Case Name: Carl N. LEWIS, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1993-08-25
Citations: 623 So. 2d 1205
Docket Number: No. 92-0433
Parties: Carl N. LEWIS, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: DELL, C.J., and ANSTEAD, HERSEY, GLICKSTEIN, WARNER, POLEN and KLEIN, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 623
Pages: 1205–1211

Head Matter:
Carl N. LEWIS, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 92-0433.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Aug. 25, 1993.
Rehearing or Certification and Rehearing En Banc Denied Oct. 12, 1993.
Richard L. Jorandby, Public Defender, and Paul E. Petillo, Asst. Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, and Michelle Smith, Asst. Atty. Gen., West Palm Beach, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
This appeal emanates from a robbery trial, and centers on a trial judge prohibiting the defense from questioning the victim about certain unconnected criminal charges filed against that victim. Also involved is an erroneous instruction to the jury on flight and the failure to conduct a Nelson hearing. We reverse on all three grounds. We have considered point two en banc for purposes of receding from Young v. State, 601 So.2d 636 (Fla. 4th DCA), rev. denied, 613 So.2d 13 (Fla.1992).
In Florida, the law is clear that "[wjhen charges are pending against a prosecution witness at the time he testifies, the defense is entitled to bring this fact to the jury's attention to show bias, motive or self-interest." Torres-Arboledo v. State, 524 So.2d 403, 408 (Fla.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 901, 109 S.Ct. 250, 102 L.Ed.2d 239 (1988). See also Fulton v. State, 335 So.2d 280 (Fla.1976). Interestingly, there is no Florida case addressing the particular fact pattern now before us; that is, whether the state witness can be cross-examined about charges against him if they are not pending but have been nolle prossed prior to trial. In Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673, 106 S.Ct. 1431, 89 L.Ed.2d 674 (1986), the Supreme Court of the United States held it was error to deny cross-examination of a state witness where the charges against the witness were not pending at the time of the defendant's trial, having been dropped in exchange for the witness' testimony. However, the court held the error is subject to a harmless, error analysis. Van Arsdall is distinguishable from the case at bar since there was testimony in that case of an agreement between the state witness and the authorities to drop the pending charges in exchange for the testimony. Here, there is no such evidence. However, at least one state court has rejected the notion that evidence of an agreement between the testifying party and the authorities is necessary in order to allow cross-examination. See Brown v. State, 74 Md.App. 414, 538 A.2d 317 (1988).
Applying Van Arsdall and Brown to the facts of this case, we reverse. The trial court's prohibition on cross-examination of the victim was harmful. The victim was the only eyewitness to the robbery and he was the only witness who provided direct testimony incriminating the defendant. Although a police officer provided some independent corroboration of defendant's guilt by testifying that he saw the latter drop a cardboard box as he was running down a nearby street, away from the crime scene, that officer was not an eyewitness to the robbery. The victim testified that the defendant had him place the money in a cardboard box. Further, two defense witnesses offered conflicting evidence by testifying that they saw a brown Malibu flee the scene immediately after the robbery. The defendant was apprehended in a Chrysler. Finally, there was no physical evidence tying the defendant to the crime. All of the foregoing makes the victim's testimony, and credibility, crucial. As such, the error in this case was harmful.
Defendant's second point is that the trial court reversibly erred by giving the standard flight instruction over defense counsel's objection. In Fenelon v. State, 594 So.2d 292 (Fla.1992), the supreme court disapproved the giving of the flight instruction on the ground that it constitutes an impermissible comment upon the evidence, The court held that "henceforth the flight instruction should not be given." Id. at 295.
Although the language in Fenelon indicates that it was intended to apply prospectively only, defendant argues it applies here because this is a "pipeline" case. In Smith v. State, 598 So.2d 1063, 1066 (Fla.1992), the supreme court clarified its position on "pipeline" cases, holding that any of its decisions in criminal cases "announcing a new rule of law, or merely applying an established rule of law to a new or different factual situation, must be given retroactive application by the courts of this state in every case pending on direct review or not yet final."
The state argues that Smith does not make Fenelon applicable and cites Young v. State, 601 So.2d 636 (Fla. 4th DCA), rev. denied, 613 So.2d 13 (Fla.1992), in support of his argument. In Young, this court's majority, in dicta, said "Fenelon is not retroactive." Id. at 638. Judge Warner dissented from the conclusion of the majority on another issue, and also pointed out that Smith does make Fenelon retroactive.
We hereby recede from the dicta in the majority opinion of this court in Young, and hold that Fenelon should be retroactively applied on account of Smith. Other districts have held that Fenelon is retroactive on account of Smith. See Keys v. State, 606 So.2d 669 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992) (retrospective application of Fenelon is required by Smith); Dupree v. State, 615 So.2d 713 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993); Bryant v. State, 602 So.2d 966 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992) (Fenelon applies retroactively because of Smith); Viniegra v. State, 604 So.2d 863 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992).
The state further argues that even if Fenelon does apply, the giving of the jury instruction is subject to the harmless error test. The supreme court upheld Fenelon's conviction on the ground that the giving of the instruction in his ease was harmless error. As previously noted, the testimony here was somewhat conflicting. While there was a positive identification of appellant by the victim and testimony by a police officer that he saw appellant drop a cardboard box as he ran, there was also testimony from other witnesses who saw a brown Malibu flee the crime scene (defendant was apprehended in a Chrysler). Moreover, there was no other physical evidence tying appellant to the crime. As such, the error was not harmless.
Defendant's third point is that the trial court failed to conduct a proper Nelson inquiry after defendant indicated his desire to discharge his counsel. See Nelson v. State, 274 So.2d 256 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973), approved, Hardwick v. State, 521 So.2d 1071 (Fla.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 871, 109 S.Ct. 185, 102 L.Ed.2d 154 (1988). The defendant concedes that the trial court in this case satisfied the first prong of Nelson by making a sufficient inquiry into defense counsel's competency; however, he argues that the judge failed to satisfy the second prong by not advising the defendant that if he discharged his original counsel, the court would not be required thereafter to appoint a substitute. A review of the record shows that the defendant is correct in his assertion; while the trial judge looked into counsel's competency he failed to advise the defendant of the consequences of discharging his original counsel as required. The failure to advise is error. See Taylor v. State, 557 So.2d 138 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990). However, this type of error is also subject to the harmless error test. In Taylor, the court concluded that it was unable to view the error as harmless because the state had not argued such. Here, too, the state fails to present any argument that it was harmless. Ciccarelli v. State, 531 So.2d 129 (Fla.1988); State v. DiGuilio, 491 So.2d 1129 (Fla.1986). Thus, this error is also reversible.
We find no reversible error in the remaining points on appeal.
AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART AND REMANDED.
DELL, C.J., and ANSTEAD, HERSEY, GLICKSTEIN, WARNER, POLEN and KLEIN, JJ., concur.
STONE, J., dissents with opinion.
FARMER, J., dissents with opinion with which GUNTHER, J., concurs. .