State v. Starr Enterprises, Inc.

597 P.2d 1098, 226 Kan. 288, 1979 Kan. LEXIS 320
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJuly 14, 1979
DocketNo. 50,321
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 597 P.2d 1098 (State v. Starr Enterprises, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Starr Enterprises, Inc., 597 P.2d 1098, 226 Kan. 288, 1979 Kan. LEXIS 320 (kan 1979).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

McFarland, J.:

This is a direct appeal by the defendant, Starr Enterprises, Inc., from a November 9, 1977, conviction of the crime of promoting obscenity (K.S.A. 1978 Supp. 21-4301). Defendant was fined $2,500.00.

The defendant was charged with two counts of promoting obscenity by commercially exhibiting two motion picture films: “Ghost Town” and “Affair in the Air.” The defendant was acquitted as to “Affair in the Air” and convicted as to “Ghost Town.”

The defendant raises four issues on appeal. The first two issues deal with the constitutionality of the statute under which the defendant was convicted (K.S.A. 1978 Supp. 21-4301), and the last two issues involve whether the film “Ghost Town” was obscene under the same statute.

[289]*289K.S.A. 1978 Supp. 21-4301(3) provides:

“It is a defense to a prosecution for obscenity that the persons to .whom the allegedly obscene material was disseminated, or the audience to an allegedly obscene performance, consisted of persons or institutions having scientific, educational, governmental or other similar justification for possessing or viewing the same.”

In State v. Next Door Cinema Corp., 225 Kan. 112, Syl. ¶ ¶ 4, 6, 7, 587 P.2d 326 (1978), this court held:

4. “fn an appeal from a conviction of one count of promoting obscenity, K.S.A. 1977 Supp. 21-4301, the words scientific, educational and governmental contained in 21-4301(3) are sufficiently definite and are of such general usage and understanding that they adequately apprise members of the general public of the legitimate defenses available under the statute.”
6. In construing 21-4301(3) the language ‘other similar justification’ is found to be vague, indefinite and uncertain, neither adds to nor subtracts from the terms scientific, educational or governmental justification, is mere surplusage and may be stricken from the statute without violating the intent of the legislature.”
7. “K.S.A. 1977 Supp. 21-4301(3), absent the language ‘or other similar [justification],’ is constitutional and the omission of the quoted language does not render the remainder of the section or statute unconstitutional.”

The defendant asks this court to reconsider the Next Door Cinema decision, contending that the severance of “other similar justification” violates express legislative intent, judicially expands criminal liability and violates K.S.A. 21-3102(1) and the due process and equal protection clauses of the state and federal constitutions. The defendant further contends that the words “scientific, educational, governmental” are impermissibly vague.

These issues were before this court in Next Door Cinema and determined adversely to the defendant’s position. In Next Door Cinema, 225 Kan. at 116-117, this court stated:

“The language in the defenses portion of our statute was taken largely from the American Law Institute Model Penal Code and the New York Penal Law. Our section, 21-4301(3), is essentially identical to § 235.15-1 of the New York Penal Law. Two New York trial courts have considered and interpreted the defenses provision of the New York law. People v. Howell, 90 Misc. 2d 722, 395 N.Y.S.2d 933 (1977) and People v. Wrench, 83 Misc. 2d 95, 371 N.Y.S.2d 833 (1975). Both cases involved the sale of allegedly obscene magazines to members of the public. Appellant relies heavily on the decision in Howell where the court found the words ‘other similar justification’ to be unconstitutionally vague and indefinite and as a result the entire statute was held invalid. The New York court stated: “ ‘[T]he words “similar justification,” subdivision 1 of section 235.15 provides an affirmative defense without reasonably definitive limits. The Legislature cannot have intended to include possession for every use (that would wholly negate 235.05, subdivision 1) but the descriptive words are too vague for us really to know what possessions are not for “similar justification.” The net result is that the [290]*290statute (235.05, subdivision 1, in combination with 235.15, subdivision 1) simply does not adequately advise the would-be seller of obscene material what sales are criminal and what are not.’ People v. Howell, 90 Misc. 2d at 727.
“The court in Wrench, after considering the underlying principles of statutory construction, determined that to uphold the constitutionality of the statute it had to be interpreted as allowing sales of obscene materials to all adults. The court stated at page 98:
“ ‘In order to sustain the constitutionality of the statute the court reads the affirmative defense afforded under subdivision 1 of section 235.15 of the Penal Law as authorizing sales to all adults and not a limited few.
“ ‘The court notes that the language itself admits of this interpretation since it provides for sale for “similar justification” in addition to the more limiting classification.’
Wrench was argued to the Howell court but that court was not impressed by the reasoning in Wrench and, rather than hold the statute constitutional on the basis of Wrench, found the statute unconstitutional.
“It is to be noted that the decisions in Howell, from the City Court of Buffalo, and Wrench, from the District Court of Suffolk County, were not appealed and we are not constrained to follow the reasoning of either of the New York trial courts.”

Whereas Howell was not appealed, a subsequent case from the same court, using Howell for authority, was appealed. In People v. Illardo, 97 Misc. 2d 294, 411 N.Y.S.2d 142 (1978), the phrase “other similar justification” was held to be another area of defense, not unconstitutionally vague, and not violative of the due process clause of the United States Constitution. Although this court did not rely on Howell for the determination of vagueness in Next Door Cinema, we have considered Illardo.

We adhere to the decision in Next Door Cinema which controls the two issues relative to the constitutionality of K.S.A. 1978 Supp. 21-4301(3).

The defendant’s third issue on appeal is whether obscenity as defined by K.S.A. 1978 Supp. 21-4301(2)(a) includes depiction of both actual and simulated ultimate sexual acts.

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

Related

State v. Grant
Supreme Court of Kansas, 2025
State v. Harrold
585 N.W.2d 532 (Nebraska Court of Appeals, 1998)
400 E. Baltimore Street, Inc. v. State
431 A.2d 682 (Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
597 P.2d 1098, 226 Kan. 288, 1979 Kan. LEXIS 320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-starr-enterprises-inc-kan-1979.