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FOR CAUSE CHALLENGE TO A JUROR SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, NEW TRIAL ORDERED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Departing, ordering a new trial, determined defendant’s for cause challenge to a juror should have been granted:

The challenged panelist stated that he could not be “fully fair” if defendant did not testify and “defend himself,” and that it might be difficult for him to acquit a defendant who did not testify, because then “we only get one side.” This reflected a state of mind likely to preclude the rendering of an impartial verdict (see CPL 270.20[1][b]), and the court did not elicit an unequivocal assurance that he would set aside any bias and render an impartial verdict based on the evidence … . When the court asked if he would “hold it against” defendant if defendant did not testify, he responded “No, not hold it against him, but —- I don’t know.” When the court further asked whether defendant’s failure to testify would trouble the panelist to the point where he could not give defendant a fair trial, he responded “I think I’ll be able to give him a fair trial.” Although expressions such as “I think” are not disqualifying, here the panelist’s responses, viewed as a whole, fell short of the required express and unequivocal declarations … . “If there is any doubt about a prospective juror’s impartiality, trial courts should err on the side of excusing the juror, since at worst the court will have replaced one impartial juror with another” … . People v Laverpool, 2020 NY Slip Op 03745, First Dept 7-2-20

 

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