COUNTY COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD A HEARING ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS ON SPEEDY TRIAL GROUNDS; THE PROSECUTION WAS NOT STARTED UNTIL 22 MONTHS AFTER THE INCIDENT; MATTER REMITTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, remitting the matter for a hearing, determined defendant should have been afforded a hearing on his motion to dismiss for a speedy trial violation. Defendant was charged with damaging his wife’s computer in a domestic incident. The charge was not brought for 22 months:

“[U]nder state due process principles, lengthy and unjustifiable delay in commencing the prosecution may require dismissal even though no actual prejudice to the defendant is shown'” … . However, ” a determination made in good faith to defer commencement of the prosecution for further investigation or for other sufficient reasons, will not deprive the defendant of due process of law even though the delay may cause some prejudice to the defense'” … .. “Where there has been extended delay, it is the People’s burden to establish good cause” … .

Here, the County Court failed to appropriately balance the requisite factors and improperly denied, without a hearing, the defendant’s motion to dismiss the indictment on the ground that he was deprived of due process by the People’s unjustified delay in prosecution. Under the circumstances presented, which included a delay of approximately 22 months from the time of the incident to the filing of the indictment and arraignment, the People’s failure on the record to establish a good faith legitimate reason for the delay, and the defendant’s claim of prejudice, the County Court should have conducted a hearing before determining that the delay in prosecution was not in violation of the defendant’s due process rights … . People v Clark, 2020 NY Slip Op 01180, Second Dept 2-19-20