Statler v. State
Annotate this Case
The Supreme Court approved of the decision of the First District Court of Appeal affirming Defendant's conviction for sexual battery in violation of Fla. Stat. 794.011(5)(b), holding that subsection 5(b) is not facially unconstitutional because it does not remove the State's burden to prove the defendant's general intent to engage in the act that constitutes the offense under the statute.
On appeal, Defendant argued that subsection 5(b) was facially unconstitutional or must be read to include a requirement that the State prove that a criminal defendant knew or should have known the victim did not consent to sexual intercourse. The First District affirmed, disagreeing with Defendant that section 794.011(5)(b) was unconstitutional because it does not require the State to prove a defendant's mens rea. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the Legislature's reach did not approach the extent of its constitutional grasp where the statute makes sexual battery a crime of general intent not a strict liability offense.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.