Opinion ID: 1931326
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Frye Issue

Text: While in jail, Spann wrote Philmore a note telling Philmore how he should testify. Spann initially denied writing the note. He eventually admitted he wrote it after handwriting experts were hired and Spann was ordered to give handwriting samples, which he did. Although Spann admitted writing the note, the State still wanted its handwriting expert to testify at trial that Spann distorted or intentionally disguised his handwriting samples, arguing that this showed consciousness of guilt. Defense counsel moved to exclude the State's handwriting expert's testimony to the extent the expert's testimony was irrelevant and inadmissible under Frye or Daubert, [2] and argued that expert testimony on the distortion issue had not been determined to be scientifically accepted. The trial court set a Frye hearing on this limited issue. At the Frye hearing, the trial court inquired at length regarding the disguise or distortion issue, and limited its consideration to whether the testimony was a proper topic for expert opinion and whether its probative value outweighed its prejudicial effect. The trial court found that the proffered testimony would assist the jury in determining the fact in issue, that the proffered testimony is indeed based on scientific principle, which has gained acceptance in the field of Forensic Document Examination, and that the witness is qualified as an expert to present opinion testimony on the variations of the Defendant's handwriting and possible basis for it. The court ordered that no mention be made at trial that the writing samples Spann provided were the result of a court order. Although the trial court permitted the expert to testify as to the differences in the handwriting samples and possible reasons for it, such as intoxication, illness, or physical impairment, the court prohibited the expert from specifically rendering an opinion of intentional disguise, or that Spann had a deliberate intent to deceive or disguise his handwriting. Defense counsel registered an objection, but did not contemporaneously provide a specific basis for the objection. The record clearly demonstrates Spann's objection at trial was supported by the argument that the expert should not be permitted to testify that Spann distorted or disguised his handwriting. However, that is not the issue raised in this appeal. In this appeal, Spann argues that the admissibility of handwriting comparison testimony in general should be reconsidered since this type of testimony has recently been scrutinized in the federal courts under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993). Spann's argument is beyond the scope of the very clear objection at trial. To be preserved for appeal, the specific legal ground upon which a claim is based must be raised at trial and a claim different than that will not be heard on appeal. Rodriguez v. State, 609 So.2d 493, 499 (Fla.1992). Because the record clearly shows that Spann's trial objection was limited to the expert testimony on the issue of distortion or intentional disguise, and because Spann's argument here is that handwriting expert testimony in general should be barred, the issue was not properly preserved and this claim is procedurally barred. Even if the alleged error had been properly preserved, this claim would fail. All of the cases cited by Spann involve the federal standard for admitting new or novel scientific evidence under the test set forth in Daubert. Florida does not follow Daubert. Florida courts follow the test set out in Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C.Cir.1923). This test requires that the scientific principles undergirding this evidence be found by the trial court to be generally accepted by the relevant members of its particular field. Hadden v. State, 690 So.2d 573, 576 (Fla. 1997). Courts will only utilize the Frye test in cases of new and novel scientific evidence. See, e.g., U.S. Sugar Corp. v. Henson, 823 So.2d 104 (Fla.2002); Brim v. State, 695 So.2d 268, 271-72 (Fla.1997). By definition, the Frye standard only applies when an expert attempts to render an opinion that is based upon new or novel scientific techniques. U.S. Sugar, 823 So.2d at 109 (citing Ramirez v. State, 651 So.2d 1164, 1166-67 (Fla.1995)). In the vast majority of cases, no Frye inquiry will be required because no innovative scientific theories will be at issue. Forensic handwriting identification is not a new or novel science. In fact, by the turn of the century expert testimony in the area of handwriting identification was permitted in thirty-seven states and was viewed as the obvious and necessary way to adduce proof about the authenticity of disputed writings. Jennifer L. Mnookin, Scripting Expertise: The History of Handwriting Identification Evidence and the Judicial Construction of Reliability, 87 Va. L.Rev. 1723, 1756 (2001). Frye was decided in 1923, and by that time, forensic handwriting identification had already established itself as a tool commonly used in court. Once established, handwriting identification experts were unchallenged as valid and acceptable experts for the majority of the twentieth century. In 1993, the United States Supreme Court decided Daubert, which interprets a federal rule of evidence and is not binding on the states. Daubert requires the trial judge to evaluate scientific expert testimony to ensure that the reasoning or methodology underlying the testimony is scientifically valid before admitting it. Id. at 592-93, 113 S.Ct. 2786. Following Daubert, some federal courts have reexamined the admissibility of handwriting expert testimony, and those are the cases Spann relies on here to support his contention that we should also reexamine the admissibility of expert handwriting identification testimony. See, e.g., United States v. Starzecpyzel, 880 F.Supp. 1027, 1048 (S.D.N.Y.1995) (holding that a document examiner's testimony could not survive scrutiny under Daubert, but expert handwriting examiners, while not scientific enough to satisfy Daubert, could be admitted as nonscientific expert witnesses who provid[e] jurors with a helpful practical skill derived from their training and experience). While some federal courts have affirmed the use of handwriting identification experts under Daubert and some have not, Florida still considers the admissibility of new and novel scientific evidence under the test set forth in Frye. Because expert forensic handwriting identification is not new or novel, Frye has no application. Therefore, even if the issue Spann raises here had been properly preserved for review, it would be without merit. The Frye hearing in this case was limited to the issue of whether the expert could testify that Spann distorted or disguised his handwriting. The trial court properly admitted the testimony. Because Spann did not properly preserve the issue of whether the field of expert handwriting identification in general meets the Frye test, this issue is procedurally barred. Furthermore, the trial court's consideration of the admissibility of expert testimony on the limited issue of distorted or disguised handwriting was properly considered and resolved. Therefore, Spann is not entitled to relief on this claim.