Opinion ID: 589639
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Definition of bodily injury

Text: 30 In defining bodily injury, the court gave the following instruction: 31 Counts Two and Three charge the defendant's acts resulted in bodily injury to the persons in custody named in those counts. You are instructed that bodily injury means any injury to the body, no matter how temporary. Bodily injury also includes physical pain as well as any burn or abrasion. 32 The defense objected to the instruction as being overly broad, vague, and not defined in the criminal statute, but did not provide the court with an alternative definition of bodily injury. On appeal, Myers claims that the court should have used the Georgia state definition of bodily injury, under the State's battery statute: 33 (b) As used in this code section, the term visible bodily harm means bodily harm capable of being perceived by a person other than the victim and may include, but is not limited to, substantially blackened eyes, substantially swollen lips or other facial or body parts, or substantial bruises to body parts. 34 O.C.G.A. § 16-5-23.1. We disagree. We are dealing with a federal crime involving police behavior. Federal law controls. 35 Courts should give statutory language its ordinary, usual, and plain meaning. See Connecticut Nat'l Bank v. Germain, --- U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 1146, 1149, 117 L.Ed.2d 391 (1992); Ardestani v. I.N.S., --- U.S. ----, ----, 112 S.Ct. 515, 519, 116 L.Ed.2d 496 (1992); Gulf Life Ins., 809 F.2d 1520, 1522 (11th Cir.1987). The problem is that the statute in question, 18 U.S.C. § 242, does not define bodily injury. It states that [i]f bodily injury results [from a violation of the statute, the violator] shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results shall be subject to imprisonment for any term of years or for life. 18 U.S.C. § 242 (emphasis added). When Congress uses, but does not define a particular word, it is presumed to have adopted that word's established meaning. See Davis v. Michigan Dept. of Treasury, 489 U.S. 803, 109 S.Ct. 1500, 103 L.Ed.2d 891 (1989). Congress is deemed to know the executive and judicial gloss given to certain language and thus adopts the existing interpretation unless it affirmatively acts to change the meaning. Florida Nat'l Guard v. Federal Labor Rel. Auth., 699 F.2d 1082, 1087 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1007, 104 S.Ct. 524, 78 L.Ed.2d 708 (1983). Congressional silence in the Act indicates acceptance of the prior practice. Id.; see also Estate of Wood v. C.I.R., 909 F.2d 1155, 1160 (8th Cir.1990). 36 Congress has defined bodily injury, in many different contexts. The definition commonly used is, the term 'bodily injury' means--(A) a cut, abrasion, bruise, burn, or disfigurement; (B) physical pain; (C) illness; (D) impairment of a function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty; or (E) any other injury to the body, no matter how temporary. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 831(f)(4) (prohibiting transactions involving nuclear materials); 1365(g)(4) (tampering with consumer products); 1515(a)(5) (obstruction of justice); 1864(d)(2) (hazardous or injurious devices on federal lands). This definition of bodily injury comports with that used by the district court in instructing the jury. The court did not err. 37