Court Opinion

ID: 9740519
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:36:48.430731+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:16.827255
License: Public Domain

Boyle, J.
I respectfully dissent. While I recognize, as Justice Brickley states in his dissent, that Payton v New York was limited on its facts to "the narrow question” of a warrantless arrest in a home, and that the Court specifically stated that it did "not” (emphasis supplied by the United States Supreme Court in Payton) consider whether the arrest might have been justified by exigent circumstances, I agree with the majority that both the Michigan Constitution and the Fourth Amendment may protect interests in a rented room in which an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy. In my view, while a motel room itself does not create an exigent circumstance authorizing a departure from the warrant requirement, the temporary nature of the residence is a factor to be considered when determining whether the requirement for a warrant is excused by exigency. I write separately because, assuming that Dorman v United States, 140 US App DC 313; 435 F2d 385 (1970) (en banc), correctly sets forth the criteria for evaluating exigent circumstances which will excuse the absence of a warrant, a proposition which I am unwilling to fully endorse without further guidance from the United States Supreme Court, the issue need not be considered in this case. Even if the trial court erred in denying defendant’s *388motion to suppress evidence, the error is harmless, given the defendant’s admission at trial that he committed the offense.
I find any error in the admission of this evidence harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The defendant took the stand and admitted that he committed the offense, but claimed that he lacked the necessary specific intent because of intoxication. Error in the admission of evidence is harmless where the defendant himself admits the facts sought to be proved by the evidence. See, e.g., People v Rogers, 60 Mich App 652; 233 NW2d 8 (1975), lv den 406 Mich 918 (1979).
Citing People v Rodgers, 119 Mich App 767; 327 NW2d 353 (1982), defendant argues that the court’s ruling on the motion to suppress affected defendant’s decision to waive a jury trial and that he would not have waived a jury if the evidence had been suppressed. Thus, defendant claims, the error is not harmless. Even if I were to accept the Court of Appeals reasoning in Rodgers, that case is distinguishable for two reasons. In Rodgers, while the defendant did not explicitly state the reason for the waiver, the Court concluded that the sequence of events gave "every indication” that "the waiver was the direct product of the adverse ruling”. 119 Mich App 771. Having examined the transcript of the jury waiver in this case, I see nothing that suggests that the defendant would not have waived a jury trial in any event. Without more than the fact that the defendant’s waiver took place shortly after the trial court’s ruling on the suppression motion, I decline to speculate on how the court’s ruling affected the defendant’s trial tactics. Secondly, Rodgers involved an erroneous ruling regarding the use of the defendant’s prior conviction as evidence for purposes of im*389peachment. These rulings typically affect a defendant’s selection of a bench trial since it is assumed that a jury is less capable of limiting the prejudicial effect of the evidence. In contrast, the evidence admitted at trial in this case would have had no greater inculpatory effect on a jury than it had on the trial judge. I am therefore unable to discern any connection between the trial court’s ruling and the defendant’s waiver of trial by jury.
The majority declined to address the issue of harmless error on the ground that the prosecution failed to raise this issue below. However, unlike other issues raised for the first time on appeal, e.g., standing, People v Tyler, 399 Mich 564, 571; 250 NW2d 467 (1977), aff'd sub nom Michigan v Tyler, 436 US 499; 98 S Ct 1942; 56 L Ed 2d 486 (1978), this Court has a duty imposed by court rule1 and by statute2 to reverse a conviction only where the error complained of cannot be said to be harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. People v Robinson, 386 Mich 551; 194 NW2d 709 (1972). The maintenance of a sound judicial system requires that lower court judgments not be reversed *390on the basis of errors which had no effect on the results reached below, and it is incumbent upon this Court to make this inquiry sua sponte even if the parties fail to raise the argument that the error was harmless.
Accordingly, given the defendant’s admission of the offense at trial I find that error, if any, in the admission into evidence of the items seized during the course of the defendant’s arrest is harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
I would affirm the defendant’s conviction.
Ryan, J., concurred with Boyle, J.

 "Harmless Error. No error in either the admission or the exclusion of evidence and no error or defect in any ruling or order or in anything done or omitted by the court or by any of the parties is ground for granting a new trial or for setting aside a verdict or for vacating, modifying, or otherwise disturbing a judgment or order, unless refusal to take such action appears to the court inconsistent with substantial justice. The court at every stage of the proceeding shall construe these rules to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action so as to avoid the consequences of any error or defect in the proceeding which does not affect the substantial rights of the parties.” GCR 1963, 529.1.

 "No judgment or verdict shall be set aside or reversed or a new trial be granted by any court of this state in any criminal case, on the ground of misdirection of the jury, or the improper admission or rejection of evidence, or for error as to any matter of pleading or procedure, unless in the opinion of the court, after an examination of the entire cause, it shall affirmatively appear that the error complained of has resulted in a miscarriage of justice.” MCL 769.26; MSA 28.1096.