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QUESTION OF FACT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION WHETHER NAIL AND MAIL SERVICE ON A SATURDAY VIOLATED THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW BECAUSE PLAINTIFF BANK WAS AWARE DEFENDANTS RECOGNIZED SATURDAY AS A HOLY DAY (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined a question of fact was raised whether plaintiff bank was aware defendants observed Saturday as a holy day, thereby invalidating nail and mail service on Saturday in this foreclosure action:

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General Business Law § 13 provides: “Whoever maliciously procures any process in a civil action to be served on Saturday, upon any person who keeps Saturday as holy time, and does not labor on that day, or serves upon him any process returnable on that day, or maliciously procures any civil action to which such person is a party to be adjourned to that day for trial, is guilty of a misdemeanor.”

The defendants contend that the plaintiff’s counsel was aware that they are observant, Orthodox Jewish persons who adhere to the Sabbath, and thus, the Saturday affixation of process to the door of their residence was invalid. This appears to be an issue of first impression for this Court. We agree with the other courts that have addressed the issue, which have consistently held, for more than a century, that service in violation of General Business Law § 13, or its predecessor statute, is void, and personal jurisdiction is not obtained over the party served … . Moreover, we hold that the statute applies not only to personal service upon a defendant, but also to the affixation portion of “nail and mail” service pursuant to CPLR 308(4) on the door of a defendant’s residence, as occurred here … . JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. v Lilker, 2017 NY Slip Op 06434, Second Dept 9-13-17

 

CIVIL PROCEDURE (NAIL AND MAIL, QUESTION OF FACT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION WHETHER NAIL AND MAIL SERVICE ON A SATURDAY VIOLATED THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW BECAUSE PLAINTIFF BANK WAS AWARE DEFENDANTS RECOGNIZED SATURDAY AS A HOLY DAY (SECOND DEPT))/NAIL AND MAIL (GENERAL BUSINESS LAW, NAIL AND MAIL, QUESTION OF FACT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION WHETHER NAIL AND MAIL SERVICE ON A SATURDAY VIOLATED THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW BECAUSE PLAINTIFF BANK WAS AWARE DEFENDANTS RECOGNIZED SATURDAY AS A HOLY DAY (SECOND DEPT))/FORECLOSURE (CIVIL PROCEDURE, NAIL AND MAIL, QUESTION OF FACT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION WHETHER NAIL AND MAIL SERVICE ON A SATURDAY VIOLATED THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW BECAUSE PLAINTIFF BANK WAS AWARE DEFENDANTS RECOGNIZED SATURDAY AS A HOLY DAY (SECOND DEPT))/GENERAL BUSINESS LAW  (CIVIL PROCEDURE, NAIL AND MAIL, QUESTION OF FACT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION WHETHER NAIL AND MAIL SERVICE ON A SATURDAY VIOLATED THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW BECAUSE PLAINTIFF BANK WAS AWARE DEFENDANTS RECOGNIZED SATURDAY AS A HOLY DAY (SECOND DEPT))

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FORECLOSURE ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ISSUE WAS NEVER JOINED, EVEN THOUGH THE DEFENSE WAS FIRST RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, IT COULD BE CONSIDERED ON APPEAL (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined this foreclosure action should not have been dismissed because issue was never joined. Even though the defense was first raised in the reply papers, it could be considered on appeal because the issue is apparent on the face of the record and the lower court would have been required to address it:

… [T]he Supreme Court conditionally dismissed the action pursuant to CPLR 3216 unless the plaintiff filed a note of issue or otherwise moved for entry of a judgment within 90 days. The action was thereafter administratively dismissed … .

… [T]he plaintiff moved, inter alia, to vacate the conditional order of dismissal and to restore the action to the calendar. … [T]he Supreme Court denied the plaintiff’s motion, finding that the plaintiff failed to present a reasonable excuse for not complying with the conditional 90-day order to dismiss and that the delay since the time that the referee was appointed was substantial. …

… [D]ismissal of the action pursuant to the … conditional order was improper, as issue was never joined inasmuch as none of the defendants served an answer to the complaint… .. Since at least one precondition set forth in CPLR 3216 was not met here, the Supreme Court was without power to dismiss the action pursuant to that statute … .

Although the plaintiff did not raise, until its reply papers, the argument that this action was improperly dismissed pursuant to CPLR 3216 because issue had not been joined, we may consider it on appeal since the reply papers did not present new facts but only raised an issue of law which appeared on the face of the record and could not have been avoided if brought to the attention of the Supreme Court at the proper juncture … . U.S. Bank N.A. v Ricketts, 2017 NY Slip Op 06475, Second Dept 9-13-17

CIVIL PROCEDURE (FORECLOSURE ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ISSUE WAS NEVER JOINED, EVEN THOUGH THE DEFENSE WAS FIRST RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, IT COULD BE CONSIDERED ON APPEAL (SECOND DEPT))/APPEALS (CIVIL PROCEDURE, FORECLOSURE ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ISSUE WAS NEVER JOINED, EVEN THOUGH THE DEFENSE WAS FIRST RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, IT COULD BE CONSIDERED ON APPEAL (SECOND DEPT))/FORECLOSURE (FORECLOSURE ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ISSUE WAS NEVER JOINED, EVEN THOUGH THE DEFENSE WAS FIRST RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, IT COULD BE CONSIDERED ON APPEAL (SECOND DEPT))

DESCRIPTION OF OFFICE SOUGHT WAS SUFFICIENT, DESIGNATING PETITION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INVALIDATED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the designating petition should not have been invalidated because the description of the office sought was sufficient:

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“Election Law § 6-132 (1) requires that each sheet of a designating petition state the public office or party position sought by the candidate'” … . Since many public offices and party positions are susceptible to a variety of descriptions, the ” description will be deemed adequate so long as the petition, read as a whole, is sufficiently informative . . . so as to preclude any reasonable probability of confusing or deceiving the signers, voters or board of elections'” … .

Here, the public office sought by Coll, Nassau County Legislator, 15th Legislative District, was described on the designating petition as “15th District Nassau County Legislature,” which was sufficiently informative so as to preclude any reasonable probability of confusing or deceiving the signers, voters, or board of elections … . Matter of Fochtman v Coll, 2017 NY Slip Op 06414, Second Dept 9-11-17

 

LECTION LAW (DESCRIPTION OF OFFICE SOUGHT WAS SUFFICIENT, DESIGNATING PETITION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INVALIDATED (SECOND DEPT))/DESIGNATING PETITION (ELECTION LAW, DESCRIPTION OF OFFICE SOUGHT WAS SUFFICIENT, DESIGNATING PETITION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INVALIDATED (SECOND DEPT))

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LANDLORD DEMONSTRATED THE BREAK-IN WAS NOT FORESEEABLE BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN NO SIMILAR BREAK-INS IN THE VICINITY, PLAINTIFFS’ SUIT STEMMING FROM INJURY DURING A ROBBERY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the landlord’s motion for summary judgment should have been granted. Plaintiffs alleged they were injured during a robbery and the landlord failed to provide sufficient protection in the form of a lock on an interior door through which the robbers gained entry. The Second Department held the landlord had demonstrated the break-in was not foreseeable because there had been no other similar break-ins:

“Landlords have a common-law duty to take minimal precautions to protect tenants from foreseeable harm, including foreseeable criminal conduct by a third person” … . “To establish that criminal acts were foreseeable, the criminal conduct at issue must be shown to be reasonably predictable based on the prior occurrence of the same or similar criminal activity at a location sufficiently proximate to the subject location” …  ” Without evidentiary proof of notice of prior criminal activity, the owner’s duty reasonably to protect those using the premises from such activity never arises”‘… .

Here, the defendants established their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by demonstrating that they lacked notice of the prior occurrence of the same or similar criminal activity at a location sufficiently proximate to the subject premises … . Golub v Louris, 2017 NY Slip Op 06353, Second Dept 8-30-17

 

NEGLIGENCE (LANDLORD DEMONSTRATED THE BREAK-IN WAS NOT FORESEEABLE BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN NO SIMILAR BREAK-INS IN THE VICINITY, PLAINTIFFS’ SUIT STEMMING FROM INJURY DURING A ROBBERY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/LANDLORD-TENANT (LIABILITY IN NEGLIGENCE FOR THIRD PARTY ASSAULT, LANDLORD DEMONSTRATED THE BREAK-IN WAS NOT FORESEEABLE BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN NO SIMILAR BREAK-INS IN THE VICINITY, PLAINTIFFS’ SUIT STEMMING FROM INJURY DURING A ROBBERY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/ASSAULT (LANDLORD-TENANT, LIABILITY IN NEGLIGENCE FOR THIRD PARTY ASSAULT, LANDLORD DEMONSTRATED THE BREAK-IN WAS NOT FORESEEABLE BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN NO SIMILAR BREAK-INS IN THE VICINITY, PLAINTIFFS’ SUIT STEMMING FROM INJURY DURING A ROBBERY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))

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TOWN’S FAILURE TO REMOVE ICE AND SNOW IS NOT AN AFFIRMATIVE ACT OF NEGLIGENCE WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIREMENT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the defendant town’s motion for summary judgment in this ice and snow slip and fall case was properly granted. The court held that the failure to remove ice and snow is a passive in nature and is not an affirmative creation of a dangerous condition that is exempt from the written notice requirement:

Here, the Town established its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by submitting evidence, including an affidavit from its Town Clerk, demonstrating that it did not receive prior written notice of the condition alleged, and that it did not create the alleged condition through an affirmative act of negligence. In opposition, the plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact as to whether the Town created the alleged condition through an affirmative act of negligence. The plaintiff’s reliance on San Marco v Village/Town of Mount Kisco (16 NY3d 111) is misplaced. The Town’s failure to remove any snow or ice from the area where the subject accident occurred was passive in nature and does not constitute an affirmative act of negligence excepting it from prior written notice requirements … . Morreale v Town of Smithtown, 2017 NY Slip Op 06361, Second Dept 8-30-17

NEGLIGENCE (TOWN’S FAILURE TO REMOVE ICE AND SNOW IS NOT AN AFFIRMATIVE ACT OF NEGLIGENCE WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIREMENT (SECOND DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL  (TOWN’S FAILURE TO REMOVE ICE AND SNOW IS NOT AN AFFIRMATIVE ACT OF NEGLIGENCE WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIREMENT (SECOND DEPT)/WRITTEN NOTICE (SLIP AND FALL, TOWN’S FAILURE TO REMOVE ICE AND SNOW IS NOT AN AFFIRMATIVE ACT OF NEGLIGENCE WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIREMENT (SECOND DEPT))/MUNICIPAL LAW (SLIP AND FALL, WRITTEN NOTICE, TOWN’S FAILURE TO REMOVE ICE AND SNOW IS NOT AN AFFIRMATIVE ACT OF NEGLIGENCE WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIREMENT (SECOND DEPT))

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QUESTIONS OF FACT ABOUT DEFENDANT DRIVER’S COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE IN THIS BICYCLE-CAR COLLISION CASE, DEFENDANT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant driver’s (Kostadinov’s) motion for summary judgment in this bicycle-car accident case should not have been granted. Kostadinov did not eliminate triable questions of fact about his comparative negligence:

Here, Kostadinov failed to demonstrate his prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, since the evidence submitted in support of his motion failed to establish that he was free from fault in the happening of the accident, or that the alleged negligence of the plaintiff and Karczewski were the sole proximate causes of the accident … . Specifically, the deposition testimony of all of the parties, submitted by Kostadinov in support of his motion, revealed the existence of triable issues of fact as to the manner in which the accident occurred (see id. at 934) and as to whether the impact between the plaintiff’s bicycle and Karczewski’s vehicle was a foreseeable consequence of Kostadinov reversing his vehicle against the flow of traffic within the subject intersection given the traffic conditions existing at the time of the accident … . Searless v Karczewski, 2017 NY Slip Op 06393, Second Dept 8-30-17

NEGLIGENCE (BICYCLE-CAR ACCIDENT, QUESTIONS OF FACT ABOUT DEFENDANT DRIVER’S COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE IN THIS BICYCLE-CAR COLLISION CASE, DEFENDANT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS (BICYCLE-CAR ACCIDENT, QUESTIONS OF FACT ABOUT DEFENDANT DRIVER’S COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE IN THIS BICYCLE-CAR COLLISION CASE, DEFENDANT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/BICYCLES (TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, QUESTIONS OF FACT ABOUT DEFENDANT DRIVER’S COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE IN THIS BICYCLE-CAR COLLISION CASE, DEFENDANT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))

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DEFAULT JUDGMENT DISCHARGING THE MORTGAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE SIX YEAR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR FORECLOSURE STARTED WHEN THE DEBT WAS ACCELERATED BY THE FORECLOSURE ACTION WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s motion for a default judgment discharging a mortgage after the statute of limitations on the foreclosure action had expired should have been granted. The court explained that the six year statute started to run when the debt was accelerated by the foreclosure action that was ultimately dismissed. The plaintiff demonstrated that the dismissed foreclosure action was commenced by a party with standing:

… [W]ith respect to an action pursuant to RPAPL 1501(4), a person having an estate or an interest in real property subject to a mortgage can seek to cancel and discharge that encumbrance where the period allowed by the applicable statute of limitations for the commencement of an action to foreclose the mortgage had expired, provided that the mortgagee or its successor was not in possession of the subject real property at the time the action to cancel and discharged the mortgage was commenced … . An action to foreclose a mortgage has a six-year statute of limitations… . “The law is well settled that, even if a mortgage is payable in installments, once a mortgage debt is accelerated, the entire amount is due and the Statute of Limitations begins to run on the entire debt”… .

Here, the plaintiff submitted a copy of the summons and complaint filed in the mortgage foreclosure action commenced by the defendant’s predecessor-in-interest and the order dismissing that action pursuant to CPLR 3216 which demonstrated that the mortgage was accelerated in 2008 more than six years before the commencement of this action and that there was no longer a pending mortgage foreclosure action … . In addition, the summons and the complaint, along with the subject mortgage documents, submitted by the plaintiff on its motion, demonstrated that the defendant’s predecessor-in-interest had standing to commence the mortgage foreclosure action ….

Further, the plaintiff demonstrated that the applicable statute of limitations had expired even if the limitations period was calculated … the date by which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was appointed as receiver for the defendant’s predecessor-in-interest  …. . 53 PL Realty, LLC v US Bank N.A., 2017 NY Slip Op 06345, Second Dept 8-30-17

 

FORECLOSURE (DEFAULT JUDGMENT DISCHARGING THE MORTGAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE SIX YEAR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR FORECLOSURE STARTED WHEN THE DEBT WAS ACCELERATED BY THE FORECLOSURE ACTION WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (FORECLOSURE, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, DEFAULT JUDGMENT DISCHARGING THE MORTGAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE SIX YEAR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR FORECLOSURE STARTED WHEN THE DEBT WAS ACCELERATED BY THE FORECLOSURE ACTION WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS (FORECLOSURE, DEFAULT JUDGMENT DISCHARGING THE MORTGAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE SIX YEAR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR FORECLOSURE STARTED WHEN THE DEBT WAS ACCELERATED BY THE FORECLOSURE ACTION WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/EVIDENCE (FORECLOSURE, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, DEFAULT JUDGMENT DISCHARGING THE MORTGAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE SIX YEAR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR FORECLOSURE STARTED WHEN THE DEBT WAS ACCELERATED BY THE FORECLOSURE ACTION WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))

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TRIAL COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE RULED DEFENDANT COULD BE CROSS-EXAMINED ABOUT A PRIOR SIMILAR STABBING OF THE SAME VICTIM IF THE DEFENDANT CHOSE TO TESTIFY, NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department reversed the defendant’s conviction finding that evidence of a prior similar stabbing of the same victim was too prejudicial to be admissible. The evidence of defendant’s connection to the prior stabbing was weak. The victim refused to cooperate with the investigations into both stabbings. Therefore the trial court should not have ruled the defendant could be cross-examined about the prior stabbing if he chose to testify (he did not testify):

Although questioning concerning other crimes and past conduct is not automatically precluded simply because the crime or conduct inquired about is similar to the crime charged … , “cross-examination with respect to crimes or conduct similar to that of which the defendant is presently charged may be highly prejudicial, in view of the risk, despite the most clear and forceful limiting instructions to the contrary, that the evidence will be taken as some proof of the commission of the crime charged rather than be reserved solely to the issue of credibility” … . Thus, “a balance must be struck between the probative worth of evidence of prior specific criminal, vicious or immoral acts on the issue of the defendant’s credibility on the one hand, and on the other the risk of unfair prejudice to the defendant, measured both by the impact of such evidence if it is admitted after his testimony and by the effect its probable introduction may have in discouraging him from taking the stand on his own behalf” … . Under the circumstances presented here, most notably the unsubstantiated evidence connecting the defendant to the uncharged crime involving the identical victim, which occurred three months earlier, the probative value was far outweighed by the danger of undue prejudice. There was a strong likelihood that the uncharged crime would be viewed as evidence of propensity, rather than probative on the issue of credibility … . People v Ridenhour, 2017 NY Slip Op 06383, Second Dept 8-30-17

CRIMINAL LAW (SANDOVAL, TRIAL COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE RULED DEFENDANT COULD BE CROSS-EXAMINED ABOUT A PRIOR SIMILAR STABBING OF THE SAME VICTIM IF THE DEFENDANT CHOSE TO TESTIFY, NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT))/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, SANDOVAL, TRIAL COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE RULED DEFENDANT COULD BE CROSS-EXAMINED ABOUT A PRIOR SIMILAR STABBING OF THE SAME VICTIM IF THE DEFENDANT CHOSE TO TESTIFY, NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT))/SANDOVAL (CRIMINAL LAW,  TRIAL COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE RULED DEFENDANT COULD BE CROSS-EXAMINED ABOUT A PRIOR SIMILAR STABBING OF THE SAME VICTIM IF THE DEFENDANT CHOSE TO TESTIFY, NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT)/PRIOR CRIMES AND BAD ACTS (CRIMINAL LAW, SANDOVAL, TRIAL COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE RULED DEFENDANT COULD BE CROSS-EXAMINED ABOUT A PRIOR SIMILAR STABBING OF THE SAME VICTIM IF THE DEFENDANT CHOSE TO TESTIFY, NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT))

PEOPLE WERE UNABLE TO DEMONSTRATE WITNESS’S REFUSAL TO TESTIFY WAS THE RESULT OF DEFENDANT’S THREATS, NEW TRIAL ORDERED, DEFENSE COUNSEL’S REQUEST TO BE RELIEVED REQUIRED FURTHER INQUIRY BY THE COURT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department reversed defendant’s conviction and ordered a new trial because the People did not demonstrate, at a Sirois hearing, that a witness’s refusal to testify was the result of defendant’s threats. The trial court had ruled the witness’s grand jury testimony could be read to the jury. The Second Department also held the court should have inquired into the defense attorney’s request to be relieved because the defendant had filed a grievance against him:

At the Sirois hearing, the People were required to “demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant, by violence, threats or chicanery, caused a witness’s unavailability” … . Here, although the People presented evidence that the witness was afraid to testify, they failed to meet their heavy burden of showing that her fear was caused by a threat made by the defendant … .

Under the circumstances of this case, this error cannot be considered harmless … . Thus, the judgment must be reversed, and the matter remitted to the Supreme Court, Kings County, for a new trial … .

The Supreme Court also should not have denied defense counsel’s request to be relieved without first having made at least some minimal inquiry in light of defense counsel’s statement that the defendant had filed a grievance against him … . People v Middleton, 2017 NY Slip Op 06378, Second Dept 8-30-17

 

CRIMINAL LAW (PEOPLE WERE UNABLE TO DEMONSTRATE WITNESS’S REFUSAL TO TESTIFY WAS THE RESULT OF DEFENDANT’S THREATS, NEW TRIAL ORDERED, DEFENSE COUNSEL’S REQUEST TO BE RELIEVED REQUIRED FURTHER INQUIRY BY THE COURT (SECOND DEPT))/SIROIS HEARING (CRIMINAL LAW, PEOPLE WERE UNABLE TO DEMONSTRATE WITNESS’S REFUSAL TO TESTIFY WAS THE RESULT OF DEFENDANT’S THREATS, NEW TRIAL ORDERED, DEFENSE COUNSEL’S REQUEST TO BE RELIEVED REQUIRED FURTHER INQUIRY BY THE COURT (SECOND DEPT))/ATTORNEYS (CRIMINAL LAW, DEFENSE COUNSEL’S REQUEST TO BE RELIEVED REQUIRED FURTHER INQUIRY BY THE COURT (SECOND DEPT))

CONFUSION ABOUT THE EFFECT OF FINDING THE DEFENDANT NOT GUILTY BY VIRTUE OF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE REQUIRED A NEW TRIAL, IF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE APPLIES TO A HIGHER COUNT THERE CAN BE NO FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF ANY LESSER COUNT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department reversed defendant’s conviction because instructions to the jury and the verdict sheet created confusion about the effect of finding the defendant not guilty of the most serious offense based on the justification defense. The instructions gave the impression the jurors could continue to consider a lesser offense after finding the justification defense required a not guilty verdict on more serious offense:

“This Court has held that, in a case involving a claim of self-defense, it is error for the trial court not to instruct the jurors that, if they find the defendant not guilty of a greater charge on the basis of justification, they were not to consider any lesser counts” … . Such failure constitutes reversible error … . “Our precedent in this regard is sound and ineluctable. The defense of justification does not operate to excuse a criminal act, nor does it negate a particular element of a crime. Rather, by recognizing the use of force to be privileged under certain circumstances, it renders such conduct entirely lawful'” … .

… [W]hen instructing the jury on the verdict sheet, the court did not instruct that, if the jury found the defendant not guilty of a greater charge on the basis of justification, it was not to consider any lesser count, and the verdict sheet was inconsistent with that principle … . In particular, the verdict sheet, which made no reference to justification, instructed the jury that, if it found the defendant not guilty on count one or count two, the jury must “deliberate next on” the following count. Similarly, in explaining the verdict sheet, the court instructed the jury, if the verdict on count one or count two was not guilty, to “go on” and to “deliberate” on the next count, without explaining that they should not deliberate on any lesser-included count if the jury found the defendant not guilty based upon the People’s failure to disprove the defense of justification. People v Braithwaite, 2017 NY Slip Op 06369, Second Dept 8-30-17

 

CRIMINAL LAW (CONFUSION ABOUT THE EFFECT OF FINDING THE DEFENDANT NOT GUILTY BY VIRTUE OF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE REQUIRED A NEW TRIAL, IF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE APPLIES TO A HIGHER COUNT THERE CAN BE NO FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF ANY LESSER COUNT (SECOND DEPT))/JURY INSTRUCTIONS (CRIMINAL LAW, CONFUSION ABOUT THE EFFECT OF FINDING THE DEFENDANT NOT GUILTY BY VIRTUE OF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE REQUIRED A NEW TRIAL, IF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE APPLIES TO A HIGHER COUNT THERE CAN BE NO FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF ANY LESSER COUNT (SECOND DEPT))/JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE (CRIMINAL LAW, CONFUSION ABOUT THE EFFECT OF FINDING THE DEFENDANT NOT GUILTY BY VIRTUE OF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE REQUIRED A NEW TRIAL, IF THE JUSTIFICATION DEFENSE APPLIES TO A HIGHER COUNT THERE CAN BE NO FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF ANY LESSER COUNT (SECOND DEPT))

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