You are here: / / THE ERRONEOUSLY UNSEALED RECORD OF A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING TERMINATED IN...

THE ERRONEOUSLY UNSEALED RECORD OF A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING TERMINATED IN FAVOR OF THE DEFENDANT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED BY THE SENTENCING COURT, MATTER REMITTED FOR RESENTENCING (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Rivera, reversing the Appellate Division, over a three-judge dissenting opinion, determined the sentencing court should not have considered the erroneously unsealed records of a prior criminal action which was terminated in favor of the defendant. The matter was sent back for resentencing. “A court is without authority to consider for sentencing purposes erroneously unsealed official records of a prior criminal action or proceeding terminated in favor of the defendant. Where violation of the sealing mandate of CPL 160.50 impacts the ultimate sentence, the error warrants appropriate correction. Such is the case here, where the court imposed on defendant a higher sentence than promised at his plea, based on its finding that the unsealed trial record—which the court mistakenly believed it could consider—established defendant’s violation of a pre-sentence condition of his plea:”

Before sentencing, defendant was arrested and prosecuted for a crime allegedly committed after entering his plea. At defendant’s request, the sentencing court agreed to adjourn defendant’s sentencing pending resolution of the matter. The jury acquitted defendant of the new charge and the official record, including the trial transcript, was sealed in accordance with CPL 160.50.

The day following that acquittal, the prosecutor informed the court which had accepted defendant’s criminal possession plea that the People would be requesting an enhanced sentence on the criminal possession conviction because defendant violated a pre-sentence condition of the plea by engaging in criminal conduct during the sentencing adjournment, as made clear by defendant’s trial testimony in the other case. The prosecutor then moved to unseal the records in the prior criminal action terminated by acquittal, arguing “justice requires” unsealing because the trial testimony was relevant to defendant’s request to be sentenced under the terms of his plea. The court granted the motion. People v Anonymous, 2020 NY Slip Op 01113, CtApp 2-18-20

 

You might also like
APPRENTICES WHO WORK OUTSIDE THE THEIR APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING CANNOT BE PAID THE LOWER APPRENTICE RATES, HERE APPRENTICE GLAZIERS DOING IRONWORK WHEN INSTALLING STOREFRONTS MUST BE PAID AT THE HIGHER JOURNEY-LEVEL RATE (CT APP).
Admission in Evidence of Defendant’s Statements About Prior Murders Did Not Rise to a Constitutional Injury—Harmless Error Doctrine Applied
DAMAGES AWARD IN A NEGLIGENCE SUIT BROUGHT BY A POLICE OFFICER RECEIVING ACCIDENTAL RETIREMENT DISABILITY BENEFITS MUST BE OFFSET BY THOSE BENEFITS AS A COLLATERAL SOURCE PURSUANT TO CPLR 4545 (CT APP).
Local Law, Which Regulates the Conduct of Attorneys Who Regularly Engage in (Nonlegal) Activities Traditionally Performed by Debt Collectors, Not Preempted by the Judiciary Law
Less Stringent “Area Variance” Criteria, Rather than the More Stringent “Use Variance” Criteria, Properly Applied to a Restaurant’s Request for a Variance Re: Off-Street Parking Requirements
THE NYC ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES (ACS) DID NOT MEET ITS BURDEN TO PROVE IT MADE DILIGENT EFFORTS TO HELP REUNITE FATHER WITH HIS CHILD IN THIS PARENTAL-RIGHTS-TERMINATION PROCEEDING (CT APP). ​
TRIAL JUDGE PROPERLY RESETTLED THE RECORD OF THE TRIAL BY CORRECTING TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS IN THE TRANSCRIPT WITHOUT A HEARING.
Daily Incidents of Molestation, Spanning Years, Constituted “Separate Occurrences” Triggering a Deductible for Each Policy-Period

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy

UNDERCOVER OFFICER’S DISTRESS SIGNAL, A GROUP OF MEN NEAR THE UNDERCOVER... ‘RELIABLE HEARSAY’ IN A PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION (PSI) REPORT IS...