RESPONDENT JUVENILE WAS DENIED HER RIGHT TO A SPEEDY TRIAL IN THIS JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PROCEEDING (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Family Court, determined respondent juvenile was denied her right to a speedy trial in this juvenile delinquency proceeding. The respondent initially waived her speedy trial rights to allow a diagnostic evaluation, which would take 90 days. Before the evaluation was complete, in response to allegations that respondent was acting aggressively in the nonsecure facility where she was detained, Family Court ordered respondent to a secure facility, thereby making the diagnostic evaluation impossible. At that point respondent rescinded her speedy trial waiver:

… [A]lthough respondent waived her right to a speedy fact-finding hearing during the first appearance held on April 4, 2019, the waiver was expressly limited to the time necessary to complete the diagnostic evaluation. By entering an order on June 26, 2019 directing respondent’s transfer from Elmcrest Children’s Center to a secure facility, Family Court knowingly eliminated the possibility that the diagnostic evaluation would be continued and completed. Under such circumstances, respondent’s waiver of her speedy trial rights effectively expired on June 26, 2019. Consequently, Family Court should have commenced a fact-finding hearing within three days of June 26, 2019 or, alternatively, brought the parties before it and either obtained a further waiver of respondent’s speedy trial rights or set forth on the record its reasons for adjourning the fact-finding hearing beyond the prescribed three-day period … . Inasmuch as Family Court failed to do any of the foregoing and instead did not commence the fact-finding hearing until August 15, 2019, some 50 days after the expiration of respondent’s speedy trial waiver, we find that Family Court violated respondent’s right to a speedy fact-finding hearing … . Matter of Erika UU., 2021 NY Slip Op 01543, Third Dept 3-18-21