SUPREME COURT’S DENIAL OF DEFENDANT’S PETITION TO MODIFY HIS SORA RISK LEVEL CLASSIFICATION WITHOUT HOLDING A HEARING VIOLATED THE CORRECTION LAW (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the failure to hold a hearing on defendant’s petition to modify his risk level classification violated Correction Law 168-o(4):

… [T]he defendant moved pursuant to Correction Law § 168-o(2) for a downward modification of his risk level classification under the Sex Offender Registration Act … . The Supreme Court denied the defendant’s petition without holding a hearing. We reverse.

Since the Supreme Court failed to conduct a hearing on the defendant’s petition, as set forth in Correction Law § 168-o(4), we reverse the order and remit the matter to the Supreme Court, Queens County, for a hearing and, thereafter, a new determination of the defendant’s petition … . People v Banuchi, 2020 NY Slip Op 03553, Second Dept 6-24-20