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IF A DEFENDANT IS CONVICTED OF A FELONY IN A FOREIGN JURISDICTION WHICH REQUIRES THE DEFENDANT TO REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER, THE DEFENDANT WILL BE DESIGNATED A SEXUALLY VIOLENT OFFENDER IN NEW YORK EVEN IF THE FOREIGN FELONY DID NOT INVOLVE VIOLENCE (CT APP). ​

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Troutman, over a dissent, determined a defendant who has been convicted in a foreign jurisdiction of a felony for which the defendant was required to register as a sex offender must be designated a sexually violent offender in New York, even if the foreign offense did not involve violence:

The statutory language is clear and unambiguous: “a felony in any other jurisdiction for which the offender is required to register as a sex offender” therein is, under subdivision (3), a “sexually violent offense” … . “As a general rule, unambiguous language of a statute is alone determinative” … . * * *

Defendant—and the many learned judges, lawyers, and legal scholars—may well be correct that subdivision (3) (b)’s foreign jurisdiction clause contains a legislative drafting error, but that does not give the courts license to ignore it. Courts must not “legislate under the guise of interpretation” … . If we were to take it upon ourselves to delete subdivision (3) (b)’s foreign registration clause as the Committee suggested the legislature should do, we would be impinging on the province of the legislature … . Thus, we are constrained to construe subdivision (3) (b)’s foreign registration clause according to its plain language. If the legislature did err, we unequivocally call upon it to remedy that error … . People v Talluto, 2022 NY Slip Op 07025, CtApp 12-13-22

Practice Point: If a defendant has been convicted of a felony in another state which requires the defendant to register as a sex offender in that state, the defendant will be designated a sexually violent offender in New York, even if the out-of-state conviction did not involve violence.

 

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