Sherman v. State

184 So. 843, 135 Fla. 243, 1938 Fla. LEXIS 1541
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedDecember 1, 1938
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 184 So. 843 (Sherman v. State) 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
Sherman v. State, 184 So. 843, 135 Fla. 243, 1938 Fla. LEXIS 1541 (Fla. 1938).

Opinion

Buford, J.

The writ of error brings for review judgment of conviction of the offense of perjury.

The plaintiff in error in brief has posed four questions for our consideration, as follows:

*244 “In a prosecution for perjury based upon alleged false testimony in a Circuit Court in a proceeding supplemental to execution under Chapter 7842, Acts of 1919 (C. G. L., Section 4540 et seq.) is the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court in such supplemental proceeding so established as to support a judgment of conviction when it does not appear that the execution upon which said proceeding purported to be based had been returned unsatisfied (or otherwise) to the Clerk or Court issuing the same when said supposed proceeding was instituted, nor when said testimony was given?

“2. In a prosecution for perjury, when it affirmatively appears from the evidence adduced by the State that the defendant in the same proceeding in which the supposedly false testimony was given, and before the conclusion of the taking of testimony therein, again testified and corrected the supposedly false statements, can the charge of perjury be maintained ?

“3. If the lower court was correct in its holding in repect of the last preceding question, then should such a correction of testimony by a witness be deemed not to be voluntary when no direct evidence is adduced by the State to prove that such correction was not voluntary?

“4. Can a conviction of perjury be sustained when no evidence of the falsity of the allegedly false testimony is adduced at the trial except the report of the subsequent testimony of the, defendant in the case in which the supposed perjury is alleged to have been committed, in which latter testimony such defendant acknowledged that incorrectness of his prior testimony and corrected the same?”

The first question may be answered by saying that the record shows that in the proceedings in which it was alleged the act of perjury was committed, affidavit was filed in the following language:

*245 “In The Circuit Court or The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of The State of Florida

“Stovall Properties, Inc., a corporation, Plaintiff, v. The Mirror, Catering, Inc., a corporation, Defendant.

“Affidavit for Proceedings Supplementary to Execution.

“State of Florida

“County of Hillsborough.

“Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared H. J. Watrous, Jr., who being by me first duly sworn, says that he is agent for Stovall Properties, Inc., Plaintiff in the above styled cause; that on to-wit, the 24th day of June, A. D. 1937, execution in favor of the plaintiff and against the defendant in the sum of One Thousand Four Hundred Twenty-three and 75-100 Dollars ($1,423.75) was issued in said cause; that said execution was placed in the hands of the Sheriff of Hillsborough County, for execution; that said Sheriff levied on property of the defendant of the value of Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00); that said execution remains in the hands of the Sheriff unsatisfied as to the remainder of the amount of said execution, to-wit, the sum of One Thousand One Hundred Seventy-three and 75/100 Dollars ($1,173.75) together with costs of said levy; that the return of the Sheriff on said execution so shows said execution to be unsatisfied as to the balance of the amount of said execution and that said Sheriff has been unable to locate any other property of the defendant upon which levy can be made; that said execution is valid and outstanding; that the defendant is a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State 9f Florida with its principal place of business in Hillsborough County, Florida; that the officers of said defendant corporation insofar as affiant has been able to determine are Frank Hunter, *246 President, Beatrice Hunter, Secretary, J. J. Schoenborn, Manager, all and each of them residents of Tampa, Hills-borough County, Florida.

H. J. Watrous, Jr.

“Sworn to and subscribed before me this 13th day of July A. D. 1937.

“(Seal) Lilla W. Griffin, Notary Public.

“(Indorsed as follows:)

“ ‘21664-L In the Circuit Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida. Stovall Properties, Inc., a corporation, Plaintiff, v. The Mirror, Catering, Inc., a corporation, Defendant. Affidavit for Proceedings Supplementary to Execution. Filed and docketed July 14, 1937. Chas. E. Culbreath, Clerk, by Odis E. May, D. C. Claibourne M. Phipps, Attorney for Plaintiff.’ ”

Thereupon the following order was entered:

“In The Circuit Court of The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of The State of Florida

“Stovall Properties, Inc., a corporation, Plaintiff, v. The Mirror, Catering, Inc., a corporation, Defendant.

“Order

“This cause coming on this day to be heard upon affidavit of plaintiff that execution in this cause is in the hands of the Sheriff of Hillsborough County, with a return thereon showing said execution to be unsatisfied, it is thereupon upon consideration thereof:

“Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed that the defendant, The Mirror, Catering, Inc., a corporation, and Frank Hunter, Beatrice Hunter and J. J. Shoenborn, alleged to be President, Secretary and Manager, respectively of said corporation, and each of them be and appear before the undersigned, L. L. Parks, one of the Judges of the above Court., *247 at his office in the Court House in the City of Tampa, Florida, at the hour of 9 o’clock in the forenoon on the 3rd day of August, A. D. 1937, then and there to be examined concerning the property of The Mirror, Catering, Inc., a corporation.

“Done and Ordered in Chambers at Tampa, Florida, this 14th day of July, A. D. 1937.

“L. L. Parks, Judge.”

This order was duly served. The affidavit was not traversed nor any of the allegations thereof denied. The affidavit above quoted contained all necessary allegations to give the Court jurisdiction to conduct the proceedings and to issue the order above quoted. The service of the order brought the parties before the court.

We, therefore, now consider the remaining questions together.

Subpoena was issued and served on the accused John Sherman and in response thereto he appeared before the Honorable L. L. Parks, and testified concerning a matter then and there material to the proceeding supplemental to execution. The record shows that John Sherman then and there in regard to such material matter knowingly, wilfully and designedly testified and deposed falsely. This occurred on the 16th and 17th day of August, 1937. Thereafter, on the 6th day of December, 1937, after the truth about the matter about which Sherman had testified had become known, he was again summoned before the Court and then it was that he testified as follows:

“Mr. Wolf :

“Q. Mr. Sherman, you are Manager of the City Transfer Company? A. Yes, sir.

“Q. You remember a hearing we.

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Bluebook (online)
184 So. 843, 135 Fla. 243, 1938 Fla. LEXIS 1541, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sherman-v-state-fla-1938.