, and the other three were made payable to defendant Smith. The checks were indorsed by the parties and were marked with their operator license numbers. All of the checks had been cashed. These facts weye the basis of a different case against Messrs. Carr and Smith.

Several days after Mr. Anderson returned to Detroit, an attempt was made to locate Mr. Carr *9 and defendant Smith. On the morning of November 14, 1979, while in the company of FBI agent Tom Love and State Police officer Lyle Schroeder, Mr. Anderson went to Mr. Carr’s residence on Gainesboro, four and one-half blocks from Avon and Grand River in Detroit. They knocked on Mr. Carr’s door, but no one answered. The officers drove away, and at the intersection of Avon and Grand River they saw two tractor-trailer rigs parked in an abandoned restaurant lot. There was a fence around the lot, with two large openings in it for access. Upon closer inspection of the vehicles, the officers observed that one of the tractors was a Kenworth and the other was a Peterbilt. Inside the window of the Peterbilt, one of the officers saw a nameplate bearing defendant Smith’s name. The trailers looked relatively new. The Kenworth tractor was still attached to one of the trailers, and the Peterbilt was parked immediately in front of the second trailer. The first trailer bore vehicle identification numbers (VIN) indicating that it was a Fruehauf. The other trailer was unmarked except for two mud flaps on which were printed the name Fruehauf.

The officers ran a check on the license plates of the vehicles. They learned that the license plates on both trailers were registered to defendant Smith. In addition, although the plates had different numbers on them, they had both been assigned to the same Fruehauf trailer. The officers located the VIN on the first trailer and discovered that it was the trailer to which both license plates had been assigned. They were unable to find the VIN on the second trailer. They found the spot where the VIN plate is normally located, but the plate had been removed. The rivet marks were still apparent. The trailer also looked as though it had recently been painted.

*10 Mr. Anderson left the scene and returned to the police station. The State Police officer remained at the scene. In an effort to find out where the hidden VIN on the second trailer might be, Mr. Anderson attempted to contact someone in the commercial theft department. Mr. Anderson was unsuccessful in his attempt and thus decided to call Fruehauf. An employee of the company told him where the hidden VIN was located on Fruehauf trailers. Mr. Anderson returned to the parking lot. He had been gone for approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

When Mr. Anderson arrived at the lot, he crawled under the second trailer to look for the hidden VIN, but he was unable to find it. Apparently, different manufacturers put the hidden VIN in different locations. The officers then compared the physical appearance of the first trailer, which they knew to be a Fruehauf, with that of the second trailer. The two trailers were substantially dissimilar. The officers concluded that the second trailer was not in fact a Fruehauf.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
360 N.W.2d 841, 420 Mich. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-smith-mich-1984.