State v. Clayton

110 So. 2d 111, 236 La. 1093, 1959 La. LEXIS 980
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedMarch 23, 1959
Docket44362
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 110 So. 2d 111 (State v. Clayton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Clayton, 110 So. 2d 111, 236 La. 1093, 1959 La. LEXIS 980 (La. 1959).

Opinion

SIMON, Justice.

Wayne H. Clayton was indicted under LSA-R.S. 14:71, as amended by Act 156 of 1956, for issuing a worthless check in exchange for the sum of $75 cash. He was found guilty by a jury of the “unauthorized use of a movable” as denounced by LSA-R.S. 14:68, and sentenced to pay a fine of $100 and costs, and to serve four months in the parish jail, and in default of payment of fine and costs an additional two months’ confinement. Wherefore this appeal.

It appears that, prior to sentence being imposed, the defendant filed a motion in arrest of judgment wherein the constitutionality of Act 156 of 1956 amending LSA-R.S. 14:71 was assailed. The motion was sustained by the lower court from which judgment the State appealed. In proceedings before us bearing No. 43,473 of our docket 233 La. 972, 99 So.2d 312, the judgment appealed from was reversed, the statute held constitutional, and the case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings, specifically the imposition of sentence.

Upon being called into court for sentence, the defendant filed a motion in arrest of judgment on the ground that the verdict of “unauthorized use of a movable” is not responsive to the charge of “issuing worthless checks”.

*1098 The contention of the defendant was rejected, to which ruling he reserved a bill of exception. The defendant.was then sentenced by the trial court under the penalty provisions of LSA-R.S. 14:68. The merits of this bill is the sole issue here presented.

The interrelated provisions of our law dealing with responsive verdicts are to be found in LSA-R.S. 14:5, 15:386, 15:405, 15:406. These statutes declare:

LSA-R.S. 14:5: “An offender who commits an offense which includes all the elements of other lesser offenses, may be prosecuted for and convicted of either the greater offense or one of the lesser and included offenses. In such case, where the offender is prosecuted for the greater offense, he may be convicted of any one of the lesser and included offenses.”
LSA-R.S. 15:386: “Whenever the indictment sets out an offense including other offenses of less magnitude or grade the judge shall charge the jury the law applicable to all offenses of which the accused could be found quilty under the indictment. The only responsive verdicts which may be rendered, and upon which the judge shall charge the jury, where the indictment charges the following offenses are: * * * ” (Then follows the list of responsive verdicts to named specific charges, and from which will be observed the omission of responsive verdicts to the charge of “issuing worthless checks”.)
LSA-R.S. 15:405: “The verdict must be responsive to the indictment, that is to say, no one can be found guilty of an offense not charged in the indictment or not necessarily included in the offense charged; and no verdict can be of any effect if found upon an indictment so defective as to charge no crime.”
LSA-R.S. 15:406: “When the crime charged includes another of lesser grade, a verdict of guilty of the lesser crime is responsive to the indictment, and it is of no moment that the greater offense is a felony and the lesser a misdemeanor.”
Under LSA-R.S. 14:71: “Issuing worthless checks is the issuing in exchange for anything of value, with intent to defraud, of any check, draft, or order for the payment of money upon any bank or other depository, knowing at the time of the issuing that the offender has not sufficient credit with the bank or other depository for the payment of such check, draft, or order in full upon its presentation.
“The offender’s failure to pay such a check, draft, or order, within ten days after the receipt by him of written no *1100 tice of its nonpayment upon presentation, shall be presumptive evidence of his intent to defraud. * * * ”
LSA-R.S. 14:68 declares: “Unauthorized use of movables is the intentional taking or use of any movable which belongs to another, either without the other’s consent, or by means of fraudulent conduct, practices or representations, but without any intention to deprive the other of the movable permanently. The fact that the movable so taken or used may be classified as an immovable, according to the law pertaining to civil matters, is immaterial. * * * »

As a result of the provisions of the foregoing statutes, the sole question posed is whether the elements of the crime of issuing worthless checks (the greater offense) necessarily contains all of the elements of the crime of unauthorized use of a movable (the lesser offense).

From a study of the crime of issuing worthless checks, supra, its provisions peremptorily emphasizes its necessary elements to be: (1) with the intent to defraud; (2) what is received in exchange for the check, draft, or order for the payment of money has some value; and (3) with knowledge at the time of issuance that the offender has insufficient credit with the bank or other depository for payment thereof.

On the other hand, the necessary elements of the crime of unauthorized use of movables is: (1) the intentional taking or use of a movable belonging to another; (2) without the owner’s consent, or by means of fraudulent conduct, practices or representations ; and (3) but without any intention to deprive the owner of the movable permanently.

Thus it is readily seen that the elements of the lesser offense are not necessarily contained in the definition of the greater offense. A comparison unquestionably demonstrates that the greater offense does not include all the legal and factual elements of the lesser offense. One of the necessary and essential elements of the crime of issuing worthless checks is that the act be committed “with intent to defraud”, while on the other hand one of the necessary and essential elements of the crime of “unauthorized use of movables” is that the act be committed without any intention to deprive the other (owner) of the movable permanently”.

As was said in State v. Alphonse, 154 La. 950, 98 So. 430, 431. (LSA-R.S. 14:71):

“In prosecutions under this statute, one of the essential ingredients of the crime is fraudulent intent. It is sacramental that an intent to defraud be al *1102 leged and proved.”' See State v. McLean, 216 La. 670, 44 So.2d 698.

The word “defraud” is defined by Webster’s New International Dictionary, 2d Ed., Unabridged: “To deprive of some right, interest, or property, by deceit; to cheat; as to defraud a servant, a creditor, the state; * * * ” (Italics ours). The synonymous word “cheat” is also defined as: “To deprive of something valuable by use of deceit ; to practice fraud upon; to defraud; swindle; as, to cheat a man out of his savings * * *.”♦ (Italics ours.)

The Encyclopedia Dictionary defines the term as meaning: “To deprive of a right, by zvithholding from another, * * * that which he has a right to claim or obtain.” (Italics ours.)

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Bluebook (online)
110 So. 2d 111, 236 La. 1093, 1959 La. LEXIS 980, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-clayton-la-1959.