Opinion ID: 1132527
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: McDonald

Text: Recently, the Second District in State v. McDonald, 785 So.2d 640 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001), announced its agreement with the Fourth District's conclusion in Raford that the holding in Kama has been overruled by subsequent statutory changes. In McDonald, the defendant was charged with felony child abuse in violation of section 827.03(1) for allegedly spanking his six-year-old daughter in a manner that resulted in bruising to the child's buttocks, upper thigh, and upper back. The defendant moved to dismiss the information, arguing that as a parent employing corporal punishment on his child he was immune from prosecution for simple child abuse. The trial court granted the motion, holding that the decision in Wilson required dismissal of the charge. On appeal, the Second District reversed the trial court's order dismissing the felony child abuse charge. In so doing, the Second District noted that whatever legislative intent the Kama court could glean from the statutory scheme in 1985 had since been substantially altered by subsequent legislation. See id. at 645. Analyzing the subsequent statutory changes, the Second District stated: In chapter 96-322, section 8, Laws of Florida, section 827.03 was rewritten to include three subsections: the first addressed child abuse, the second addressed aggravated child abuse, and the third addressed neglect of a child. The definition of child abuse, which previously discussed a person permitting injury, was substantially rewritten in the amended section 827.03(1). Simple child abuse was enhanced to become a third-degree felony.... Nothing in the language of this statute now appears to exempt parents from prosecution. The legislature's intent is perhaps more strongly reflected in other amendments. In chapter 96-322, section 10, Laws of Florida, section 827.04 was rewritten to describe the crime of contributing to the dependency of a child, a first-degree misdemeanor. This amendment was followed in 1998 by an amendment to chapter 39 that designates certain types of excessive corporal punishment as civil child abuse. Ch. 98-403, § 20, Laws of Fla. The definition of abuse in section 39.01(2) was amended to read: Abuse means any willful act or threatened act that results in any physical, mental, or sexual injury or harm that causes or is likely to cause the child's physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired. Abuse of a child includes acts or omissions. Corporal discipline of a child by a parent or legal custodian for disciplinary purposes does not in itself constitute abuse when it does not result in harm to the child. Ch. 98-403, § 20, Laws of Fla.[ [8] ] See also § 984.03(2), Fla. Stat. (1999) (providing a similar, though not exact, definition). At the same time, section 39.01(30) was added to define harm, in pertinent part, as: Harm to a child's health or welfare can occur when any person: (a) Inflicts or allows to be inflicted upon the child physical, mental, or emotional injury. In determining whether harm has occurred, the following factors must be considered in evaluating any physical, mental, or emotional injury to a child: the age of the child; any prior history of injuries to the child; the location of the injury on the body of the child; the multiplicity of the injury; and the type of trauma inflicted. Such injury includes, but is not limited to: .... 4. Inappropriate or excessively harsh disciplinary action that is likely to result in physical injury, mental injury as defined in this section, or emotional injury. The significance of any injury must be evaluated in light of the following factors: the age of the child; any prior history of injuries to the child; the location of the injury on the body of the child; the multiplicity of the injury; and the type of trauma inflicted. Corporal discipline may be considered excessive or abusive when it results in any of the following or other similar injuries: .... k. Significant bruises or welts. Ch. 98-403, § 20, Laws of Fla. Thus, after 1998, a parent who spanked a child with such force or repetition as to cause significant bruises or welts could be considered to have abused the child under chapter 39.[ [9] ] Even if the Department of Children and Families did not initiate a dependency proceeding, the State could charge the parent with contributing to the dependency of a minor for such conduct. 785 So.2d at 645-46 (footnote omitted) (emphasis supplied). Accordingly, based upon this statutory evolution, the court explained: [I]f a parent can be charged with the misdemeanor offense under section 827.04 when a spanking results in significant welts, the legislature intended more serious beatings that do not result in permanent disability or permanent disfigurement to be treated as simple child abuse under section 827.03(1). This reserves aggravated child abuse to cases involving parental discipline that results in great bodily harm or permanent disabilities and disfigurements or that demonstrates actual malice on the part of the parent and not merely a momentary anger or frustration. Id. at 646. Finally, like the Fourth District in the instant case, the Second District disagreed with the First District's conclusion in Wilson that the statutory changes did not affect the extent of the privilege recognized in Kama. To the extent Kama relied upon legislative intent, as explained in the preceding section, the legislative intent has changed. To the extent it relied upon any common law privilege for corporal punishment, that privilege is itself now defined and limited by the current statutory scheme. Pursuant to that scheme, a parent can be charged with simple child abuse for excessive corporal punishment that falls between the level of abuse required to establish the offense in section 827.04 and that required to prove a violation of section 827.03(2). Id. at 647. [10]