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Dismissal of Indictment On Ground that Law Enforcement Personnel Improperly Issued a Subpoena for Defendant’s Financial Records Reversed/Defendant Did Not Have Standing to Challenge the Subpoena and Issuance of the Subpoena Did Not Violate Defendant’s Constitutional Rights

The Second Department determined that the trial court should not have dismissed an indictment in the interest of justice on the ground that law enforcement personnel improperly issued a subpoena to Citibank for defendant’s financial records.  The court noted that defendant did not have standing to challenge the subpoena because he did not have a proprietary interest in the records:

Even assuming, arguendo, that the subpoena was improperly issued, the defendant had no standing to challenge the validity of the subpoena … as he had no possessory or proprietary interest in the bank’s records … . Further, any impropriety in the issuance of the subpoena did not implicate the defendant’s constitutional rights … or federal statutory rights … . Since any misconduct on the part of law enforcement in issuing the subpoena did not implicate the defendant’s rights or interests, justice did not require dismissal of the subject counts of the indictment on the basis of any such misconduct. Further, for the reasons noted above, suppression of the Citibank records was not proper either as a sanction for alleged misconduct or for an alleged violation of the defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights… . People v Adeniran, 2014 NY Slip Op 02302, 2nd Dept 4-2-14

 

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Defendant Could Properly Subpoena Documents Which May Support a Motion to Dismiss the Indictment in the Interest of Justice/There Was Evidence of a Policy Not to Prosecute Native Americans for Tax Law Violations Relating to Cigarettes

In a case alleging (criminal) cigarette-related tax law violations, the Third Department affirmed Supreme Court’s denial of the state police’s and the tax department’s motions to quash subpoenas concerning a forbearance enforcement policy.  The defendant, who is Native American, alleged the tax department and the state police made a policy-decision not to prosecute Native Americans for tax law violations related to cigarettes manufactured by Native Americans.  The subpoenas were deemed relevant to a possible “interest of justice” dismissal of the indictment:

To be sure, the policy of the Department and the issues surrounding the Division’s actual enforcement of the Tax Law with respect to Native American manufactured cigarettes may very well be found insufficient to justify dismissal of the indictment in the interest of justice.  Yet, we simply cannot say that the testimony sought on those issues “is utterly irrelevant” to the question of whether defendant’s prosecution here would be unjust … .   Accordingly, Supreme Court properly denied the motions to quash the subpoenas. People v Laughing, NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance, 516567, 3rd Dept 1-16-14

 

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Uniform Act to Secure Attendance of Witnesses from Without the State in Criminal Cases Allowed Colorado Court to Subpoena a Reporter for Purposes of Testifying About Her Confidential Sources in a Matter Related to the Aurora Movie-Theater Shootings

In a full-fledged opinion by Justice Clark, over a two-justice dissent in an opinion by Justice Saxe, the First Department determined a reporter could be compelled to testify, under Criminal Procedure Law section 640.10, in a Colorado proceeding which sought to identify law enforcement personnel who leaked information to the press.  The relevant facts are laid out in the dissenting opinion.  The petitioner in the case is James Holmes, the accused shooter in the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater massacre. The respondent is a reporter who interviewed two law-enforcement persons about the contents of a package allegedly sent by James Holmes to his treating psychiatrist.  A Colorado court issued a subpoena to the reporter.  Supreme Court enforced the subpoena under the Uniform Act to Secure the Attendance of Witnesses from Without the State in Criminal Cases (CPL 640.10).  Because the reporter has already appeared in Colorado, the controversy is moot.  But the First Department determined the exception to the mootness doctrine should be applied (important issue likely to recur, etc.). The reporter’s testimony about her confidential sources is protected in New York under Civil Rights Law section 79-h (b). But Colorado’s privilege statute is much weaker. The majority determined the privilege issue was irrelevant to the enforcement of the subpoena.  The dissent argued that the reporter would suffer “undue hardship” within the meaning of the statute if she were forced to reveal her confidential sources (because her livelihood depended on witness-confidentiality).  The majority wrote:

Petitioner furnished the court with a certificate issued, pursuant to the Uniform Act to Secure the Attendance of Witnesses from Without the State in Criminal Cases (CPL 640.10), by the Araphoe County District Court Judge, and demonstrated that respondent’s testimony was “material and necessary” …, and that she would not suffer undue hardship because petitioner would pay the costs of her travel and accommodations … . …

The narrow issue before the Supreme Court was whether respondent should be compelled to testify, and privilege and admissibility are irrelevant for this determination … . Respondent is entitled to assert whatever privileges she deems appropriate before the Colorado District Court. Compelling respondent to testify is distinguishable from compelling her to divulge the identity of her sources.  Matter of Holmes v Winter, 2013 NY Slip Op 05666, First Dept 8-20-13

 

Court’s Quashing of Defense Subpoena Deprived Defendant of Right to Present a Defense​

The Second Department determined the trial court quashing of an subpoena served upon a defense witness deprived defendant of his constitutional right to present a defense and required a new trial. People v Eastment, 2013 NY Slip Op 03687, 2nd Dept, 5-22-13

 

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