We here review on direct conflict certi-orari an order of the District Court of Appeal, Third District, entered in Hollimon et al. v. State, Fla.App.1969 (order filed March 14, 1969) requiring the appellants, petitioners here, to elect one of the four judgments covered by a single Notice of Appeal upon which they desire
The facts here are that petitioners, Hol-limon and Williams, were jointly informed against in two informations for two separate offenses of grand larceny, and the petitioner Williams was charged with two additional offenses in two other informa-tions. All charges related to identical crimes (obtaining money by falsely claim-a greatly reduced price, and then disappearing to have four television sets for sale at ing with the money without producing the television sets), the only difference being that the “mark” or victim was different in each case. Although the cases were not technically consolidated for trial (the motion of the State for consolidation having been denied), they were tried one after the other by the trial judge without a jury, with the testimony of the victims in each case showing an identical course оf conduct on the part of the petitioners.
The record is replete with references to the trials as one consolidated trial: The witness list furnished by the State in the several cases is substantially identical; the sentences on each charge were contained in a single order; the testimony submitted in support of a request for mitigation of sentences (tоtalling seven years for the petitioner Hollimon and nine years for the petitioner Williams) was heard and denied by the trial judge with the ruling “Motion to mitigate is denied”. The trial judge also responded to an oral motion for new trial directed to all the cases with the ruling, “Motion for new trial is denied”. A single motion purporting to cover all four of the cases (and appаrently accepted as proper by the State, since no objection was made) was filed by counsel for the defendants in the following instances: Motion to extend time for filing writtеn motion for new trial; motion for defendants to be admitted to bail; stipulation for withdrawal and substitution of counsel; motion to return defendants to Dade County; written motion for new trial; and, finally, а single notice of appeal under the four case numbers. It was not until after the State had entered its appearance in the District Court of Appeal by means of a stipulation for extension of time in which to file its brief — and more than nine months after the notice of appeal had been filed — that the State belatedly filed its motion to dismiss all excеpt one of the causes on appeal.
In Rocklin v. State, Fla.1952,
And in Strickland v. Muir, Fla.App.2d 1965,
But in Wilcox and Hanks v. State, Fla.App.3d 1965,
Moreover, we have recently (in 1966) adopted an amendment to Florida Appellate Rule 3.2 subd. c, 32 F.S.A. by adding the following paragraph:—
“Deficiencies in form or substance in the notice of appeal shall not be jurisdictional and shall not be ground for dismissal of the appeal unless it be clearly shown that the complaining party was misled or prejudiced by such deficiencies.”
And we think that the question of the sufficiency of a single notice of appeal from judgments entered in cases that werе consolidated for trial by order of the court or, as in the case sub judice, were for all practical purposes consolidated, should be reconsidered in the light of the amеndment to Rule 3.2, subd. c, supra, and the decisions referred to above holding that the factors to be considered in determining the sufficiency of a notice of appeal are (1) whether it gives the opposing party information sufficient to identify in the record the judgment or judgments appealed from, and (2) whether any prejudice or inconvenience is cаused to the opposing party by the deficiencies in question.
Here, as in State ex rel. Poe v. Allen, Fla. 1967,
“ * * * omit consideration of the above principles and do not by rationale negative the clear provision of the current appellate rules that such defects shall not defeat appellate jurisdiction in the absence of actual prejudice.”196 So.2d at page 746 .
Upon reconsideration of the matter in the light of the apрellate rule and the principles announced in the recent decisions referred to above, we hereby recede from the rule announced in the Rocklin case, supra,
In the circumstances shown by this record, there can be no doubt that the notice of appeal directed to all four of the judgments for whiсh review was sought was
Accordingly, the order here reviewed is quashed, with directions to entertain all four appeals upon compliance with the applicable rules for perfecting such appeals, treating them as if they had been formally consolidated.
It is so ordered.
