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Entries by Bruce Freeman

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ALTHOUGH THE POLICE IN THIS STREET STOP CASE MAY HAVE HAD CAUSE FOR A LEVEL ONE INQUIRY (A CAN IN A PAPER BAG), THEY IMMEDIATELY ENGAGED IN LEVEL TWO INVASIVE QUESTIONING FOCUSED ON DEFENDANT’S POSSIBLE VIOLATION OF THE OPEN CONTAINER LAW; DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO SUPPRESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, vacating defendant’s guilty plea, over a two-justice dissent, determined defendant’s motion to suppress based upon the illegal street stop should have been granted. The police may have been justified in a level one (DeBour) inquiry based upon an apparent violation of the open-container law (a can in a paper bag), but the […]

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THE CITY OF ROCHESTER LOCAL LAW WHICH PURPORTED TO TRANSFER THE POWER TO DISCIPLINE POLICE OFFICERS TO THE POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD (PAB) IS INVALID AND CANNOT BE ENFORCED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice NeMoyer, determined the City of Rochester Local Law which transferred the power to discipline police officers from the police chief to the Police Accountability Board (PAB) is invalid and cannot be enforced: … [t]he challenged Local Law No. 2 necessarily falls insofar as it takes police […]

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DEFENDANT’S REQUEST TO INSTRUCT THE JURY ON THE LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSE OF ATTEMPTED STRANGULATION SECOND DEGREE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED; NEW TRIAL ON THAT CHARGE ORDERED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing defendant’s conviction of strangulation second degree, determined the request to instruct the jury to consider the lesser included offense of attempted strangulation second degree should have been granted. There was a reasonable view of the evidence which would have allowed the jury to find the victim did not suffer physical injury: […]

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QUESTIONS OF FACT PRECLUDED SURROGATE’S FINDING THAT THREE JOINT BANK ACCOUNTS WERE PART OF THE ESTATE AS OPPOSED TO JOINT ACCOUNTS WITH RIGHT OF SURVIVORSHIP (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing (modifying) Surrogate’s Court, determined there were questions of fact about whether three joint bank accounts passed to respondent outside the estate or were part of the estate. The was no evidence of a signature card which included “right of survivorship” language. Respondent argued decedent intended the bank accounts to be gifts […]

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GRANDMOTHER SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF HER RIGHT TO COUNSEL IN THIS CUSTODY CASE; MATTER SENT BACK TO FAMILY COURT TO DETERMINE WHETHER GRANDMOTHER WAS ELIGIBLE FOR ASSIGNED COUNSEL (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department determined grandmother should have been notified of her right to counsel in this custody case. But the question remains whether grandmother would have qualified (financially) for assigned counsel. The matter was sent back to Family Court to rule on grandmother’s eligibility for assigned counsel: We find merit to the grandmother’s argument that […]

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DEFENDANT WAS ENTITLED TO A HEARING ON HIS MOTION TO VACATE HIS CONVICTION BY GUILTY PLEA ON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL GROUNDS; DEFENDANT AVERRED HE WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE RISK OF DEPORTATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE PLEA (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant was entitled to a hearing on his motion to vacate his conviction on ineffective assistance grounds. Defendant averred that he was not informed of the risk of deportation associated with his guilty plea: … [I]n the context of a plea of guilty, an attorney’s failure to advise […]

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DEFENDANT WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE PERIOD OF POSTRELEASE SUPERVISION AT THE TIME OF THE GUILTY PLEA; PLEA VACATED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, vacating defendant’s guilty plea, determined the plea was not knowingly and voluntarily entered because defendant was not informed of the period of postrelease supervision: … [F]or a plea of guilty to be knowing, intelligent, and voluntary, the court must inform the defendant of either the specific period of postrelease supervision that will […]

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PLAINTIFF IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION DID NOT DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE WITH THE NOTICE REQUIREMENTS OF RPAPL 1304 (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the plaintiff in this foreclosure action did not demonstrate compliance with the notice provisions of RPAPL 1304: Although the RPAPL 1304 notices were allegedly mailed from New York by the same law firm that filed the summary judgment motion on behalf of the plaintiff, no one from that […]

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IN DETERMINING WHETHER A PRIMA FACIE CASE HAS BEEN MADE OUT IN A FAMILY OFFENSE PROCEEDING, CREDIBILITY IS IRRELEVANT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined the motion to dismiss the family offense petition for failure to make out a prima facie case should not have been granted, noting that the credibility of the evidence is not a factor to be considered at that stage: In a family offense proceeding, the petitioner has the […]

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THE ATTORNEY FOR THE CHILD, IN A BRIEF TO THE APPELLATE COURT, ALERTED THE COURT TO NEW INFORMATION RELEVANT TO THE CUSTODY RULING BY FAMILY COURT; THE MATTER WAS REMITTED FOR A REOPENED HEARING (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department sent the matter back to Family Court for a reopened custody hearing after the attorney for the child alerted the court to new relevant information: … [T]he attorney for the child, in the brief submitted to this Court on the child’s behalf, has brought to this Court’s attention certain alleged new developments […]

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