{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"denise-margaret-lafferty","displayName":"DENISE MARGARET LAFFERTY","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappsd:sd38750:2025-05-29","opinionId":"d4de29ed-fa65-5af9-afd2-5a57f281c2e6","slug":"state-of-missouri-appellant-v-denise-margaret-lafferty-respondent-d38750","caseName":"STATE OF MISSOURI, Appellant\nvs.\nDENISE MARGARET LAFFERTY, Respondent","caseNumber":"SD38750","court":"moappsd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District","decisionDate":"2025-05-29","year":2025,"display_summary":"Denise Margaret Lafferty moved to suppress evidence found during a traffic stop, arguing that a warrantless \"Terry search\" of her pockets was unconstitutional. The circuit court sustained her motion, leading to an interlocutory appeal by the State. The State contended the search was valid or, alternatively, that the evidence would have been inevitably discovered. The appellate court affirmed the suppression, holding that the officer's command to empty pockets exceeded the permissible scope of a Terry search and that the State failed to prove inevitable discovery.","primaryTopic":"search-and-seizure","topicSlugs":["search-and-seizure","criminal-procedure","evidence","appellate-procedure"],"outcomeNorm":"affirmed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=221054","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/state-of-missouri-appellant-v-denise-margaret-lafferty-respondent-d38750","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"criminal-law","label":"Criminal Law","href":"/practice-areas/criminal-law","score":36,"source":"tag","evidence":["tag: criminal-law","topic: criminal-procedure","topic: search-and-seizure","text: state of missouri","text: suppression"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/criminal-law"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","evidence":["topic: evidence","topic: appellate-procedure"],"url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"respondent"}]}