State v. Godby

498 So. 2d 692, 12 Fla. L. Weekly 1, 1986 Fla. App. LEXIS 10958
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedDecember 18, 1986
DocketNo. 86-609
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 498 So. 2d 692 (State v. Godby) 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. Godby, 498 So. 2d 692, 12 Fla. L. Weekly 1, 1986 Fla. App. LEXIS 10958 (Fla. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

COBB, Judge.

The issue in this case is whether the trial court properly granted appellee’s, William Godby’s, motion to dismiss a perjury [693]*693charge based on the defense of recantation. Godby was charged with perjury arising out of misstatements he made during a bond reduction hearing held on August 3, 1984. At the hearing, Godby, who was under a total bond of $130,000 on two charges, testified regarding his assets. In particular, Godby denied having an interest in a motor home, as follows:

Q Okay. You’ve mentioned two Cad-illacs. You’ve mentioned two motorcycles. Do you own a motor home — vehicle — motor home? Do you have any interest in any way whatsoever personally or through any business entity of ...
A (Interposing) No.
Q ... any form? Do you have a — a motor vehicle — excuse me. Do you have a motor home available to you for your use?
A I have used one just recently on a vacation. Yes, sir.
Q All right. And who owns that motor — motor home?
A I believe it’s Vigel’s (Phonetic) Auto Sales.
Q Pardon me?
A Vigel’s (Phonetic) Auto Sales.
Q And was this just given to you to use?
A It’s just a loaner vehicle, yes.
Q Did you pay for that — for the use of that motor home in any way whatsoever?
A No, sir.

Subsequently, on August 30, 1984, God-by appeared at a hearing requested by his defense counsel to “correct misstatements” made by Godby at the August 3 hearing. According to the defense counsel, who was not Godby’s attorney at the initial hearing, the attorney became aware of the misstatements during his first interview with God-by on August 28, 1984. At the hearing, Godby admitted making an erroneous statement concerning the ownership of the motor home. He testified that he was a 50% partner in a corporation holding title to the motor home, but that he was not aware of it at the initial hearing. Following the hearing, the court maintained the bond amount as set at the earlier hearing.

After the state filed a perjury information, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.190(c)(4), based upon the doctrine of recantation. A supplement of faets was added to the motion to dismiss by both parties, and included the fact that the motor home was found at the defendant’s home on August 20, 1984, along with the bill of sale, which Godby signed. The supplement also included statements from the deposition of one Paul Veigel, including the fact that Godby went to Veigel between August 7 and 13, 1984, and told him to say that he (Veigel) owned the motor home in the event he were asked. Veigel was served with a subpoena duces tecum regarding the motor home on August 23, with the deposition set for August 31. According to the deposition, Godby called Veigel sometime after August 23, but Veig-el would not talk to him. On August 27 or 28, Godby went to Veigel’s business again and told him he was confused as to the motor home. The state filed a demurrer to the motion and, after hearing, the lower court granted the motion to dismiss.

The question is whether Godby’s recantation at the August 30 hearing was sufficient to require dismissal of the perjury charge. Florida law on this question consists of a total of five cases. The earliest is Brannen v. State, 94 Fla. 656, 114 So. 429 (1927), wherein the defendant was charged with peijury for falsely testifying at a trial. The evidence in the case showed that the defendant, while initially committing perjury, corrected himself the next day during the trial prior to either the closing of the defense case or the state’s presentation. The court found that under the circumstances, a perjury cause could not be sustained, noting:

... “A judicial investigation or trial has for its sole object the ascertainment of the truth, that justice may be done. It holds out every inducement to a witness to tell the truth by inflicting severe penalties upon those who do not. This in[694]*694ducement would be destroyed if a witness could not correct a false statement except by running the risk of being indicted and convicted for perjury.” People v. Gillette, 126 App.Div. 665, 111 N.Y.S. 133. “The law encourages the correction of erroneous and even intentionally false statements on the part of a witness, and perjury will not be predicated upon such statements when the witness, before the submission of the case, fully corrects his testimony.”

114 So. at 431.

In Sherman v. State, 135 Fla. 243, 184 So. 843 (1938), the defendant testified falsely in August, 1937. This testimony was recanted when the defendant was summoned before the court in December, 1937 (the opinion is unclear as to why he was resummoned or what the nature of the proceeding was). The supreme court, affirming the judgment of perjury, found:

Now this was not a case where a witness inadvertently or otherwise testified falsely and then voluntarily corrected and repudiated his false testimony, but here he testified falsely to gain an advantage to himself and months afterward, when the truth had become known, and when the false testimony could serve him no longer, he admitted the falsity of his former testimony.

184 So. at 846-47.

The Florida Supreme Court next addressed this issue in Carter v. State, 384 So.2d 1255 (Fla.1980). In Carter the court quashed the decision of the Fourth District and reinstated the trial court’s dismissal of a perjury information. The facts in the case, as recited in the trial court’s order, adopted by the supreme court, show that Carter was a licensed chiropractor who was subpoenaed by the defendant in a personal injury action to give a deposition concerning treatment of his patient, the plaintiff. Carter testified at his deposition concerning the injury, and stated unequivocally that he had neither seen nor treated the plaintiff prior to the date of the accident which gave rise to the suit. The defense attorney questioned Carter on this statement, and requested him to search for additional records and advise the attorney if there were any changes. The attorney did excuse him from any further personal deposition appearances. The next day, Carter wrote to the attorney and included a statement for treatment of the plaintiff on 79 occasions prior to the accident. No further depositions were sought by defense counsel. The trial judge, however, referred the matter to the state attorney’s office, resulting in the perjury charge. Carter filed a 3.190(c)(4) motion to dismiss, claiming recantation and arguing dismissal based on Brannen. The state admitted the facts, but claimed a prima facie case of guilt, citing Sherman. The trial court determined to follow Brannen, distinguishing Sherman on the basis that the defendant there recanted in a separate proceeding months later. The trial court found that Carter recanted his false testimony in essentially the same proceeding. The Fourth District reversed, finding it significant that Carter may have made the correction because he knew that the false statement may be discovered. The supreme court disagreed with this basis for decision, noting:

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Bluebook (online)
498 So. 2d 692, 12 Fla. L. Weekly 1, 1986 Fla. App. LEXIS 10958, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-godby-fladistctapp-1986.