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574 So. 2d 1074

Docket No. 76216.

Cumbie v. State

Kenneth Richard CUMBIE, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent.

Supreme Court of Florida

Decided January 3, 1991.

Rehearing Denied March 4, 1991.

Supreme Court of Florida · decided 1991-01-03

Cited by 8 later decisions — most recently April 1997

8 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“any act of child molestation involves an abuse of authority and breach of trust.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Randolph v. State

Relies on 509 So. 2d 281 - State v. Rousseau · 567 So. 2d 425 - Wilson v. State · Cumbie v. State

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1991-01-03

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1Barbara M. Linthicum, Public Defender, and Nancy L. Showalter, Asst. Public Defender, Second Judicial Circuit, Tallahassee, for petitioner.

¶2Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., and Carolyn J. Mosley, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, for respondent.

¶3PER CURIAM.

¶4We have for review Cumbie v. State,562 So.2d 845 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990), which certified a question similar to one recently answered by this Court in Wilson v. State,567 So.2d 425 (Fla. 1990):

Whether abuse of a position of familial authority over a victim may constitute a clear and convincing reason justifying the imposition of a departure sentence for a conviction of attempted capital sexual battery?

¶5Cumbie,562 So.2d at 845. The court below erroneously stated that it had certified the same question in both cases. Id. The questions differed only in that Wilson dealt with lewd and lascivious assault on a child and the present case deals with capital sexual battery.

¶6We believe this factual difference alone is not sufficient reason to require a different answer to the certified questions. Familial authority is not a necessary element of either lewd and lascivious assault on a child, or capital sexual battery. Thus, the factual difference between the questions in Wilson and the present case is essentially irrelevant. As we stated in Wilson, any act of child molestation involves an abuse of authority and breach of trust. A factor should not be approved as a valid reason for departure if it routinely will authorize departure sentences. Wilson; State v. Rousseau,509 So.2d 281, 284 (Fla. 1987). Accordingly, we answer the question in the negative, quash the opinion under review, and remand for further proceedings in keeping with our opinion in Wilson.

¶7It is so ordered.

¶8SHAW, C.J., and OVERTON, McDONALD, EHRLICH, BARKETT, GRIMES and KOGAN, JJ., concur.

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