IN THIS FAMILY OFFENSE PROCEEDING, THE JUDGE SHOULD NOT HAVE PLACED TIME AND TESTIMONY RESTRICTIONS ON THE HEARING; ORDER REVERSED AND NEW HEARING ORDERED (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Family Court and ordering a new hearing in this family offense proceeding, determined the judge should not have placed time and testimony restrictions on the hearing:
Order of fact-finding and disposition … , which, after a hearing, determined that respondent husband committed the family offense of harassment in the second degree, and entered a one-year order of protection directing him … to refrain from assaulting or harassing petitioner wife and the parties’ two children … , unanimously reversed … .
Family Court erred in not conducting a full fact-finding hearing. The court improperly restricted the hearing, without notice to the parties to just 15-20 minutes and limited the testimony, including that of petitioner wife. Given this, Family Court is directed to conduct a full hearing on the petition and make the requisite factual findings … . Matter of Kristina M. v Paul M., 2021 NY Slip Op 06957, First Dept 12-14-21