Court Opinion

ID: 9687540
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 16:34:29.69521+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:28.619862
License: Public Domain

STRINGER, Justice,
dissenting.
While I agree with the court’s conclusion that the police officer’s actions in this case constituted an illegal search under the Fourth Amendment, I believe that Carter failed to show that he had a legitimate expectation of privacy in Thompson’s apartment and I therefore dissent.
“The proponent of a motion to suppress has the burden of establishing that his own Fourth Amendment rights were violated by the challenged search or seizure.” Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128, 131 n. 1, 99 S.Ct. 421, 424 n. 1, 58 L.Ed.2d 387 (citations omitted). A challenge to a search must establish ab initio a legitimate expectation of privacy in the invaded place — that is, an expectation of privacy that “society is prepared to recognize as ‘reasonable.’ ” Id. at 143-44, n. 12, 99 S.Ct. at 430, n. 12 (quoting Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347, 361, 88 S.Ct. 507, 516, 19 L.Ed.2d 576 (Harlan, J., concurring)).
The United States Supreme Court has acknowledged that the mere fact that a person is legitimately on the premises of another is insufficient to give that person standing to contest a search of the other person’s premises. Rakas, 439 U.S. at 143, 99 S.Ct. at 430. Courts have found a legitimate expectation of privacy to exist where the defendant demonstrated a meaningful connection to the property or the host — for example, where the defendant was related to the host or had been given a key to the premises. See, e.g., United States v. Haydel, 649 F.2d 1152 (1981) (holding that defendant had legitimate expectation of privacy in his parent’s home to which he had a key and unencumbered access); Rose v. United States, 629 A.2d 526 (D.C.App.1993) (holding that defendant had standing to challenge search of close relative’s house to which he had a key and was a regular visitor). . But standing has been denied where the party alleging an illegal search established no more than that they were a transient visitor to the property of another — where, for example, the defendant was present on the property only to use the telephone or bathroom,1 was merely a party guest,2 or otherwise failed to establish a connection to the property beyond simply being present at the time of the search.3 Further*180more, at least one court has recognized that a defendant present at the time of a narcotics search and a member of a criminal venture does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy sufficient to challenge the unannounced police entry of the apartment of another being used as a drug packaging operation. See United States v. Lockett, 919 F.2d 585 (9th Cir.1990).4
Here, Carter established nothing beyond the fact that he was present in Thompson’s apartment for a period of 2 1/2 hours. He introduced no evidence that he had any prior relationship with Thompson, that he had ever been to her apartment before the night of his arrest, that he had personal effects in the apartment, that he had a key to the apartment, that he could invite or exclude others, or that he had any connection with the apartment other than his presence at the time of the search. The record is simply void as to any indicia that Carter was anything more than a brief, transient visitor. On these facts, it cannot be said that Carter met his burden of establishing a reasonable expectation of privacy in the apartment. I would therefore hold that Carter did not have standing to challenge the search of the apartment and affirm the decision of the court of appeals.

. See, e.g., United States v. McNeal, 955 F.2d 1067 (6th Cir.1992) (holding no legitimate expectation of privacy where defendant stated that he had only stopped by the host's home to use the telephone); State v. Wise, 879 S.W.2d 494 (Mo.1994) (holding no legitimate expectation of privacy where defendant had merely entered occupant's apartment to make a phone call); State v. Baltimore, 242 Neb. 562, 495 N.W.2d 921 (1993) (holding that defendant who had only entered neighbor’s house to use the bathroom did not have a legitimate expectation of privacy, despite the fact that defendant was occasionally given a key to the house for purpose of using the garden hose).

. See, e.g., United States v. Maddox, 944 F.2d 1223 (6th Cir.1991) (holding that defendant had no reasonable expectation of privacy where nothing in the record indicated that he was anything other than a transient party guest); Lewis v. United States, 594 A.2d 542 (D.C.App.1991) (holding that a mere party guest does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the host’s home).

. See, e.g., State v. Conklin, 249 Neb. 727, 545 N.W.2d 101 (1996) (holding that defendant did not have standing to challenge search that occurred while he was in neighbor’s apartment *180where he was only an occasional guest at the apartment, possessed no interest in the property and had no freedom to exclude anyone from the premises); Hill v. United States, 664 A.2d 347 (D.C.App.1995) (holding that, where there was no evidence that the defendants had a key to their friend's apartment, that they could admit or exclude others from the apartment, or establishing how much time they had spent in the apartment, they had failed to demonstrate a legitimate expectation of privacy); Prophet v. United States, 602 A.2d 1087 (D.C.App.1992) (holding that defendant who had only been at his friend's house a few minutes before the police arrived did not have standing to challenge the entry); People v. Rodriguez, 69 N.Y.2d 159, 513 N.Y.S.2d 75, 505 N.E.2d 586 (1987) (holding that defendant found sleeping in the apartment of another had no standing where he was "a transient who had no indicia of legitimate or recognizable connection to the apartment where he was arrested or any relevant thing in that apartment"); Commonwealth v. Tann, 500 Pa. 593, 459 A.2d 322 (1983) (holding no legitimate expectation of privacy in apartment where defendant was only occasional visitor to apartment, had no possessory or proprietary interest in it, and had been present for only 10-15 minutes prior to search).

. Lockett involved an allegation that the police, in entering an apartment that housed a drug packaging operation, did not comply with the federal "knock-and-announce” statute, 18 U.S.C. § 3109 (1988). However, the standard applied in determining whether the defendant had standing to challenge the entry was the same as that used to determine standing to challenge a search: whether the defendant had "a legitimate expectation of privacy in the properly used by the joint venture.” 919 F.2d at 588.