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Entries by Bruce Freeman

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THE DEFENSE CHALLENGE TO A JUROR WHO EXPRESSED SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT BEING ABLE SERVE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, DESPITE HER ULTIMATE STATEMENT SHE COULD DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO SERVE; THE NEW CPL ARTICLE 245 DISCOVERY STATUTES IMPOSE NEW BURDENS ON THE PEOPLE ENCOMPASSING ROSARIO AND BRADY MATERIAL AND EXTENDING TO DOCUMENTS WHICH ARE NOT IN THE PEOPLE’S POSSESSION, EVEN WHERE THE DEFENSE CAN ACCESS THOSE DOCUMENTS (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, reversing defendant’s conviction and ordering a new trial, offered important, substantial discussions of (1) how to handle a juror who expresses doubt about the ability to serve on the jury, and (2) the new, much broader and far-reaching disclosure requirements imposed upon the People by the CPL Article 245. The juror expressed […]

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AN OFFICER’S OBSERVATION OF DEFENDANT’S CAR FOLLOWING ANOTHER CAR TOO CLOSELY (A TRAFFIC INFRACTION) PROVIDED PROBABLE CAUSE FOR A TRAFFIC STOP, EVEN IF THERE WERE OTHER MOTIVATIONS FOR THE STOP (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing County Court, determined defendant’s motion to suppress in this traffic stop case should not have been granted. The traffic stop was based upon the deputy sheriff’s observation of defendant’s car less than one car length from the car in front while both cars were going 65 mph, which constitutes a traffic […]

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THE OBVIOUS BIAS OF THE JUDGE IN THIS TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS PROCEEDING DEPRIVED MOTHER OF HER RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS OF LAW (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, reversing Family Court in this termination of parental rights proceeding, determined the bias of the judge deprived mother of due process of law. In another decision issued on February 2, 2024, the Fourth Department criticized the same Family Court judge for abandoning her judicial role and acting as an advocate in a […]

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FAMILY COURT JUDGE CRITICIZED BY THE FOURTH DEPARTMENT FOR ABANDONING HER ROLE AS A JUDGE AND ACTING AS AN ADVOCATE (FOURTH DEPT). ​

Although the appeal was moot, the Fourth Department took the opportunity to criticize the Family Court judge for acting as an advocate in this child placement proceeding: At the hearing, the Judge “took on the function and appearance of an advocate” by choosing which witnesses to call and “extensively participating in both the direct and […]

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ALLEGATIONS THAT RESPONDENT INSTALLED SOFTWARE ON PETITIONER’S COMPUTER ALLOWING RESPONDENT TO CONTROL THE COMPUTER REMOTELY, AND ALLEGATIONS RESPONDENT MADE PHONE CALLS TO PETITIONER INTENDED TO BE THREATENING, SUFFICIENTLY ALLEGED THE FAMILY OFFENSES OF HARASSMENT AND STALKING (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Family Court, determined the petition sufficiently alleged harassment and stalking family offeses based upon allegations respondent, petitioner’s estranged husband, installed software on petitioner’s computer allowing him to control the computer remotely, and made phone calls to petitioner intended to be threatening: … [P]etitioner alleged that respondent installed spyware on her Apple […]

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THE JUDGE’S FAILURE TO READ THE NOTE FROM THE JURY VERBATIM WAS A MODE OF PROCEEDINGS ERROR REQUIRING REVERSAL OF DEFENDANT’S MURDER CONVICTION (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing defendant’s murder conviction, determined the judge committed a mode of proceedings error by paraphrasing the note from the jury instead of reading it verbatim: The jury note … stated … “[w]e, the Jury, request: to hear the read-back of [a restaurant worker’s] cross-examination where she is asked how many times she […]

THE 10-DAY PERIOD DURING WHICH PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER MUST APPLY FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS STARTED TO RUN WHEN HE LEARNED HE HAD SUFFERED PERMANENT LUNG DAMAGE, NOT WHEN HE FIRST CONTRACTED COVID; PETITIONER’S APPLICATION FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DENIED AS UNTIMELY (THIRD DEPT). ​

The Third Department, reversing Sullivan County’s denial of disability benefits for petitioner police officer (Ramos), determined the time when petitioner learned he had permanent lung damage (September 9, 2021), not the time when he contracted COVID (August 9, 2021), was the operative date for timely application for General Municipal Law 207-c disability benefits: Code of […]

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A HABEAS CORPUS PETITION WAS AN AVAILABLE METHOD FOR MOTHER TO SEEK CUSTODY DURING FAMILY COURT’S COVID MORATORIUM ON NONESSENTIAL MATTERS; THE PETITION PROVIDED FAMILY COURT WITH JURISDICTION WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY LOST BECAUSE THE CHILDREN WERE TAKEN OUT OF STATE; FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE CONVERTED THE HABEAS PETITION TO A CUSTODY PROCEEDING PURSUANT TO CPLR 103 (C) (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Family Court, determined that the habeas corpus petition filed by mother during the COVID moratorium on nonessential matters provided Family Court with jurisdiction over mother’s custody matter. Because the children had been out state for more than six months when mother made a subsequent custody application, Family Court did not have […]

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DEFENDANT-DRIVER RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT WHETHER HE WAS NEGLIGENT IN THIS VEHICLE-BICYCLE ACCIDENT CASE (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant driver (Medina) raised a question of fact about whether he was negligent in this vehicle-bicycle collision case. Although plaintiff bicyclist made out a prima facie case, defendant’s affidavit was sufficient to defeat plaintiff’s summary judgment motion: … [P]laintiff established his prima facie entitlement to judgment as a […]

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SUCCESSIVE SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTIONS WHICH ARE NOT BASED ON INFORMATION WHICH WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF THE PRIOR MOTIONS SHOULD NOT BE ENTERTAINED BY THE COURT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court in this foreclosure action, held that the bank violated the prohibition of successive summary judgment motions: “Generally, successive motions for summary judgment should not be entertained, absent a showing of newly discovered evidence or other sufficient cause” … . “Evidence is not newly discovered simply because it was not […]

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