Opinion

R.M. v. State

  • 763 So. 2d 1060
  • 1999 Fla. App. LEXIS 9296
Court
District Court of Appeal of Florida
Filed
Jul 14, 1999
Status
Published
Author
Klein
On the bench
Klein, Owen, Warner, William
Cited by
14 cases

holding that a dismissal pursuant to rule 8.110 is equivalent to a motion for judgment of acquittal and may be made at the close of the state’s case

How later courts described this case

  • holding that a dismissal pursuant to rule 8.110 is equivalent to a motion for judgment of acquittal and may be made at the close of the state’s case
  • evidence was insufficient to sustain trespass adjudication where defendant, a passenger in a stolen truck, fled from police

Written by the judges who cited it.

The opinion

KLEIN, J.,

concurring specially.

I agree with the majority except to the extent that it suggests that any action must be taken by the juvenile in order to preserve the issue of sufficiency of the evidence for appeal.

Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.110(f), as the majority opinion points out, provides: “If the court finds that the allegations in the petition have not been sustained, it shall enter an order so finding and dismissing the case.” Rule 8.110(k) provides:

If at the close of the evidence for the petitioner, the court is of the opinion that the evidence is insufficient to establish a prima facie case of guilt against the child, it may, or on the motion of the state attorney or the child shall, enter an order dismissing the petition for insufficiency of the evidence.

In my opinion these rules mean that no action is required to be taken by the juvenile in the trial court in order to preserve for appeal the issue of sufficiency of the evidence. This is consistent with nonjury civil cases, in which the sufficiency of the evidence to support the judgment can be raised on appeal “whether or not the party raising the question has made any objection thereto in the trial court or made a motion for rehearing, for new trial, or to alter or amend the judgment.” Rule 1.530(e).

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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