PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PROSECUTOR’S INITIAL STATEMENT OF READINESS FOR TRIAL WAS ILLUSORY CLARIFIED.
The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Pigott, over a concurrence in two of the three cases and a dissent in the third, articulated the procedure for determining whether a prosecutor’s off-calendar statement of readiness for trial was illusory. An illusory statement of readiness would not stop the speedy trial clock. The issue arises when an initial statement of readiness is followed by an indication the People are not ready for trial:
In each of these appeals, defendants moved to dismiss the accusatory instrument on speedy trial grounds pursuant to CPL 30.30 (1) arguing that the People’s off-calendar statements of readiness were illusory because the People were not ready for trial at the next court appearance. The common issue left open in People v Sibblies (22 NY3d 1174 [2014]) — is whether, in the event of a change in the People’s readiness status, the People or the defendant have the burden of showing that a previously filed off-calendar statement of readiness is illusory. We hold that such a statement is presumed truthful and accurate; a presumption that can be rebutted by a defendant’s demonstration that the People were not, in fact, ready at the time the statement was filed. If the People announce that they are not ready after having filed an off-calendar statement of readiness, and the defendant challenges such statement — at a calendar call, in a CPL 30.30 motion, or both — the People must establish a valid reason for their change in readiness status to ensure that a sufficient record is made for the court to determine whether the delay is excludable. The defendant then bears the ultimate burden of demonstrating, based on the People’s proffered reasons and other relevant circumstances, that the prior statement of readiness was illusory. People v Brown, 2016 NY Slip Op 08482, CtApp 12-20-16
CRIMINAL LAW (PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PROSECUTOR’S INITIAL STATEMENT OF READINESS FOR TRIAL WAS ILLUSORY CLARIFIED)/SPEEDY TRIAL (PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PROSECUTOR’S INITIAL STATEMENT OF READINESS FOR TRIAL WAS ILLUSORY CLARIFIED)/STATEMENT OF READINESS (CRIMINAL LAW, SPEEDY TRIAL, PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A PROSECUTOR’S INITIAL STATEMENT OF READINESS FOR TRIAL WAS ILLUSORY CLARIFIED)