Opinion ID: 766923
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Search of Storage Room

Text: 86 The district court denied Ivanchikov's and Mikayelyan's motions to suppress the fruits of a search of the storage room, finding that both defendants lacked standing to challenge the legality of the search. Whether a defendant has standing to contest the legality of a search presents a mixed question of fact and law. See United States v. Singleton, 987 F.2d 1444, 1447 (9th Cir. 1993). This court reviews de novo the district court's ultimate legal conclusion, while its findings of facts are reviewed for clear error. See United States v. Armenta, 69 F.3d 304, 307 (9th Cir. 1995). 87 The district court found that the storage room was rented by Bedrik's grandmother, but that the rental agreement listed Ivanchikov and Mikayelyan as persons allowed access to the storage room. The district court further found that neither Ivanchikov nor Mikayelyan claimed any interest in any of the items seized from the locker, and that neither defendant was present at the storage room at the time of its search. Under these circumstances, the district court concluded that Ivanchikov and Mikayelyan lacked standing to challenge the search of the storage room. 88 To establish standing to challenge the legality of a search or seizure, the defendants must demonstrate that they have a legitimate expectation of privacy in the items seized or the area searched. United States v. Padilla , 508 U.S. 77, 82 (1993) (per curiam) (Padilla I); see also Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128, 143-44 (1978). To demonstrate this, the defendants must manifest a subjective expectation of privacy in the area searched, and their expectation must be one that society would recognize as objectively reasonable. See United States v. Echegoyen, 799 F.2d 1271, 1277 (9th Cir. 1986) (citing Smith v. Maryland, 442 U.S. 735, 740 (1979)). The defendants have the burden of establishing that, under the totality of the circumstances, the search or seizure violated their legitimate expectation of privacy in the storage room. See Rawlings v. Kentucky, 448 U.S. 98, 104 (1980); United States v. Kovac, 795 F.2d 1509, 1510 (9th Cir. 1986). 89 We hold that Ivanchikov and Mikayelyan lack Fourth Amendment standing to challenge the search of the storage room. It is true that Ivanchikov and Mikayelyan were listed on the rental agreement as people who possessed the right to access the storage room, and that the storage room was locked. Still, we believe that this connection alone is insufficient to establish a reasonable expectation of privacy in the room. Underlying our analysis is the recognition that the defendants' expectation of privacy in a commercial storage area is lower than that in a residential area. See Minnesota v. Carter, 119 S. Ct. 469, 474 (1998) ([p]roperty used for commercial purposes is treated differentlyfor Fourth Amendment purposes than residential property); New York v. Burger, 482 U.S. 691, 700 (1987) (the expectation of privacy in commercial premises . . . is different from, and indeed less than, a similar expectation in an individual's home). 90 Neither Mikayelyan nor Ivanchikov claimed any interest in any of the items seized during the search, and the district court found that neither defendant demonstrated that either of them had ever stored materials in, or otherwise utilized, the storage locker. We note that though the failure to allege ownership of the items seized, by itself, could not bar standing to challenge the search, it is a factor to be considered. See United States v. Davis, 932 F.2d 752, 757 (9th Cir. 1991) (as amended) (defendant had standing to challenge search of an apartment where, among other things, defendant stored items there in a locked safe); see also United States v. Chaves, 169 F.3d 687, 691 (11th Cir. 1999) (defendant had standing to challenge search of warehouse he did not rent, where defendant possessed the only key to the warehouse and stored personal and business papers there); United States v. Fields, 113 F.3d 313, 320 (2d Cir. 1997) (defendant had standing to challenge search of an apartment where, among other factors, defendant made use of apartment on 40 or 50 occasions); United States v. Aguirre, 839 F.2d 854, 859 (1st Cir. 1988) (defendant lacked standing to challenge search of an apartment where, among other things, defendant denied any interest in the items seized and there was no proof of former usage). Further, there was no evidence that Ivanchikov or Mikayelyan paid any part of the rental fee for the storage room. See Davis, 932 F.2d at 757 (It is also significant that [the defendant] paid at least a portion of the rent for [the] apartment. Having assumed an ongoing obligation to pay the rent, [the defendant] exercised partial or joint control over the premises.); United States v. Johns, 851 F.2d 1131, 1135-36 (9th Cir. 1988) (defendant had standing to challenge search of warehouse where he paid part of the rent and was co-owner of items found, even though his name did not appear on the lease); United States v. Rettig, 589 F.2d 418, 423 (9th Cir. 1978) (as amended) (fact that defendant paid portion of rent, had key, unlimited access, and stayed there when in state, sufficient to confer standing to challenge search, even though defendant lived elsewhere); see also Fields, 113 F.3d at 320 (defendant had standing to challenge search of an apartment where, among other factors, defendant paid $125 a week to use the apartment); United States v. Brazel, 102 F.3d 1120, 1148 (11th Cir. 1997) (defendant lacks standing to challenge search of an apartment where another person leased the apartment and paid the rent and defendant presented no evidence that he had ever lived there). 91 Under the totality of these circumstances, Ivanchikov and Mikayelyan have failed to make a sufficient showing that they possessed a legitimate expectation of privacy in the storage room. We hold that a defendant who merely possesses the authority to access a storage rental room but does not use it, without more, lacks Fourth Amendment standing to challenge the unlawful search of that area. Cf. United States v. Anderson, 154 F.3d 1225, 1230 (10th Cir. 1998), cert. denied, 119 S. Ct. 2048 (1999) (a corporate employee does not have standing to challenge the search of corporate offices not his own or other property merely because the employee has access to or control over certain areas); Aguirre, 839 F.2d at 859 (defendant lacked standing to challenge search of an apartment where the defendant was not the lessor, presented no proof of former usage, denied any interest in the items seized, and there was no evidence of efforts to exclude others from enjoyment of the property, or of an ability to restrict access); United States v. Baron-Mantilla, 743 F.2d 868, 870 (11th Cir. 1984) (per curiam) (mere possession of a key to thepremises searched is insufficient to confer standing).