Opinion ID: 160460
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Reasonableness of Search on August 16, 1998

Text: 21 Before reaching the merits of Mr. Allen's claims concerning the validity of the search of Mr. Allen's car on August 16, 1998, we must resolve the threshold question of whether Mr. Allen has standing to assert Fourth Amendment rights in the vehicle. The district court ruled, after hearing the evidence presented at the suppression hearing and being briefed on the question, that Mr. Allen did not have such standing. We review a district court's determination of standing de novo. United States v. Gama-Bastidas, 142 F.3d 1233, 1237 (10th Cir. 1998). 22 The Fourth Amendment right of privacy is a personal right. United States v. Nicholson, 144 F.3d 632, 636 (10th Cir. 1998). It cannot be vicariously asserted. Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128, 133-34 (1978). Thus, [t]he proper inquiry is whether [the challenged action] violated the Fourth Amendment rights of [the] criminal defendant making the challenge. United States v. Erwin, 875 F.2d 268, 270 (10th Cir. 1989). The proponent of a motion to suppress has 'the burden of adducing facts at the suppression hearing indicating that his own rights were violated by the challenged search.' Gama-Bastidas, 142 F.3d at 1238 (quoting United States v. Skowronski, 827 F.2d 1414, 1417 (10th Cir. 1987)). Whether a defendant's own Fourth Amendment rights were violated by a challenged search turns on the classic Fourth Amendment test: whether the defendant manifested a subjective expectation of privacy in the area searched and whether society is prepared to recognize that expectation as objectively reasonable. Erwin, 875 F.2d at 270. This court has held that, in order for a defendant to show such an expectation of privacy in an automobile, the defendant bears the burden at the suppression hearing to show a legitimate possessory interest in or [a] lawful control over the car. Gama-Bastidas, 142 F.3d at 1239. 23 After reviewing the record, we find that Mr. Allen offered no such evidence at the suppression hearing. In determining whether a defendant has met his burden to show a reasonable expectation of privacy in an automobile, this court has considered important, though not determinative, the following criteria: (1) whether the defendant asserted ownership over the items seized from the vehicle; (2) whether the defendant testified to his expectation of privacy at the suppression hearing; and (3) whether the defendant presented any testimony at the suppression hearing that he had a legitimate possessory interest in the vehicle. Gama-Bastidas, 142 F.3d at 1238-39; Erwin, 875 F.2d at 270-71. Furthermore, this court has found the mere fact of presence in the car, or even possession of the car keys, insufficient to meet the defendant's burden of proving standing. United States v. Arango, 912 F.2d 441, 444 (10th Cir. 1990) (holding that defendant's mere possession of the vehicle at the time of the search is not sufficient to give him standing to object to the search); Erwin, 875 F.2d at 271 (holding that the defendant's possession of the car keys is not sufficient to give standing). 24 Here, Mr. Allen argues that the fact that the district court found that Mr. Allen was the person driving the car on the night in question is sufficient to prove standing. In light of our prior holdings, Mr. Allen's position is untenable. Mere presence is not sufficient to show a legitimate possessory interest or lawful control over a vehicle--particularly when the individual flees the scene after being stopped by law enforcement officers. The fact that Mr. Allen was later shown to have had a legitimate possessory interest in the vehicle is not relevant to the question of whether Mr. Allen met his burden at the suppression hearing. As the proponent of a motion to suppress, Mr. Allen had the burden of proving he lawfully possessed the vehicle in order to show that he had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the vehicle. Arango, 912 F.2d at 445-46. 25 Mr. Allen protests that, had he been presented with the duty to show standing before the hearing, he would have done so. This is not convincing. This court will not impose upon either the government or district courts the burden of informing defense counsel of his evidentiary burdens. We hold that Mr. Allen failed to meet his burden to show a legitimate possessory interest in or lawful control over the vehicle at the suppression hearing. Therefore, we affirm the district court's denial of Mr. Allen's motion to suppress the evidence seized on August 16, 1998 on the ground that Mr. Allen had no standing to assert a Fourth Amendment interest in the vehicle. Because we hold that Mr. Allen does not have standing to challenge the search of the car, we do not examine the constitutionality of that search. 26