THE JUDGE’S SUA SPONTE ASSESSEMENT OF RISK LEVEL POINTS WHICH WERE NOT REQUESTED BY THE PEOPLE OR THE BOARD VIOLATED DEFENDANT’S RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing County Court, determined defendant’s due process rights were violated when the judge, sua sponte, assessed risk-level points which were not requested by the People or the Board of Examiners of Sex Offenders:

“The due process guarantees in the United States and New York Constitutions require that a defendant be afforded notice of the hearing to determine his or her risk level pursuant to SORA and a meaningful opportunity to respond to the risk level assessment” … . “A defendant has both a statutory and constitutional right to notice of points sought to be assigned to him or her so as to be afforded a meaningful opportunity to respond to that assessment” … . Thus, “a court’s sua sponte departure from the Board’s recommendation at the hearing, without prior notice, deprives the defendant of a meaningful opportunity to respond” … .

Here, as correctly conceded by the People, the County Court’s assessment of these points, without prior notice to the defendant, deprived him of a meaningful opportunity to respond to the assessment … . People v Montufar-Tez, 2021 NY Slip Op 04158, Second Dept 6-30-21