State v. Kemp, 74--809

Decision Date31 December 1974
Docket NumberNo. 74--809,74--809
Citation305 So.2d 833
PartiesSTATE of Florida, Appellant, v. Joseph B. KEMP, Appellee.
CourtFlorida District Court of Appeals

Richard E. Gerstein, State's Atty., and Milton Robbins, Asst. State's Atty., for appellant.

Phillip A. Hubbart, Public Defender, and Steven Rappaport, Asst. Public Defender, for appellee.

Before BARKDULL, C.J., and HENDRY and NATHAN, JJ.

NATHAN, Judge.

The State of Florida appeals an order of the trial court dismissing an information filed against the defendant charging him with aiding or assisting in conducting a lottery.

The defendant filed a motion to dismiss which was signed and sworn to by defendant's counsel, but not by the defendant himself. The motion alleged factual matters. The state filed a traverse to the motion stating in toto, 'The State traverses to the Defendant's sworn Motion to Dismiss.' Thereafter, testimony was taken. The state never objected to the motion being unsworn by the defendant.

On appeal, the state contends that once the traverse was filed, the trial court was without authority under the rule to dismiss the information.

We do not agree. Rule 3.190(d), CrPR, provides that a motion to dismiss shall be denied if the state files a traverse which denies under oath a material fact alleged in the motion to dismiss. The text of the traverse in the instant case, recited above, is devoid of any denial of any of the material facts alleged in the defendant's motion. The Rule also provides that factual matters alleged by the defendant in his motion to dismiss shall be deemed admitted unless specifically denied in the traverse. The mere act of filing a sworn document entitled 'traverse' is insufficient under the Rule as a matter of law. Therefore, the allegations of the motion to dismiss are deemed admitted and the information was properly dismissed. Camp v. State, Fla.App.1974, 293 So.2d 114. The question of suppression of evidence is rendered moot.

Therefore, for the reasons stated and upon the authorities cited, the dismissal of the information hereby is affirmed.

Affirmed.

BARKDULL, C.J., dissents.

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11 cases
  • AMEND. TO FLA. RULES OF CRIM. PROCEDURE
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • November 2, 2000
    ...file a general or a specific traverse to defeat a motion to dismiss filed under the authority of rule 3.190(c)(4). See State v. Kemp, 305 So.2d 833 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974). The amendment clearly now requires a specific traverse to specific material fact or 1992 Amendment. The amendments, in addi......
  • Dade County Public Health Trust v. Fuentes
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • June 23, 1981
    ...1044 (Fla. 1st DCA), cert. denied, 352 So.2d 175 (Fla.1977); State v. Kling, 335 So.2d 614 (Fla. 2d DCA 1976). Accord State v. Kemp, 305 So.2d 833 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974) (where this court affirmed the dismissal of an information after first observing that the motion was signed and sworn to by t......
  • Amendments to the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure
    • United States
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • November 27, 1996
    ...file a general or a specific traverse to defeat a motion to dismiss filed under the authority of rule 3.190(c)(4). See State v. Kemp, 305 So.2d 833 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974). The amendment clearly now requires a specific traverse to specific material fact or 1992 Amendment. The amendments, in addi......
  • State v. Holliday, s. AO-294
    • United States
    • Florida District Court of Appeals
    • May 17, 1983
    ...material facts. Cf., Fox v. State, 384 So.2d 226 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980); Ellis v. State, 346 So.2d 1044 (Fla. 1st DCA 1977); State v. Kemp, 305 So.2d 833 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975). In stipulating to the amendment of defendant's motions, the State agreed it had no good faith dispute with the facts as s......
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