DEFENSE COUNSEL, BY TAKING A POSITION ADVERSE TO THAT OF THE DEFENDANT WITH RESPECT TO DEFENDANT’S PRO SE MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE VERDICT, DEPRIVED DEFENDANT OF HIS RIGHT TO EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL, MATTER REMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE MOTION (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department determined defendant was entitled to consideration of his pro se motion to set aside the verdict on ineffective assistance grounds. Defense counsel told the court he did not adopt the motion and didn’t think it was correct. By taking a position adverse to his client’s, defense counsel had deprived defendant of effective assistance:
Defense counsel, by taking a position adverse to that of his client on the motion to set aside the verdict pursuant to CPL 330.30, deprived the defendant of effective assistance of counsel … . Accordingly, since the appellant has not addressed the merits of the CPL 330.30 motion in his brief, but rather, requests remittitur to the Supreme Court, we remit the matter for further proceedings on the merits of the motion and thereafter a report to this Court limited to the Supreme Court’s findings with respect to the motion and whether the defendant has established his entitlement to the relief sought in his motion. We express no opinion as to the merits of the defendant’s motion and we decide no other issues at this time. People v Freire, 2018 NY Slip Op 00564, Second Dept 1-31-18
CRIMINAL LAW (ATTORNEYS, DEFENSE COUNSEL, BY TAKING A POSITION ADVERSE TO THAT OF THE DEFENDANT WITH RESPECT TO DEFENDANT’S PRO SE MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE VERDICT, DEPRIVED DEFENDANT OF HIS RIGHT TO EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL, MATTER REMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE MOTION (SECOND DEPT))/ATTORNEYS (CRIMINAL LAW, DEFENSE COUNSEL, BY TAKING A POSITION ADVERSE TO THAT OF THE DEFENDANT WITH RESPECT TO DEFENDANT’S PRO SE MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE VERDICT, DEPRIVED DEFENDANT OF HIS RIGHT TO EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL, MATTER REMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE MOTION (SECOND DEPT))/INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE (CRIMINAL LAW, DEFENSE COUNSEL, BY TAKING A POSITION ADVERSE TO THAT OF THE DEFENDANT WITH RESPECT TO DEFENDANT’S PRO SE MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE VERDICT, DEPRIVED DEFENDANT OF HIS RIGHT TO EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL, MATTER REMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE MOTION (SECOND DEPT))