Case Title: Standard Jury Instructions - Criminal Cases

Citation: 

Docket Number: SC00-1468

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 2000-12-14T00:00:00Z

Document:
Supreme 
Court 
of 
Florida
 
____________
No. SC00-1468
____________
STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS – CRIMINAL CASES
 (CASTLE DOCTRINE)
[December 14, 2000]
PER CURIAM.
In Weiand v. State, 732 So. 2d 1044, 1057 (Fla. 1999), this Court sua sponte
adopted a “castle doctrine” jury instruction for use in criminal cases involving an 
attack by a co-occupant or invitee.  We made clear that this was an interim
instruction, and specifically instructed the Committee on Standard Jury 
Instructions in Criminal Cases (“the committee”) “to provide us with any
recommendations as to the wording of the instruction.”  Id. at 1056 n.15.  The
committee in turn made some editorial changes to the instruction; published it for
comment in the August 1, 1999, edition of The Florida Bar News; received no
comments thereon; and has now submitted its proposed instruction for
consideration by this Court.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const;
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see also Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.985.
The committee “discussed the issue at length and decided that it could not
make any significant improvement on the temporary instruction adopted by the
Court in Weiand,” stating that “the instruction [it is] proposing here is essentially
the same.”  With minor modification, we hereby accordingly authorize the
publication and use of the instruction at issue as submitted by the committee and
set forth in the appendix attached to this opinion.  In so doing, we express no
opinion on the correctness of this instruction and remind all interested parties that
this authorization forecloses neither requesting additional or alternative instructions
nor contesting the legal correctness of this instruction.  We further caution all
interested parties that the comment associated with the instruction reflects only the
opinion of the committee and is not necessarily indicative of the views of this Court
as to its correctness or applicability.  The instruction as set forth in the appendix
shall be effective when this opinion becomes final.  As the inclusion of the language
at issue is new to Florida Standard Jury Instruction in Criminal Cases 3.04(d)
(“Justifiable Use of Deadly Force”), we forego the usual underlining and
strike-through type format.
It is so ordered.
WELLS, C.J., and SHAW, HARDING, ANSTEAD, PARIENTE, LEWIS and
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QUINCE, JJ., concur.
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND
IF FILED, DETERMINED.
Original Proceeding - Standard Jury Instructions - Criminal Cases
Philip J. Padovano, Chair, Committee on Standard Jury Instructions - Criminal,
Tallahassee, Florida,
for Petitioner
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APPENDIX
3.04(d) Justifiable Use of Deadly Force
*  *  *
Defense of home against co-occupant
If the defendant was attacked in [his][her] own home or on [his][her]
own premises by [a co-occupant][any person who was lawfully on the
premises], the defendant had a duty to retreat within the residence to the
extent reasonably possible without increasing [his][her] own danger of death
or great bodily harm.
However, the defendant was not required to flee [his][her] home and
had the lawful right to stand [his][her] ground and meet force with force,
even to the extent of using force likely to cause death or great bodily harm if
it was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to [himself][herself].
_________________
Comment
This instruction is essentially the same as the temporary instruction adopted
by the Florida Supreme Court in Weiand v. State, 732 So. 2d 1044 (Fla. 1999).