Fishman v. State
Fishman v. State
Opinion of the Court
In passing on the obscenity issue, a statement of criteria is in order. First, we construe Code Ann. § 26-2101 (b) to be substantially in the language of and to express the meaning of the term as defined in Roth v. United States, 354 U. S. 476, 491-492 (77 SC 1304, 1 LE2d 1498). Further, understand Code Ann. § 26-2101 (c) to apply the standards enunciated in Ginzberg v. United States, 383 U. S. 463 (86 SC 942, 16 LE2d 31); that is, in a close case where there is a valid argument of the existence of some slight social value of a literary, historical, artistic or technical nature, a finding of obscenity will not be made "even though the book is found to possess the requisite prurient appeal and to be patently offensive” (Memoirs v. Massachusetts, 383 U. S. 413, 419 (86 SC 975, 16 LE2d 1)), unless there is also clear evidence that the material has passed the threshold of permitted exposure in that its commercial dissemination amounts to pandering, or it is made available to juveniles or it becomes impossible for the unwilling individual to
Enumerations of error 5 through 10 complain of allowing Tate Brown, an investigator for the district attorney’s office and former employee in the sheriffs office, to testify as to what various photographs in state’s Exhibits land 2 depicted, that in his personal opinion the material was obscene, that it predominantly appealed to a prurient interest and that he found no redeeming social value in it, along with other similar testimony, over the objection that he had not been qualified by background or training to render such an opinion. We agree that there was no attempt to qualify this witness as an expert, nor did he qualify as one swearing to his opinion and belief,
These defendants (Fishman, Jernigan and Smith) were arrested on May 28, 1971, following the purchase of the two magazines at the Paris Adult Theater. True bills were returned against them on indictments presented at the July Term of the Superior Court of Clarke County. Prior to this, on April 28, 1971, and apparently referring to other magazine sales at the Paris Adult Theater involving Jernigan and Smith but not Fishman, defendant’s counsel wrote the district attorney requesting copies of indictments, should the defendants be indicted, and also the list of witnesses. On August 9 the cases were transferred to the State Court of Clarke County. Counsel was informed by his clients that they would be arraigned on Friday, August 13. His prior attempts to contact the solicitor were unsuccessful, and he appeared on the 13th and made written demand for the indictment and list of witnesses. Formal arraignment was then postponed until Monday, August 16. Although the defendants were given a copy of the indictment on Friday they were not given the list of witnesses (except for two of the nine whose names appeared on the indictment) until immediately prior to arraignment, and immediately thereafter the case was called for trial. A
We agree with counsel for the state that the words "on demand, prior to arraignment” mean that the demand must be made prior to the arraignment, but that "on demand” cannot be construed to mean "instanter,” and must therefore be taken to imply as soon as possible after the demand is made. Presumably the following day would be sufficient. Here, however, the list was not presented until Monday and it is contended that this was sufficiently prompt since it was the following work day. However that may be, it is obvious that to hand over the list immediately before the call of the case for trial was an empty compliance, since counsel, being occupied with the arraignment, motions, and the striking of the jury, was doubtless precluded from putting it to any use. Under these circumstances, overruling the motion for continuance or postponement and forcing the defendants to immediate trial was error which "abridged the substantial benefits of the constitutional right to representation by counsel” under the rationale of Ivey v. State, 107 Ga. App. 646 (131 SE2d 114). A specious and empty compliance with the formalities of law which results in the withholding of that which the spirit of the law seeks to grant cannot be countenanced. These grounds show reversible error.
Enumerations of error 11, 12 and 13 complain of the introduction in evidence of three notices to renew business licenses from the City of Athens. The first is stamped April 1, 1971, is a "motion picture entertainment” license to the 106 Forsyth Corp. doing business as Paris Theater and signed "Phillip A. Fishman, President.” The second is for "vending machines” for "Cinematics (Phillip Fishman, owner)” and signed "Bobby Jernigan, Mgr.,” dated May 17, 1971. The third, dated June 14 for "amus. machines” also signed by Jernigan, does not contain Fishman’s name, is
Various objections are urged. We recognize that the third renewal notice was made out after these indictments were issued, and also that the presumption that a state of fact once shown to have existed will continue does not apply in criminal cases (Sokolic v. State, 228 Ga. 788, 790 (187 SE2d 822)), and therefore hold that the third exhibit, issued 16 days after the arrest, may be considered with the second, issued 11 days before, for the limited purpose of showing Jernigan’s connection with the place at which the violations allegedly occurred in his capacity of manager of amusement devices. They do not, of course, show that he managed magazine sales, since there is no evidence of whether or not the magazine sales or concession, as the case might be, were related to Cinematics. Nor does the typed statement "Phillip Fishman, owner” following "Cinematics” in the second notice bind Fishman. The only testimony relating to the typewritten fill-ins was that they were usually done by the city authorities, and no proof is offered either that Fishman was connected with Cinematics or that Cinematics sold the magazines. The first notice, of course, which was signed by Fishman, is evidence that he, as president of the 106 Forsyth Corp., was buying a license for the corporation to show moving pictures, and the second two, signed by Jernigan, are evidence that Jernigan managed a business on the premises dealing with amusement or vending machines. The three exhibits were properly admitted in evidence, but only for the limited purposes herein discussed.
Here, as in Sokolic, supra, there is no evidence that Fishman was ever on the premises in question, that he had anything to do with the magazines or even with the theater except in his capacity as president of the corporation which owned it. The magazine business could have been leased out as a concession, or could have been
Here we do not even have evidence that Fishman employed Jernigan or Smith, and we have no evidence at all that he and the corporation are a single entity. It must be presumed that they are entirely separate and distinct. It follows that the record is also devoid of proof sufficient to convict Fishman of selling or of offering for sale. See also Sokolic v. State, 228 Ga. 788, supra.
Enumerations of error 4, 25 and 26 are not passed upon as not likely to recur. The requests to charge seem generally to embody sound rules of law, but in view of the fact that some of them are repetitious and that the case is to be tried again we will not attempt to sort out the language requested in comparison with the language used in order to ascertain whether or not it meets the "substantial compliance” test, except to point out that requests 37 and 38 which state, in the language of the U. S. Supreme Court in Kingsley Internat. Pic. Corp. v.
Judgment reversed and remanded for a new trial.
Concurring Opinion
concurring in the judgment, but dissenting in part. I concur in the judgment of reversal, and generally in what is said in Divisions 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, but in view of the ruling in Gornto v. State, 227 Ga. 46 (5) (178 SE2d 894) that "the standard to be applied is not what may or may not have been held to be obscene in other jurisdictions, but what is acceptable in the local community,” and in the light of the provision of our Constitution that the rulings made by the Supreme Court are binding on all other courts-of this state and of our obligation to observe and follow the decisions of the Supreme Court, I must dissent to Division 2.
I know of no ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States which has specifically ruled to the contrary. I am informed that one or more appeals are now pending in that court wherein this very issue is made and thus we may soon have a definitive ruling on it. Rulings of that court are, of course, binding upon our Supreme Court, as well as upon us. I do not find the rulings in Roth v. United States, 354 U. S. 476 (77 SC 1304, 1 LE2d 1498) or Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U. S. 184 (3) (84 SC 1676, 12 LE2d 793) to be sufficiently definite or clear on this point to require a different holding than that made by our Supreme Court.
Reference
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- FISHMAN Et Al. v. THE STATE
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