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PLAINTIFFS’ ACTION ALLEGING THE LOBBYING ACT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AS APPLIED TO THEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO PROCEED; PLAINTIFFS ENGAGED IN “GRASSROOTS LOBBYING” IN SUPPORT OF PASSAGE OF THE CHILD VICTIMS ACT (CVA) (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Pritzker, determined plaintiffs’ action alleging the Lobbying Act was unconstitutional as applied to them (First Amendment) should have been allowed to proceed. The opinion is too comprehensive to fairly summarize here. Plaintiffs engaged in publicity aimed at passage of the Child Victims Act (CVA), which extends the statute of limitations for civil and criminal actions stemming from the sexual abuse of children. Although the NYS Joint Commission of Public Ethics (JCOPE) did not end up enforcing the registration and reporting requirements of the Lobbying Act with respect to the plaintiffs’ past activities, it indicated future enforcement if plaintiffs continued with their “grassroots lobbying” efforts:

Plaintiff Katherine C. Sullivan, a resident of Florida, supported the CVA and expressed that support, among other ways, through a website that explained that Sullivan was a survivor of child sexual assault that she was subjected to while attending a school in the City of Troy, Rensselaer County, but that she was barred from seeking legal recourse by then-applicable statutes of limitations. A list of state senators who opposed the CVA was provided, along with a script and postcard template for website visitors to contact state senators to voice support for the CVA. Sullivan also rented digital billboard space in this state that displayed a rotating set of screens, one of which purportedly read, “NY Pass the Child Victims Act,” and another that displayed photographs of state senators next to text asking why they did not support the CVA. Some of the screens also purportedly displayed Sullivan’s website address; all of the screens indicated that they were paid for by plaintiff Kat Sullivan LLC (hereinafter the LLC). Sullivan later arranged for an airplane to circle the Capitol and the school in Troy towing banners that displayed, among other things, the address of her aforementioned website and the hashtag #NYPASSCVA. Sullivan v New York State Joint Commn. on Pub. Ethics, 2022 NY Slip Op 03553, Third Dept 6-2-22

Practice Point: Here the plaintiffs challenged whether the Lobbying Act, which requires lobbyists to register and report, was constitutional as applied to their “grassroots” efforts to garner support for the passage of the Child Victims Act. Supreme Court had dismissed the action. The Third Department partially reinstated it.

 

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SUPREME COURT PROPERLY REFUSED TO QUASH SUPBOENAS ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (OAG) TO THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION IN THE OAG’S FRAUD INVESTIGATION; THE FACT THAT THERE IS A RELATED CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DOES NOT PRECLUDE CIVIL DISCOVERY (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, in this civil investigation by the Office of Attorney General (OAG) into whether the respondent Trump Organization committed fraud in their financial practices and disclosure, Supreme Court properly refused to quash the OAG’s subpoenas seeking depositions and documents. The fact that there is also a criminal investigation does preclude civil discovery:

The existence of a criminal investigation does not preclude civil discovery of related facts, at which a party may exercise the privilege against self-incrimination … .. Individuals have no constitutional or statutory right to be called to testify before a grand jury under circumstances that would give them immunity from prosecution for any matter about which they testify; although subjects of a grand jury proceeding have a statutory right to appear and testify, this right is conditioned upon the witness waiving the right to immunity and giving up the privilege against self-incrimination (CPL 190.50[5] …). The political campaign and other public statements made by OAG about appellants do not support the claim that OAG initiated, or is using, the subpoenas in this civil investigation to obtain testimony solely for use in a criminal proceeding or in a manner that would otherwise improperly undermine appellants’ privilege against self-incrimination … . Neither does the record suggest that, in the absence of a civil investigation, OAG would be likely to grant immunity to appellants — the primary subjects of the criminal investigation — to secure their grand jury testimony. Thus, the subpoenas did not frustrate any right to testify with immunity. Matter of People of the State of New York v Trump Org., Inc., 2022 NY Slip Op 03456, First Dept 5-26-22

Practice Point: This case stems from the Office of Attorney General’s (OAG’s) fraud investigation of the Trump Organization. Supreme Court properly refused to quash the OAG’s subpoenas. The fact that there is a related criminal investigation does not preclude civil discovery. There was no showing the appellants’ privilege against self-incrimination was being undermined by the subpoenas seeking depositions and documents.

 

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DEFENDANT DID NOT DEMONSTRATE CONVICTION OF THE B MISDEMEANORS WITH WHICH HE WAS CHARGED WOULD RESULT IN DEPORTATION; THEREFORE DEFENDANT WAS NOT ENTITLED TO A JURY TRIAL (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, over an extensive two-judge dissent, determined that the defendant did not demonstrate the misdemeanors with which he was charged triggered a right to a jury trial because conviction would result in deportation:

Defendant was originally charged with public lewdness, two counts of forcible touching, and two counts of sexual abuse in the third degree after police officers observed him masturbating on a subway platform and pressing himself against two women on a subway car. The People thereafter filed a prosecutor’s information reducing the two class A misdemeanor charges of forcible touching to attempted forcible touching, so that the top charges against defendant were Class B misdemeanors obviating his right to a jury trial under state statute … . After a bench trial, defendant was convicted of public lewdness and acquitted of all other charges. …

While the Appellate Term first improperly conducted the deportability analysis based only on the crime of conviction, that court went on to correctly analyze defendant’s deportability based on all the charges he faced (see Suazo, 32 NY3d at 508). It remained, however, “the defendant’s burden to overcome the presumption that the crime charged is petty and establish a Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial” (id. at 507). … [D]efendant’s conclusory allegation that he was deportable if convicted “on any of the charged B misdemeanors,” supported by a bare citation to 8 USC § 1227 (a) (2) (A) (ii), under which an alien is deportable if “convicted of two or more crimes involving moral turpitude, not arising out of a single scheme of criminal misconduct,” was insufficient to establish his right to a jury trial. People v Garcia, 2022 NY Slip Op 03359, CtApp 5-24-22

Practice Point: Generally B misdemeanors do not warrant a jury, as opposed to a bench, trial. However, if conviction will result in deportation, the defendant has a right to a jury trial. Here the Court of Appeals held the defendant did not demonstrate conviction of the B misdemeanors with which he was charged triggered deportation.

 

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THE NEW YORK CITY ADMINISTRATIVE CODE PROVISION WHICH PROHIBITS “COMPRESSION OF THE DIAPHRAGM” (BY KNEELING, SITTING OR STANDING ON A PERSON) WHEN EFFECTING AN ARREST IS NOT VOID FOR VAGUENESS (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the NYC Administrative Code provision prohibiting and criminalizing the use of certain methods of restraint in effecting an arrest was not void for vagueness.

Plaintiffs challenge Administrative Code § 10-181 as unconstitutionally vague and preempted by New York State law. This provision, which became effective July 15, 2020, makes it a criminal misdemeanor to use certain methods of restraint “in the course of effecting or attempting to effect an arrest” (Administrative Code § 10-181[a]). Specifically, the statute prohibits “restrain[ing] an individual in a manner that restricts the flow of air or blood by compressing the windpipe or the carotid arteries on each side of the neck [the chokehold ban], or sitting, kneeling, or standing on the chest or back in a manner that compresses the diaphragm [the diaphragm compression ban]” ,,, , …

The only language plaintiffs take issue with is “in a manner that compresses the diaphragm.” But the meaning of this language, even if “imprecise” or “open-ended,” is sufficiently definite “when measured by common understanding and practices” … . Police officers — the targets of the law — can be (and are) trained on the location and function of the diaphragm. And even plaintiffs have no difficulty understanding the meaning of the word “compress[]” when used in the context of the accompanying chokehold ban, which they do not challenge. That it may not be the most accurate word, from a medical standpoint, to describe what happens to the diaphragm when someone sits, kneels, or stands on it does not mean that it is incapable of being understood. Police Benevolent Assn. of the City of N.Y., Inc. v City of New York, 2022 NY Slip Op 03329 First Dept 5-19-22

Practice Point: The NYC Administrative Code provision which prohibits and criminalizes “compressing the diaphragm” by sitting, kneeling or standing on a person when effecting an arrest is not void for vagueness.

 

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THE CURRENT GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, AS WELL AS FORMER GOVERNOR CUOMO, ARE NECESSARY PARTIES IN THIS SUIT PURSUANT TO THE STATE FINANCE LAW CHALLENGING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE SALARY INCREASES FOR THOSE PARTIES (THIRD DEPT). ​

The Third Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the action under the State Finance Law challenging the constitutionality of the salary increases for governor and lieutenant governor should have included the current Governor and Lieutenant Governor, as well as former Governor Cuomo, as necessary parties:

CPLR 1001 (a) provides that “[p]ersons . . . who might be inequitably affected by a judgment in the action shall be made plaintiffs or defendants.” When such a person “has not been made a party and is subject to the jurisdiction of the court, the court shall order him [or her] summoned” … . This requirement protects the right to due process by providing such a person the opportunity to be heard before his or her interests are adversely affected … .

… [T]he interests of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are not necessarily being represented or protected by defendant and his counsel — the Attorney General, who would also typically represent those other state officials … ;. We cannot determine whether the Governor and Lieutenant Governor will necessarily support and integrate defendant’s argument that the resolution is constitutional; indeed, they may argue against its constitutionality, to establish precedent that would prevent a potential future intra-term diminution of their salaries. Accordingly, and as the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are subject to its jurisdiction, Supreme Court should have granted defendant’s request that those officers be joined as necessary parties and ordered them summoned (see CPLR 1001 [b] …). Arrigo v DiNapoli, 2022 NY Slip Op 02845, Third Dept 4-28-22

Practice Point: Pursuant to CPLR 1001, parties within the jurisdiction of the court must be added as necessary parties if the ultimate ruling could have an adverse effect on them.

 

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THE 2022 CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE SENATE REDISTRICTING MAPS DECLARED VOID BECAUSE THEY WERE DRAWN WITH AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL PARTISAN INTENT (CT APP). ​

The Court of Appeals declared the 2022 congressional and state senate redistricting maps void, finding they were drawn with “an unconstitutional partisan intent.” “Opinion by Chief Judge DiFiore. Judges Garcia, Singas and Cannataro concur. Judge Troutman dissents in part in an opinion, in which Judge Wilson concurs in part in a dissenting opinion, in which Judge Rivera concurs in part. Judge Rivera dissents in a separate dissenting opinion, in which Judge Wilson concurs:”

In 2014, the People of the State of New York amended the State Constitution to adopt historic reforms of the redistricting process by requiring, in a carefully structured process, the creation of electoral maps by an Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) and by declaring unconstitutional certain undemocratic practices such as partisan and racial gerrymandering. No one disputes that this year, during the first redistricting cycle to follow adoption of the 2014 amendments, the IRC and the legislature failed to follow the procedure commanded by the State Constitution. A stalemate within the IRC resulted in a breakdown in the mandatory process for submission of electoral maps to the legislature. The legislature responded by creating and enacting maps in a nontransparent manner controlled exclusively by the dominant political party — doing exactly what they would have done had the 2014 constitutional reforms never been passed. On these appeals, the primary questions before us are whether this failure to follow the prescribed constitutional procedure warrants invalidation of the legislature’s congressional and state senate maps and whether there is record support for the determination of both courts below that the district lines for congressional [*2]races were drawn with an unconstitutional partisan intent. We answer both questions in the affirmative and therefore declare the congressional and senate maps void. As a result, judicial oversight is required to facilitate the expeditious creation of constitutionally conforming maps for use in the 2022 election and to safeguard the constitutionally protected right of New Yorkers to a fair election. Matter of Harkenrider v Hochul, 2022 NY Slip Op 02833, CtApp 4-27-22

Practice Point: The Fourth Department’s determination the 2022 redistricting maps unconstitutionally favored democrats was here upheld by a divided Court of Appeals.

 

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THE 21-YEAR DELAY BETWEEN THE CRIME AND DEFENDANT’S ARREST DID NOT VIOLATE DEFENDANT’S SPEEDY-TRIAL RIGHTS (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the 21-year delay between the crime (rape) defendant’s arrest did not violate defendant’s right to a speedy trial:

… [T]he People met their burden of demonstrating good cause for the delay … . Nineteen years of the subject delay was due to the lack of connection between the semen sample collected at the time of the rape in 1994 and the defendant’s DNA profile, which was not developed and uploaded to the law enforcement databases until 2013. Once the police were able to identify a viable suspect, they had a good-faith basis to wait until they could locate the victim to arrest the defendant. Furthermore, the detectives’ hearing testimony established that the police made reasonable and diligent efforts to locate the victim, and the defendant was arrested immediately after a detective located and interviewed the victim … . The extent of the delay in prosecution is outweighed by the People’s good cause for the delay, the nature of the crime, the fact that there was no period of pretrial incarceration during the period at issue, and the lack of any prejudice from the delay identified by the defendant. We are satisfied that the defendant was not deprived of his due process right to prompt prosecution … . People v Gardner, 2022 NY Slip Op 02816, Second Dept 4-27-22

Practice Point: The 21-year delay between the crime and defendant’s arrest in this rape case was adequately explained. The DNA sample was not connected to a person until nearly 20 years after the rape and the victim was not located until a year or so after that.

 

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THE MAJORITY CONCLUDED (1) THE RECORD SUPPORTED THE FINDING THAT DEFENDANT DID NOT MAKE AN UNEQUIVOCAL REQUEST FOR COUNSEL, AND (2) WHETHER A REQUEST FOR COUNSEL IS UNEQUIVOCAL IS A MIXED QUESTION OF LAW AND FACT WHICH IS NOT REVIEWABLE BY THE COURT OF APPEALS (CT APP). ​

The Court of Appeals, over a two-judge extensive dissenting opinion, determined (1) the record supported the finding that the defendant’s request for counsel was not unequivocal and (2) whether the request was unequivocal presents a mixed question of law and fact which is not reviewable by the Court of Appeals:

Once a defendant in custody unequivocally requests the assistance of counsel, the right to counsel may not be waived outside the presence of counsel … . But “[a] suggestion that counsel might be desired; a notification that counsel exists; or a query as to whether counsel ought to be obtained will not suffice” to unequivocally invoke the indelible right to counsel … . Furthermore, “[w]hether a particular request is or is not unequivocal is a mixed question of law and fact that must be determined with reference to the circumstances surrounding the request including the defendant’s demeanor, manner of expression and the particular words found to have been used by the defendant” … .

Here, there is support in the record for the lower courts’ determination that defendant—whose inquiries and demeanor suggested a conditional interest in speaking with an attorney only if it would not otherwise delay his clearly-expressed wish to speak to the police—did not unequivocally invoke his right to counsel while in custody. That mixed question of law and fact is therefore beyond further review by this Court … .

From the dissent:

Here, Mr. Dawson [defendant] unequivocally invoked his right to counsel — the record supports no other conclusion. As is clear from the quoted portion of the colloquy with the detective, he twice said he wanted to call his lawyer, and the detective twice expressly stated that he understood Mr. Dawson had asked to call counsel and therefore the detective could no longer speak to Mr. Dawson. Additionally, the detective then told Mr. Dawson to wait while the detective retrieved Mr. Dawson’s phone so he could call counsel. People v Dawson, 2022 NY Slip Op 02772, CtApp 4-26-22

​Practice Point: Whether a defendant’s request for counsel in “unequivocal,” thereby requiring police interrogation to cease, is a mixed question of law and fact. As long as there is support in the record for the lower court’s finding the request was not unequivocal, the issue cannot be reviewed by the Court of Appeals.

 

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THE DNA EVIDENCE GENERATED BY THE TRUEALLELE CASEWORK SYSTEM WAS PROPERLY ADMITTED IN EVIDENCE; THE DEFENSE WAS NOT ENTITLED TO THE TRUEALLELE SOFTWARE CODE EITHER IN CONNECTION WITH THE FRYE HEARING OR TO CONFRONT THE WITNESSES AGAINST DEFENDANT; THE CONCURRENCE STATED WHETHER THE CODE WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THE DEFENSE UNDER A PROTECTIVE ORDER REMAINED AN OPEN QUESTION (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge DiFiore, over a three-judge concurring opinion, determined that the trial judge, after a Frye hearing, properly admitted DNA evidence generated by the TrueAllele Casework System. The arguments that the defense was entitled to the TrueAllele software source code in connection with the Frye hearing and in order to confront the witnesses against the defendant were rejected. The concurrence stated that  it remains an open question whether a protective order could be used to supply the defense with the source code:

This appeal primarily concerns the admissibility of DNA mixture interpretation evidence generated by the TrueAllele Casework System. We conclude that Supreme Court did not abuse its discretion in finding, following a Frye hearing, that TrueAllele’s use of the continuous probabilistic genotyping approach to generate a statistical likelihood ratio—including the use of peak data below the stochastic threshold—of a DNA genotype is generally accepted in the relevant scientific community. We also hold that there was no error in the court’s denial of defendant’s request for discovery of the TrueAllele software source code in connection with the Frye hearing or for the purpose of his Sixth Amendment right to confront the witness against him at trial.

From the concurring opinion:

Although the prosecutor failed to establish that, at the time of the Frye hearing, TrueAllele’s methodology was properly validated by disinterested parties with access to the source code, and defendant was denied an opportunity to review the source code because of the developer’s proprietary claims, the error, considered alone or with the other alleged constitutional error, was harmless on the facts of this case.

Even though the majority rejects defendant’s claim to the source code on the facts of this case, it remains an open question in this Court whether a defendant should be granted access to a proprietary source code under a protective order. This familiar method of ensuring a defendant’s right to present a defense would safeguard commercial interests. It provides no help to this defendant, but it is squarely within a court’s authority to grant such an order in an appropriate future case. People v Wakefield, 2022 NY Slip Op 02771, CtApp 4-26-22

​Practice Point: The Court of Appeal holds that DNA evidence generated by the TrueAllele Casework System is admissible. The defense was not entitled to the TrueAllele software code either for the Frye hearing or in order the confront the witnesses against the defendant. It is an open question whether the defense could gain access to the software code by way of a protective order (suggested by the concurring opinion).

 

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THE 2022 CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING MAP FAVORED DEMOCRATS IN VIOLATION OF ARTICLE III OF THE NYS CONSTITUTION (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, over a two-justice concurrence and a two-justice partial dissent, determined the NYS 2022 congressional redistricting map was drawn to favor democrats in violation of Article III of the NYS Constitution:

… [W]e agree with petitioners and the court that the congressional map was unconstitutional in that it violated article III, § 4 (c) (5), which provides as relevant here that “[d]istricts shall not be drawn to discourage competition or for the purpose of favoring or disfavoring incumbents or other particular candidates or political parties.”  * * *

We conclude that evidence of the largely one-party process used to enact the 2022 congressional map, a comparison of the 2022 congressional map to the 2012 congressional map, and the expert opinion and supporting analysis of Sean P. Trende, met petitioners’ burden of establishing that the 2022 congressional map was drawn to discourage competition and favor democrats in violation of article III, § 4 (c) (5). First, democratic leaders in the legislature drafted the 2022 congressional redistricting map without any republican input, and the map was adopted by the legislature without a single republican vote in favor of it. Second, under the 2012 congressional map there were 19 elected democrats and 8 elected republicans and under the 2022 congressional map there were 22 democrat-majority and 4 republican-majority districts. Matter of Harkenrider v Hochul, 2022 NY Slip Op 02648, Fourth Dept 4-22-22

 

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