Opinion ID: 1697763
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 24

Heading: even under the majority's analysis, the statements lack guarantees of trustworthiness.

Text: Even under the majority's analysis, the statements involved in this case fail to fall under the spontaneous statement exception as adopted today. By definition, the present sense impression must be uttered spontaneously while the declarant perceives the subject of the declaration. McCormick advocated for disposal of the exciting event requirement based on factors of reliability presented by Professor Morgan: (1) they refer to observations being made at the time of the statement and are free from any defect of the memory; (2) they are made contemporaneous with the observation and there is little or no time for calculated misstatement; (3) they are made to a third person who will probably have an opportunity to observe the situation and provide a check on the accuracy of the declarant's statement; and (4) since the declarant will often be available for cross-examination his or her credibility will be subject to substantial verification before the trier of fact. People v. Brown, 148 Misc.2d 70, 559 N.Y.S.2d 772 (N.Y.Sup.Ct.1989); see 2 McCormick on Evidence  271, at 251 (Kenneth S. Broun et al. eds., 6th ed.2006). At least three of the four factors are absent in the present case. [26] Foremost, with a narrative phone call, such as that admitted into evidence today, there is no guarantee of contemporaneousness. Here, the declarant made numerous phone calls on November 25, 2003. According to cell phone records, Karla spoke with her mother for approximately thirty-seven minutes. Her mother described her as a long talker. After discussing unrelated things, Billie Ferris asked her daughter if she was in the car. The declarant allegedly happened to respond, I'm following Rick and the guy that bought the truck. He knows where to get the paperwork done tonight. The conversation went on to discuss other subjects. This conversation is not even remotely similar to Florida decisions in which statements were admitted under the spontaneous statement exception. Though Deparvine's challenge specifically relates to the admission of Karla's mother's statements regarding where Karla was and who she was with, in essence, any statement in that conversation is admissible under the majority's reasoning. The majority accepts these statements on the theory that Karla was describing a continuing present condition, yet nothing in the majority's analysis refutes the circumstance that she had time to contemplate and think about what response to make before engaging in this conversation. The definition of an event under the majority's interpretation is infinitely elastic because any statement made during a phone conversation that casually describes what the declarant may be doing falls under the exception, thereby allowing the spontaneous statement exception to consume the hearsay rule. The only guarantee that Karla made her statement contemporaneous to viewing the car in front of her depends on collateral evidence from the cell phone records. A common example of how simple it would be to fabricate one's location or activity over a cell phone is that of a driver running late for a meeting. It is very easy for a driver to state that he or she is passing a building a block away from where the meeting is located when in actuality the driver is miles away. Nothing protects or guarantees the reliability and veracity of this type of statement. The last two guarantees of trustworthiness also do not apply to these facts. Karla's mother was not observing the situation, and thus cannot provide a check on the accuracy of Karla's statements. The declarant is also not available for cross-examination. Without a single Florida case for support, the majority discards one hundred years of precedent to the contrary and simply follows the recommendation of legal commentators. The states independently formulate their respective rules of evidence, and Florida has created a more narrow exception than the federal standard. The Florida statutes are entirely devoid of any reference to the present sense impression. This absence clearly demonstrates that to disregard the requirement that a spontaneous statement be triggered by the event is to rewrite the Florida Evidence Code. Thus, I must respectfully decline to join the majority's analysis. QUINCE, C.J., concurs.