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Entries by Bruce Freeman

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MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT PROVIDERS, WHO WERE TREATING MOTHER, DID NOT OWE A DUTY OF CARE TO HER SON, WHO WAS STABBED AND KILLED BY MOTHER (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant medical/mental health facilities and psychiatrist, who were treating plaintiff’s wife, did not owe a duty to plaintiff’s son, who was killed by plaintiff’s wife. Plaintiff had called defendant Unity Mental Health (UMH) several times seeking additional care because his wife’s condition was worsening. Plaintiff was told his […]

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DEFENDANT’S SUPPRESSION MOTION PAPERS RAISED A FACTUAL ISSUE REQUIRING A HEARING, MATTER REMITTED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, remitting the matter, determined defendant had raised a factual issue requiring a suppression hearing: “When made before trial, suppression motions must be in writing, state the legal ground of the motion and contain sworn allegations of fact made by defendant or another person” … . A hearing may be denied “unless the […]

THE THREE-STEP BATSON PROCEDURE WAS NOT FOLLOWED WHEN THE DEFENDANT OBJECTED TO THE PEOPLE’S PEREMPTORY CHALLENGE TO AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN PROSPECTIVE JUROR, MATTER REMITTED FOR FURTHER PROCEEDINGS TO SATISFY BATSON (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, remitting the matter, determined the three-step Batson procedure was not followed when the defense objected to the People’s peremptory challenge to an African-American prospective juror: After defendant made a prima facie showing of discrimination in step one, the prosecutor offered a race-neutral explanation for the peremptory challenge … , namely, that the […]

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STATEMENTS MADE AFTER DEFENDANT ASSERTED HIS RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUPPRESSED, BUT THE ERROR WAS HARMLESS; CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON WAS A CONTINUING CRIME AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHARGED AS A SINGLE COUNT, NOT FOUR COUNTS; AN OBJECTION OR A MOTION FOR A MISTRIAL IS NECESSARY TO PRESERVE AN ERROR AFTER A CURATIVE INSTRUCTION HAS BEEN GIVEN (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department determined statements made after defendant unequivocally asserted his right to remain silent should have been suppressed, but the error was harmless. In addition the Fourth Department dismissed three counts of criminal possession of a weapon because all four counts related to the uninterrupted possession of a single weapon at different times. The […]

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THE CONTEMPT APPLICATIONS IN THIS NEGLECT/CUSTODY PROCEEDING WERE JURISDICTIONALLY DEFECTIVE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the contempt charges in this neglect/custody proceeding were jurisdictionally defective: We… conclude that the court erred in granting in part plaintiff’s contempt applications because they were jurisdictionally defective under Judiciary Law § 756. Section 756 provides that a contempt “application shall contain on its face a notice that […]

THE GENETIC MARKER TESTING TO ESTABLISH PATERNITY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ORDERED IN THE ABSENCE OF A HEARING TO DETERMINE THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department. reversing Family Court, determined genetic marker testing to establish paternity should not have ordered without holding a hearing to determine if the testing is in the best interests of the child: We agree with the mother that the court erred in ordering genetic marker testing without first holding a hearing to determine […]

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FAILURE TO TIMELY FILE THE OBJECTIONS TO THE SUPPORT MAGISTRATE’S DETERMINATION DID NOT WARRANT DISMISSAL OF THE OBJECTIONS (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Family Court, determined that the failure to time file proof of service of respondent’s objections to the determination of the Support Magistrate did not warrant dismissal of the objections: Family Court Act § 439 (e) provides that a party filing objections to the determination of the Support Magistrate must serve those […]

COUNTY COURT DID NOT FOLLOW THE PROPER PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER DEFENDANT IS ELIGIBLE FOR YOUTHFUL OFFENDER STATUS; MATTER REMITTED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, remitted the mater for a determination whether defendant is eligible for youthful offender status: Because defendant was convicted of an armed felony offense … , he is ineligible to receive a youthful offender adjudication unless the court determines that one of two mitigating factors is present … . If the court, in […]

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PETITIONER DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THE NEGLECT PETITION WAS PROPERLY MAILED TO MOTHER AND MOTHER PRESENTED EVIDENCE REBUTTING THE PROCESS SERVER’S AFFIDAVIT; A HEARING ON WHETHER MOTHER WAS PROPERLY SERVED IS REQUIRED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Family Court, determined a hearing on whether mother was properly served with the neglect petition was necessary: … [P]etitioner failed in the first instance to establish that the documents were mailed to the mother’s ” ‘last known address’ ” inasmuch as “[t]he affidavit of service says that the [papers] were mailed […]

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