THE SPEEDY TRIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PROCEEDING WERE VIOLATED (THIRD DEPT).
The Third Department, reversing the juvenile delinquency adjudication and dismissing the petition, determined the speedy trial requirements were violated:
“Where [a] juvenile is not detained, an adjudication on the merits of the petition’s charges, known as the ‘fact-finding’ phase of the process, ‘shall commence not more than [60] days after the conclusion of the initial appearance,’ subject to adjournments for good cause and special circumstances” (…Family Ct Act § 340.1 [2]). A court may adjourn a fact-finding hearing “on its own motion or on motion of the presentment agency for good cause shown for . . . not more than [30] days if the respondent is not in detention” and “[t]he court shall state on the record the reason for any adjournment of the fact-finding hearing” … . However, “a judicial referral for adjustment under Family C[t] Act § 320.6 operates to toll the limitations period set forth in Family C[t] Act § 340.1” … . “Efforts at adjustment . . . may not extend for a period of more than three months without leave of the court, which may extend the period for an additional two months” … .
Here, the record establishes that the initial appearance on the petition was on February 1, 2021, at which time respondent appeared with counsel, was arraigned and entered a general denial to the petition (see Family Ct Act §§ 320.1; 320.4). Measured from the February 1 initial appearance date, 273 days passed before the scheduled November 1, 2021 fact-finding hearing.[FN3] Of the 273 days, tolling for the entire adjustment period of 153 days[*3], leaves 120 days before the scheduled fact-finding hearing, well-beyond the initial 60-day speedy trial period, as well as the 90-day speedy trial period, assuming without deciding that the 30-day adjournment was properly granted (see Family Ct Act § 340.1 [4], [5]). As such, the speedy trial requirements relative to juvenile delinquency proceedings were violated and the petition must be dismissed. Matter of Zachary L., 2023 NY Slip Op 03735, Third Dept 7-6-23
Practice Point: The speedy trial requirements for a juvenile delinquency proceeding, explained in this decision, were violated.