THE MOTION TO VACATE DEFENDANT’S CONVICTION ON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE GROUNDS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DENIED WITHOUT HOLDING A HEARING; THE RECORD WAS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR DIRECT APPEAL AND THE MOTION PAPERS RAISED QUESTIONS REQUIRING A HEARING (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant’s motion to vacate his conviction on ineffective assistance grounds should not have been denied without holding a hearing. The record was not sufficient for a direct appeal on the issue, and the motion raised ineffective assistance questions requiring a hearing:
Defendant’s motion, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel in various respects, should not have been denied on the ground that the trial record is sufficient to permit appellate review (CPL 440.10[2][b]). The trial record does not establish whether counsel’s alleged deficiencies in handling suppression and trial issues were based on legitimate trial strategy. Moreover, the motion was supported by motion counsel’s affirmation detailing his conversation with trial counsel, which raised serious questions about counsel’s performance as to several matters. Furthermore, the court improvidently exercised its discretion to the extent that it denied the motion, without granting a hearing, based on CPL 440.30(4)(d) … . As noted, motion counsel’s affirmation recounted a conversation with trial counsel that tended to support some of the ineffectiveness claims. Motion counsel also averred that trial counsel ultimately refused to submit an affirmation in support of the motion. Under the circumstances, the motion court should have granted a hearing to enable trial counsel to be subpoenaed to testify or otherwise present evidence explaining whether there were strategic or other reasons for his decisions … . People v McCray, 2020 NY Slip Op 06219, First Dept 10-29-20
