Gilbert Dudley, Iii, Petitioner v. State of Florida, Respondent

Summary

The court approved the en banc appellate decision reinstating Dudley's sexual-battery convictions and held that the statutory term "mentally defective" is not equivalent to legal insanity or competency to testify. It further held that the statute does not require a total or complete lack of mental capacity; the evidence was sufficient to support the jury's finding that the victim was mentally defective. Lewis, J., concurring in result only, would have construed the statute more broadly to provide wider protection for victims of abuse.