A PERSON ADJUDICATED A YOUTHFUL OFFENDER CAN REFUSE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHARGES, THE POLICE INVESTIGATION, THE PLEA AND THE ADJUDICATION, BUT CANNOT REFUSE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UNDERLYING FACTS (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined defendant’s youthful offender adjudication allows defendant to refuse to answer questions about the charges, the police investigation, whether she pled guilty and whether a youthful offender adjudication was made, but defendant cannot refuse to answer questions about the facts underlying the adjudication. Here plaintiff sued defendant for personal injuries stemming from a fight with defendant, which was the basis for the youthful offender adjudication:

“[A] person adjudicated a youthful offender may refuse to answer questions regarding the charges and police investigation, whether he or she pleaded guilty, and whether a youthful offender adjudication was made” … . However, “not all of the information contained within the protected records is necessarily privileged” … . The statutory grant of confidentiality afforded to official records and the information contained therein does not extend to the facts underlying the incident which gave rise to the youthful offender adjudication (see CPL 720.35[2]). Thus, an eligible youth may not refuse, on grounds of confidentiality, to answer questions about the facts underlying the subject incident, even though those facts also form the basis of his or her youthful offender adjudication … . Arma v East Islip Union Free Sch. Dist., 2019 NY Slip Op 03019, Second Dept 4-24-19