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MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge DiFiore, over a two judge dissent, determined that missing the deadline for filing an application for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals does not deprive defendant of his or her constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel or due process. Therefore the defendant is not entitled to a writ of error coram nobis or an exception to the time limits in Criminal Procedure Law 460.30:

In People v Andrews (23 NY3d 605, 616 [2014]), we held that counsel’s failure to file a timely criminal leave application (CLA) to this Court within the thirty-day statutory time frame provided by CPL 460.10 (5) (a), or move pursuant to CPL 460.30 within the one-year grace period for an extension to cure the error, does not deprive a defendant of a constitutional right to the effective assistance of counsel or due process under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. In the absence of a constitutional violation, a defendant cannot resort to coram nobis to abrogate the one-year time limitation on the remedy provided in CPL 460.30 for the improper conduct of his or her attorney in failing to file a timely CLA. We left open the question of whether a more protective rule should be recognized under the New York State Constitution (id. at 616). Today, we hold the same rule applies under article I, section 6 of the New York State Constitution. Thus, defendant is not entitled to a writ of error coram nobis to bypass the limitation set by the legislature in CPL 460.30 in which to file a CLA seeking leave to appeal to this Court. * * *

Given our history paralleling our jurisprudence with that of the federal courts in affording defendants meaningful review on appeals, and without any reason to deviate from that tradition today, we hold that there is no state constitutional right to legal representation on an application for leave to appeal to this Court. People v Grimes, 2018 NY Slip Op 07038, CtApp 10-23-18

CRIMINAL LAW (MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/ATTORNEYS (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/RIGHT TO COUNSEL (APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/CORAM NOBIS (MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE (APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))

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THE DENIAL OF DEFENDANT’S PETITION FOR A DE NOVO JURY TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER HE IS MENTALLY ILL IS APPEALABLE AS OF RIGHT AND THE PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, AN EXCEPTION TO THE MOOTNESS DOCTRINE APPLIED AND DEFENSE COUNSEL’S STATEMENTS AND THE DEFENSE EXPERT’S TESTIMONY AT THE HEARING TO THE EFFECT DEFENDANT WAS MENTALLY ILL DID NOT CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF THE DEFENDANT’S RIGHT TO A DE NOVO TRIAL (FIRST DEPT).

he First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant’s petition requesting a de novo jury trial on whether defendant is mentally ill should have been granted. The First Department held that the exception to the mootness doctrine applied to allow appeal, the denial of the petition was appealable as of right, and the remarks of defense counsel and the testimony of the defense expert at the hearing to the effect defendant is mentally ill did not waive defendant’s right to a trial de novo:

This case satisfies the exception to the mootness doctrine because there is “(1) a likelihood of repetition, either between the parties or among other members of the public; (2) a phenomenon typically evading review; and (3) a showing of significant or important questions not previously passed on, i.e., substantial and novel issues” … . Commitment and retention proceedings generally involve orders of short duration, which typically evade review … . Moreover, the issue before us is substantial, as it requires us to decide whether statements by defendant’s counsel and his expert could operate to deprive a defendant of his statutory right to demand a jury trial de novo on the “basic liberty issue” of whether he can be confined … . …

… [T]there can be no serious dispute that the order of the motion court, which denied defendant the opportunity to present his case before a jury, as provided for under CPL 330.20(16), affected a substantial right. * * * Since the motion court’s order affected a substantial right of defendant, we hold that his appeal is properly before us as one taken as of right under CPLR 5701(a)(2)(v). * * *

Here, defendant timely expressed his dissatisfaction with a recommitment order that was based on a threshold finding that he had a mental illness. Once defendant met those core requirements, he was entitled to a de novo trial at which a jury would decide whether he was mentally ill based on the evidence then existing. Matter of New York State Off. of Mental Health v Marco G., 2018 NY Slip Op 06998, First Dept 10-18-18

CRIMINAL LAW (CPL 330.20, MENTAL ILLNESS, THE DENIAL OF DEFENDANT’S PETITION FOR A DE NOVO JURY TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER HE IS MENTALLY ILL IS APPEALABLE AS OF RIGHT AND THE PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, AN EXCEPTION TO THE MOOTNESS DOCTRINE APPLIED AND DEFENSE COUNSEL’S STATEMENTS AND THE DEFENSE EXPERT’S TESTIMONY AT THE HEARING TO THE EFFECT DEFENDANT WAS MENTALLY ILL DID NOT CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF THE DEFENDANT’S RIGHT TO A DE NOVO TRIAL (FIRST DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, MENTAL ILLNESS, THE DENIAL OF DEFENDANT’S PETITION FOR A DE NOVO JURY TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER HE IS MENTALLY ILL IS APPEALABLE AS OF RIGHT AND THE PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, AN EXCEPTION TO THE MOOTNESS DOCTRINE APPLIED AND DEFENSE COUNSEL’S STATEMENTS AND THE DEFENSE EXPERT’S TESTIMONY AT THE HEARING TO THE EFFECT DEFENDANT WAS MENTALLY ILL DID NOT CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF THE DEFENDANT’S RIGHT TO A DE NOVO TRIAL (FIRST DEPT))/MENTAL HYGIENE LAW (CRIMINAL LAW, MENTAL ILLNESS, THE DENIAL OF DEFENDANT’S PETITION FOR A DE NOVO JURY TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER HE IS MENTALLY ILL IS APPEALABLE AS OF RIGHT AND THE PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, AN EXCEPTION TO THE MOOTNESS DOCTRINE APPLIED AND DEFENSE COUNSEL’S STATEMENTS AND THE DEFENSE EXPERT’S TESTIMONY AT THE HEARING TO THE EFFECT DEFENDANT WAS MENTALLY ILL DID NOT CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF THE DEFENDANT’S RIGHT TO A DE NOVO TRIAL (FIRST DEPT))/MOOTNESS DOCTRINE (APPEALS, CRIMINAL LAW, CPL 330.20, MENTAL ILLNESS, THE DENIAL OF DEFENDANT’S PETITION FOR A DE NOVO JURY TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER HE IS MENTALLY ILL IS APPEALABLE AS OF RIGHT AND THE PETITION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, AN EXCEPTION TO THE MOOTNESS DOCTRINE APPLIED AND DEFENSE COUNSEL’S STATEMENTS AND THE DEFENSE EXPERT’S TESTIMONY AT THE HEARING TO THE EFFECT DEFENDANT WAS MENTALLY ILL DID NOT CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF THE DEFENDANT’S RIGHT TO A DE NOVO TRIAL (FIRST DEPT))

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REVERSING SUPREME COURT THE THIRD DEPT NOTED THAT SUMMARY JUDGMENT MAY BE AWARDED ON THE BASIS OF AN UNPLEADED CAUSE OF ACTION AND DID SO IN FAVOR OF THE TOWN IN THIS ZONING AND BUILDING CODE VIOLATION CASE (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the complaint in this zoning and building code violation case should not have been dismissed by the court sua sponte, and the court should not have awarded summary judgment to the defendant property owner. The Third Department noted that summary judgment may be awarded on an upleaded cause of action in the absence of prejudice and awarded summary judgment in favor of the town (plaintiff):

… [P]laintiff established the material facts through an affidavit by its Code and Zoning Enforcement Officer, who detailed the zoning and building code violations found on defendant’s property and averred that defendant had not remedied them after being served with orders to do so. The statements in the affidavit were corroborated by documentary and photographic evidence, and defendant submitted no opposition that might have raised material questions of fact. Supreme Court correctly observed that the complaint did not name a cause of action or identify the legal basis for the relief requested, and plaintiff’s motion papers suffered from the same problem. Plaintiff now points to authority for the relief sought by it (see Executive Law § 382 [3]; Village Law § 7-714 …), however, and summary judgment may be granted on an unpleaded cause of action “where the proof supports such a cause of action and the opposing party has not been misled to its prejudice” … . The evidence substantiates plaintiff’s entitlement to the relief sought — relief that plaintiff has consistently sought and was narrowed in its notice of motion for summary judgment — and there is no indication that defendant was prejudiced by the failure to identify the statutes authorizing it sooner. Thus, we grant plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and remit so that Supreme Court may fashion an appropriate remedial order. Village of Sharon Springs v Barr, 2018 NY Slip Op 07022, Third Dept 10-18-19

 

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FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD A HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS HAD STANDING TO SEEK VISITATION AND WHETHER VISITATION WOULD BE IN THE CHILD’S BEST INTERESTS, FAMILY COURT HAD MADE FINDINGS BASED UPON PRIOR PROCEEDINGS THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE RECORD (THIRD DEPT).

The Second Department held that a hearing was necessary to determine whether the maternal grandparents had standing to seek visitation and whether such visitation would be in the child’s best interests. Family Court, based on prior proceedings that were not part of the record, had found that the maternal grandparents had standing but visitation would not be in the best interests of the child:

A grandparent may establish a statutory right to visitation where “circumstances show that conditions exist which equity would see fit to intervene” … . To determine whether visitation is appropriate, a court must first decide whether the grandparent has standing to seek visitation before deciding whether visitation is in the child’s best interests … . Standing is established where the grandparent demonstrates that there is “a sufficient existing relationship with the[] grandchild . . . [or] a sufficient effort to establish one, so that the court perceives it as one deserving the court’s intervention”… . The sufficiency of the grandparent’s efforts in this regard “must always be measured against what [he or she] could reasonably have done under the circumstances” … . If standing is established, the court’s best interests determination “requires evaluation of a variety of factors, including the nature and extent of the existing relationship between the grandparent and child, the basis and reasonableness of the parent’s objections, the grandparent’s nurturing skills and attitude toward the parent[], the attorney for the child’s assessment and the child’s wishes” … . Matter of Ferguson v Weaver, 2018 NY Slip Op 07005, Third Dept 10-18-18

FAMILY LAW (VISITATION, FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD A HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS HAD STANDING TO SEEK VISITATION AND WHETHER VISITATION WOULD BE IN THE CHILD’S BEST INTERESTS, FAMILY COURT HAD MADE FINDINGS BASED UPON PRIOR PROCEEDINGS THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE RECORD (THIRD DEPT))/EVIDENCE (FAMILY LAW, VISITATION, FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD A HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS HAD STANDING TO SEEK VISITATION AND WHETHER VISITATION WOULD BE IN THE CHILD’S BEST INTERESTS, FAMILY COURT HAD MADE FINDINGS BASED UPON PRIOR PROCEEDINGS THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE RECORD (THIRD DEPT))/APPEALS (FAMILY LAW, VISITATION,  FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD A HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS HAD STANDING TO SEEK VISITATION AND WHETHER VISITATION WOULD BE IN THE CHILD’S BEST INTERESTS, FAMILY COURT HAD MADE FINDINGS BASED UPON PRIOR PROCEEDINGS THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE RECORD (THIRD DEPT))/VISITATION (FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD A HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS HAD STANDING TO SEEK VISITATION AND WHETHER VISITATION WOULD BE IN THE CHILD’S BEST INTERESTS, FAMILY COURT HAD MADE FINDINGS BASED UPON PRIOR PROCEEDINGS THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE RECORD (THIRD DEPT))

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THE CONTENTION DEFENDANT WAS ILLEGALLY SENTENCED SURVIVES A WAIVER OF APPEAL AND WILL BE HEARD IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE, THE PEOPLE DID NOT SHOW THE EQUIVALENCY OF THE CALIFORNIA ROBBERY CONVICTION, DEFENDANT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SENTENCED AS A SECOND VIOLENT FELONY OFFENDER (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, remitting the matter for resentencing, determined defendant should not have been sentenced as a second violent felony offender because the People did not demonstrate the equivalency of the California robbery statute. The court noted that illegal sentence would survive a waiver of appeal and the issue would be reached in the interest of justice:

Penal Law § 70.04 requires the imposition of enhanced sentences for those found to be predicate violent felons … . “Subdivision (1)(b)(i) of that section provides, in pertinent part, that a prior out-of-state conviction qualifies as a predicate violent felony conviction if it involved all of the essential elements of any [violent] felony for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess of one year . . . was authorized and is authorized in this state'”… .

In this context, the Court of Appeals has “applied a strict equivalency standard that examines the elements of the foreign conviction to determine whether the crime corresponds to a New York [violent] felony, usually without reference to the facts giving rise to that conviction” … . “As a general rule, this inquiry is limited to a comparison of the crimes' elements as they are respectively defined in the foreign and New York penal statutes” … . However, “the strict equivalency test [also] allows a reviewing court to examine . . . any foreign statute or case law that informs the interpretation of a foreign code breached by the defendant” … .

The People have the burden of establishing that the defendant was convicted of an offense in a foreign jurisdiction that is equivalent to a violent felony in New York … . “When a statute-to-statute comparison reveals differences in the elements such that it is possible to violate the foreign statute without engaging in conduct that is a [violent] felony in New York, the foreign statute may not serve as a predicate” … .

Here, the People failed to satisfy their burden of establishing that the defendant was convicted of an offense in a foreign jurisdiction that is equivalent to a violent felony in New York …. The People failed to demonstrate that the California offense of robbery in the first degree … is equivalent to a New York criminal offense designated as a violent felony … . People v Salako, 2018 NY Slip Op 06770, Second Dept 10-10-18

CRIMINAL LAW (THE CONTENTION DEFENDANT WAS ILLEGALLY SENTENCED SURVIVES A WAIVER OF APPEAL AND WILL BE HEARD IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE, THE PEOPLE DID NOT SHOW THE EQUIVALENCY OF THE CALIFORNIA ROBBERY CONVICTION, DEFENDANT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SENTENCED AS A SECOND VIOLENT FELONY OFFENDER (SECOND DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, THE CONTENTION DEFENDANT WAS ILLEGALLY SENTENCED SURVIVES A WAIVER OF APPEAL AND WILL BE HEARD IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE, THE PEOPLE DID NOT SHOW THE EQUIVALENCY OF THE CALIFORNIA ROBBERY CONVICTION, DEFENDANT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SENTENCED AS A SECOND VIOLENT FELONY OFFENDER (SECOND DEPT))/SENTENCING  (THE CONTENTION DEFENDANT WAS ILLEGALLY SENTENCED SURVIVES A WAIVER OF APPEAL AND WILL BE HEARD IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE, THE PEOPLE DID NOT SHOW THE EQUIVALENCY OF THE CALIFORNIA ROBBERY CONVICTION, DEFENDANT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SENTENCED AS A SECOND VIOLENT FELONY OFFENDER (SECOND DEPT))/SECOND VIOLENT FELONY OFFENDER (THE CONTENTION DEFENDANT WAS ILLEGALLY SENTENCED SURVIVES A WAIVER OF APPEAL AND WILL BE HEARD IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE, THE PEOPLE DID NOT SHOW THE EQUIVALENCY OF THE CALIFORNIA ROBBERY CONVICTION, DEFENDANT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SENTENCED AS A SECOND VIOLENT FELONY OFFENDER (SECOND DEPT))

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ALTHOUGH THE ERRORS WERE NOT PRESERVED, DEFENDANT’S MURDER CONVICTION REVERSED FOR THREE REASONS; FAILURE TO GIVE THE ACCOMPLICE IN FACT JURY INSTRUCTION, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AND INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, in the interest of justice, reversed the defendant's murder conviction because (1) the trial judge failed to give the accomplice in fact jury instruction, (2) prosecutorial misconduct and (3) ineffective assistance in failing to object to the prosecutor's statements and failure to request the accomplice instruction:

During her summation, the prosecutor stated that the “defendant's DNA was on the safety of that gun,” and that “the science finds him guilty.” The prosecutor further stated that “[t]he DNA has spoken,” and that “[t]he defendant's DNA, by being on that safety without even taking into account [the witness's] testimony, makes him guilty.” This was an overstatement and misrepresentation of the statistical comparison testified to by the People's expert who performed the DNA analysis of the swab taken from the safety of the murder weapon. “While the prosecutor was entitled to fair comments on the DNA evidence available in this case, she was not entitled to present the results in a manner that was contrary to the evidence and the science” … . “In light of the powerful influence of DNA evidence on juries, the opportunity for juror confusion regarding the limited probative value of the DNA methodology employed in this case, and the qualified nature of the test results,” the prosecutor engaged in misconduct when she misrepresented and overstated the probative value of the DNA evidence by telling the jury that the defendant's DNA was on the safety of the murder weapon (id. at 771). As a result, the defendant was deprived of his right to a fair trial … .

The prosecutor also engaged in misconduct during her summation when she stated that she met with the witness on several occasions, and during those times, “he did not know that his DNA was on the trigger or the trigger guard or anywhere on that weapon,” and she “did not tell him that the DNA, his DNA was on that gun.” The prosecutor's summation also included the following statements: “But [the witness] told me in talking about this case in detail, he told me what he did”; “He told me that he held that firearm”; “Exactly how he told you on this stand when the defendant dropped it, . . . he picked it up and quickly threw it into a black bag so his girlfriend wouldn't see”; and “He's telling me and he doesn't even know what I have. Honesty. Straightforward about what happened.” These statements by the prosecutor improperly encouraged inferences of guilt based on facts not in evidence, improperly injected her own credibility into the trial, and improperly vouched for the credibility of a witness for the People … .

We further find that the defendant was deprived of the effective assistance of counsel, inter alia, due to defense counsel's failure to object to the prosecutor's improper comments in summation … and defense counsel's failure to request an accomplice corroboration charge … . People v Powell, 2018 NY Slip Op 06768, Second Dept 10-10-18

CRIMINAL LAW (ALTHOUGH THE ERRORS WERE NOT PRESERVED, DEFENDANT'S MURDER CONVICTION REVERSED FOR THREE REASONS; FAILURE TO GIVE THE ACCOMPLICE IN FACT JURY INSTRUCTION, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AND INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL (SECOND DEPT))/ATTORNEYS (CRIMINAL LAW, ALTHOUGH THE ERRORS WERE NOT PRESERVED, DEFENDANT'S MURDER CONVICTION REVERSED FOR THREE REASONS; FAILURE TO GIVE THE ACCOMPLICE IN FACT JURY INSTRUCTION, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AND INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL (SECOND DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, ALTHOUGH THE ERRORS WERE NOT PRESERVED, DEFENDANT'S MURDER CONVICTION REVERSED FOR THREE REASONS; FAILURE TO GIVE THE ACCOMPLICE IN FACT JURY INSTRUCTION, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AND INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL (SECOND DEPT))/PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT  (ALTHOUGH THE ERRORS WERE NOT PRESERVED, DEFENDANT'S MURDER CONVICTION REVERSED FOR THREE REASONS; FAILURE TO GIVE THE ACCOMPLICE IN FACT JURY INSTRUCTION, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AND INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL (SECOND DEPT))/INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE  (ALTHOUGH THE ERRORS WERE NOT PRESERVED, DEFENDANT'S MURDER CONVICTION REVERSED FOR THREE REASONS; FAILURE TO GIVE THE ACCOMPLICE IN FACT JURY INSTRUCTION, PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT, AND INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL (SECOND DEPT))

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THE WEAKNESS OF THE COMPLAINANT’S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANT AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS REQUIRED REVERSAL UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE REVIEW (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, under a weight of the evidence analysis, reversed defendant's gang assault conviction. The Second Department noted the weakness of the complainant's testimony about the identity of the assailant and the weakness of the DNA evidence. One of the assailants removed complainant's sneaker and threw it. There was very little DNA on the sneaker and a special “high-sensitivity” analysis was used:

The complainant's sneaker was recovered six days after the incident. The DNA sample obtained from the sneaker contained only 97.9 picograms of DNA, which is less than the minimum amount of DNA material—100 picograms—needed for traditional DNA testing. Further, the DNA sample was a nondeducible mixture, meaning that it contained the DNA of two or more persons, but that the mixture could not be broken apart to determine which strings of DNA came from which person. Nevertheless, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (hereinafter OCME) utilized “high-sensitivity” DNA analysis, a method of testing OCME developed to analyze DNA samples of less than 100 picograms. An OCME criminologist testifying at the trial admitted that in developing high-sensitivity testing, OCME “tweaked the protocols” of DNA testing. Based on the high-sensitivity testing, OCME found that the mixture was indicative of a two-person mixture. This OCME criminologist testified that the DNA profiles of the complainant and the defendant were then compared to the sample, and a forensic statistical tool (hereinafter FST) developed by OCME was used to determine the “likelihood ratio” that the defendant was one of the two contributors. The FST analysis concluded that it was 695,000 times more probable that the DNA sample originated from the defendant and an unknown unrelated person than from two unknown unrelated persons. The analysis also found that it was 133 times more likely that the DNA sample originated from the defendant and the complainant than from the complainant and an unknown unrelated person. The FST analysis of the DNA was based upon a Caucasian population, and failed to take into account the genetic history of the defendant, a member of the Hasidic population. Moreover, the likelihood ratio result was only 133, a relatively insubstantial number.

Under the circumstances of this case, including the complainant's inability to positively identify any of his attackers, the varying accounts regarding the incident, and the DNA evidence, which was less than convincing, we find that the evidence, when properly weighed, did not establish the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. People v Herskovic, 2018 NY Slip Op 06763, Second Dept 10-10-18

CRIMINAL LAW (THE WEAKNESS OF THE COMPLAINANT'S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANT AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS REQUIRED REVERSAL UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE REVIEW (SECOND DEPT))/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, THE WEAKNESS OF THE COMPLAINANT'S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANT AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS REQUIRED REVERSAL UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE REVIEW (SECOND DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, THE WEAKNESS OF THE COMPLAINANT'S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANT AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS REQUIRED REVERSAL UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE REVIEW (SECOND DEPT))/WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, THE WEAKNESS OF THE COMPLAINANT'S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANT AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS REQUIRED REVERSAL UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE REVIEW (SECOND DEPT))/DNA (THE WEAKNESS OF THE COMPLAINANT'S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANT AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS REQUIRED REVERSAL UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE REVIEW (SECOND DEPT))/HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS (THE WEAKNESS OF THE COMPLAINANT'S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE ASSAILANT AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY DNA ANALYSIS REQUIRED REVERSAL UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE REVIEW (SECOND DEPT))

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FAILURE TO APPRISE COUNSEL OF THE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE WAS A MODE OF PROCEEDINGS ERROR REQUIRING REVERSAL (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department reversed defendant's conviction because the trial judge did not fully advise counsel of the contents of a jury note:

We agree with defendant that the court violated the core requirements of CPL 310.30 in failing to advise counsel on the record of the contents of a substantive jury note, and thereby committed reversible error … . The record establishes that, during its deliberations, the jury sent several notes, the first two of which are germane here. The first note requested that the jury be provided with a written copy of the court's legal instructions, and the second note requested, inter alia, a rereading of all of the court's legal instructions. The record reflects that the court informed the parties that the jury had sent several notes and indicated that the jury requested a rereading of the instructions, but the court did not mention the contents of the first note. Although the record establishes that ” defense counsel was made aware of the existence of the [first] note, there is no indication that the entire contents of the note were shared with counsel' ” … . We therefore “reject the People's argument that defense counsel's awareness of the existence and the gist' of the note satisfied the court's meaningful notice obligation, or that preservation was required. Where the record fails to show that defense counsel was apprised of the specific, substantive contents of the note—as it is in this case—preservation is not required' . . . Moreover, . . . [i]n the absence of record proof that the trial court complied with its [meaningful notice obligation] under CPL 310.30, a mode of proceedings error occurred requiring reversal' ” … . People v Ott, 2018 NY Slip Op 06646, Fourth Dept 10-5-18

CRIMINAL LAW (FAILURE TO APPRISE COUNSEL OF THE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE WAS A MODE OF PROCEEDINGS ERROR REQUIRING REVERSAL (FOURTH DEPT))/JURY NOTES (CRIMINAL LAW, FAILURE TO APPRISE COUNSEL OF THE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE WAS A MODE OF PROCEEDINGS ERROR REQUIRING REVERSAL (FOURTH DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, JURY NOTES, FAILURE TO APPRISE COUNSEL OF THE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE WAS A MODE OF PROCEEDINGS ERROR REQUIRING REVERSAL (FOURTH DEPT))

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FAILURE TO RULE ON A PORTION OF DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO VACATE HIS CONVICTION IS NOT A DENIAL, DECISION ON APPEAL RESERVED AND MATTER REMITTED FOR A RULING (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department noted that a failure to rule on a portion of a motion cannot be deemed a denial. Therefore the decision on appeal was reserved and the matter sent back for a ruling:

Defendant appeals from an order insofar as it failed to grant that part of his pro se motion seeking DNA testing of a rape kit and the victim's shirt and pants. The order addressed defendant's motion to the extent it sought to vacate the judgment of conviction pursuant to CPL 440.10, but did not address the motion to the extent it sought DNA testing pursuant to CPL 440.30 (1-a). Inasmuch as County Court's failure to rule on that part of defendant's motion “cannot be deemed a denial thereof” … , we hold the case, reserve decision, and remit the matter to County Court for a determination whether ” there was a reasonable probability that, had th[e rape kit, shirt and pants] been tested and had the results been admitted at trial, the verdict would have been more favorable to defendant' ” … . People v Lewis, 2018 NY Slip Op 06645, Fourth Dept 10-5-18

CRIMINAL LAW (APPEALS, FAILURE TO RULE ON A PORTION OF DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO VACATE HIS CONVICTION IS NOT A DENIAL, DECISION ON APPEAL RESERVED AND MATTER REMITTED FOR A RULING (FOURTH DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, FAILURE TO RULE ON A PORTION OF DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO VACATE HIS CONVICTION IS NOT A DENIAL, DECISION ON APPEAL RESERVED AND MATTER REMITTED FOR A RULING (FOURTH DEPT))

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APPEAL HELD IN RESERVE AND THE MATTER SENT BACK FOR A RECONSTRUCTION HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE APPRISED DEFENSE COUNSEL OF THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department reserved decision and sent the matter back for a reconstruction hearing concerning whether the trial judge apprised defense counsel of the entire contents of a jury note. The court reporter submitted an affidavit indicating the transcript is incomplete and the judge's remarks about the jury note were inadvertently omitted:

… [T]he People stipulated to the record without seeking to amend the transcript (see CPLR 5525 [c] [1]; see also 22 NYCRR former 1000.4 [a] [1] [ii]), rely upon an affidavit that does not constitute a part of the underlying prosecution … , and have not submitted a supplemental transcript certified by the court reporter that would fall within the parties' stipulation to submit the trial transcripts to this Court … . It is well established, however, that “[p]arties to an appeal are entitled to have that record show the facts as they really happened at trial, and should not be prejudiced by an error or omission of the stenographer”… . Thus, under the circumstances of this case, we take judicial notice of our own records, i.e., the court reporter's affidavit submitted in opposition to defendant's motion for a writ of error coram nobis … .

In her affidavit, the court reporter averred that, although the transcript indicates that the court stated that the jury requested readbacks of the testimony of only four witnesses, the transcript inadvertently omits from the court's recitation of the note the jury's request for a readback of the testimony of a fifth witness—the medical examiner. The court reporter's affidavit thus indicates that a stenographic error may have resulted in a transcript that does not accurately reflect whether the court read the entire content of the note verbatim in open court prior to responding to the jury. We conclude that the alleged error in the transcript of the court's on-the-record reading of the note should be subject to a reconstruction hearing because “[t]he trial judge is the final arbiter of the record' certified to the appellate courts” … . People v Timmons, 2018 NY Slip Op 06644, Fourth Dept 10-5-18

CRIMINAL LAW (APPEAL HELD IN RESERVE AND THE MATTER SENT BACK FOR A RECONSTRUCTION HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE APPRISED DEFENSE COUNSEL OF THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE (FOURTH DEPT))/JURY NOTES (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEAL HELD IN RESERVE AND THE MATTER SENT BACK FOR A RECONSTRUCTION HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE APPRISED DEFENSE COUNSEL OF THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE (FOURTH DEPT))/RECONSTRUCTION HEARING (CRIMINAL LAW, JURY NOTES, APPEAL HELD IN RESERVE AND THE MATTER SENT BACK FOR A RECONSTRUCTION HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE APPRISED DEFENSE COUNSEL OF THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE (FOURTH DEPT))/APPEALS, CRIMINAL LAW, APPEAL HELD IN RESERVE AND THE MATTER SENT BACK FOR A RECONSTRUCTION HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE APPRISED DEFENSE COUNSEL OF THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF A JURY NOTE (FOURTH DEPT))

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