State v. Fahner

794 So. 2d 712, 2001 WL 1093048
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedSeptember 19, 2001
Docket3D00-2574
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 794 So. 2d 712 (State v. Fahner) 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
State v. Fahner, 794 So. 2d 712, 2001 WL 1093048 (Fla. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

794 So.2d 712 (2001)

The STATE of Florida, Petitioner,
v.
Joanne FAHNER, Respondent.

No. 3D00-2574.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.

September 19, 2001.

*714 Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, and Roberta G. Mandel, Assistant Attorney General, for petitioner.

Bennett H. Brummer, Public Defender, and Bruce Rosenthal, Assistant Public Defender, for respondent.

Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and COPE and SORONDO, JJ.

COPE, J.

Under Florida law, a subpoena can be issued for an individual's hospital records upon "proper notice by the party seeking such records to the patient or his or her legal representative." § 395.3025(4)(d), Fla. Stat. (Supp.1998). In this case the State issued an investigative subpoena for the hospital records of respondent Joanne Fahner, defendant below, but defendant did not receive notice that the State had done so.

The question presented by this petition for writ of certiorari is whether the State is permitted to issue a second subpoena for the same hospital records, upon proper notice. We conclude that the answer is yes. In so ruling, we agree with the Fifth District's opinion in State v. Manney, 723 So.2d 928 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999), and Judge Polen's dissent in State v. Rutherford, 707 So.2d 1129, 1133-34 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997) (en banc).

I.

The State conducted an investigation of the defendant for driving under the influence ("DUI") with property damage,[1] and reckless driving.[2] The date of the offense was November 17, 1998.

On December 2, 1998, the assistant state attorney signed a "Notice of Investigative Subpoena for Medical Records," intended for the defendant. The notice indicated that the State would serve a subpoena in ten days on Mariners Hospital for the defendant's post-accident medical records, and that this notice was being given pursuant to section 395.3025, Florida Statutes.[3]

According to the defendant's brief in the circuit court, "On or about December 2, 1998, the State of Florida either attempted to serve the Defendant or mail to the Defendant a Notice of Investigation Subpoena for Medical Records. The Defendant was never served with the aforesaid Notice nor was she in possession of the Notice."

On December 15, 1998, the State filed an information, and later an amended information, charging defendant with DUI and reckless driving. At some point, counsel was appointed for defendant.

*715 At the end of December, the state served its subpoena on the records custodian of Mariners Hospital, and the hospital produced the defendant's medical records in response to the subpoena.

Defendant moved to suppress the hospital records, contending that the defendant never received notice of the State's subpoena. The county court granted the motion, but ruled that the State could resubpoena the hospital records upon giving proper notice to the defendant.

The State issued a new subpoena and gave proper notice. The defense objected to the subpoena. Relying on the Fourth District's Rutherford decision, the defendant argued that the State cannot be given a second opportunity to subpoena the same hospital records. See Rutherford, 707 So.2d at 1132-33. The county court instead decided to follow the Fifth District decision in State v. Manney. The county court overruled the defense objection and allowed the State to issue a second subpoena for the defendant's hospital records.

Thereafter the defendant entered into a plea agreement with the State whereby she pled guilty but reserved the right to appeal the order allowing the issuance of a second subpoena for her hospital records.[4] The defendant appealed to the circuit court. The appeal was heard by a single circuit judge, who found the Fourth District decision in Rutherford to be more persuasive than the Fifth District decision in Manney. The circuit court thereupon reversed the conviction.

The State has petitioned this court for a writ of certiorari.

II.

The defendant initially contends that this is not a proper case for exercise of certiorari jurisdiction by this court. We reject that argument. There is at present a decisional conflict between the district courts of appeal on the legal issue presented by this case. Compare Manney with Rutherford and State v. Johnson, 751 So.2d 183 (Fla. 2d DCA), review granted, 767 So.2d 461 (Fla.2000). As this case illustrates, courts within this district are issuing conflicting rulings on the same legal issue.

It is appropriate for this court to exercise discretion to resolve the conflict within the Third District so that a uniform rule will be applied, until such time as the Florida Supreme Court authoritatively resolves the conflict statewide. See Haines City Community Development v. Heggs, 658 So.2d 523, 530-31 & n. 14 (Fla.1995).

The defendant argues, however, that there are factual issues which have not been clearly resolved in the present record. The defendant says that it is not clear whether,[5] and how, the State attempted to provide notice to the defendant of the original subpoena.

We are unpersuaded by this objection as well. The defendant is estopped from complaining about the adequacy of the appellate record, given that the defendant entered into a plea bargain which reserved the right of the defendant to appeal from the county court to the circuit court. It is too late now for the defendant to complain about the state of the appellate record. In any event, the factual issues the defendant attempts to raise are immaterial to the legal issue presented.

*716 III.

In conducting its DUI investigation, the State issued a subpoena to Mariners Hospital for "all medical records of Joanne Fahner (D.O.B.: 11/24/66; date of hospitalization 11/17/98) pertaining to blood alcohol results and/or impairment."

Under Florida law, a hospital's patient records can be obtained by subpoena, but the statute requires "proper notice by the party seeking such records to the patient or his or her legal representative." § 395.3025(4)(d), Fla. Stat. (Supp.1998).[6]

The patient records are the business records of the hospital. The evident purpose of the statute is to give the patient an opportunity to object to the subpoena— if the patient has any legally sufficient reason why the subpoena should be quashed or modified.

In the present case the defendant did not receive the notice. This deprived her of the opportunity to object to the subpoena.

Logically, where there has been a failure of notice to the defendant, the cure is to give proper notice. As we see it, the correct procedure is (a) to quash the first subpoena; (b) allow the State to issue a new subpoena while giving the defendant proper notice; and (c) allow the defendant the opportunity to make any legally sufficient argument she may have for the quashing of the second subpoena. We find ourselves in agreement with the Fifth District decision in Manney, and with the views expressed in Judge Polen's dissent in Rutherford.

In the present case the State served a second subpoena on proper notice to the defendant. This allowed the defendant a chance to explain what defense she had to the subpoena for her hospital record. She had no defense.

The defendant's response to the second subpoena was to argue that the State cannot serve a second subpoena after the first one is quashed.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Fahner
833 So. 2d 799 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2002)
State v. Johnson
814 So. 2d 390 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2002)
State v. McCord
807 So. 2d 815 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2002)
Sneed v. State
802 So. 2d 458 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2001)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
794 So. 2d 712, 2001 WL 1093048, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fahner-fladistctapp-2001.