In re Kaminski G.

29 Misc. 3d 805
CourtNew York City Family Court
DecidedSeptember 2, 2010
StatusPublished

This text of 29 Misc. 3d 805 (In re Kaminski G.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York City Family Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Kaminski G., 29 Misc. 3d 805 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

John M. Hunt, J.

By petition filed pursuant to Family Court Act § 310.1 on September 1, 2010, the respondent is alleged to have committed acts which, were he an adult, would constitute the crimes of attempted robbery in the first degree, robbery in the second degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and menacing in the second degree. The court conducted the initial appearance upon the petition, counsel was appointed for the respondent, and the court directed that respondent be detained by the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice until the next court day for further proceedings.

The juvenile delinquency petition, including its sole supporting deposition, reflects that the charges set forth in this petition arose out of an incident which is alleged to have occurred in Queens County on August 3, 2010, during which it is claimed that the respondent, who is 14 years old, and two unknown accomplices forcibly stole property which included a wallet, an iPod touch, an Amazon Kindle, car keys, and a motor vehicle from the victim. The petition specifically alleges that the respondent possessed, used or threatened the immediate use of a dangerous instrument, a baseball bat, in order to effectuate the forcible taking of property.

The nonhearsay factual allegations in the victim’s supporting deposition establish, if true, that the respondent committed acts which, were he an adult, would constitute the completed crimes of robbery in the first degree (Penal Law § 160.15 [3]), robbery [807]*807in the second degree (Penal Law § 160.10 [1]), grand larceny in the fourth degree (Penal Law § 155.30 [5]), criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree (Penal Law § 165.40), criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree (Penal Law § 265.01 [2]), and menacing in the second degree (Penal Law § 120.14 [1]).

Family Court Act § 315.1 provides for the dismissal of jurisdictionally defective juvenile delinquency petitions (see Matter of David T., 75 NY2d 927, 928 [1990]; Matter of Detrece H., 78 NY2d 107, 109-110 [1991]; Matter of Jahron S., 79 NY2d 632, 640 [1992]; Matter of Edward B., 80 NY2d 458, 460 [1992]; Matter of Neftali D., 85 NY2d 631, 634 [1995]). Insofar as relevant, this section of the statute reads as follows:

“1. A petition of a count thereof is defective when:
“(a) it does not substantially conform to the requirements stated in sections 311.1 and 311.2 . . .
“(b) the allegations demonstrate that the court does not have jurisdiction over the crime charged; or “(c) the statute defining the crime is unconstitutional or otherwise invalid.
“2. An order dismissing a petition as defective may be issued upon the motion of the respondent or of the court itself.” (Family Ct Act § 315.1 [emphasis added].)

In this case, the nonhearsay factual allegations in the victim’s supporting deposition establish, if true, that the respondent and his two accomplices forcibly stole property from the victim and that during the commission of the crime respondent used or threatened the immediate use of a dangerous instrument (a baseball bat) in order to effectuate the forcible taking of the victim’s property (see generally People v Miller, 87 NY2d 211, 214-215 [1995]; People v Fullan, 92 NY2d 690, 692 [1999]). The accusatory portion of the juvenile delinquency petition (i.e., the verified petition) charges respondent with the commission of five completed crimes including robbery in the second degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree and menacing in the second degree, and in the sixth count respondent is also charged with having committed an act which would constitute the crime of attempted robbery in the first degree.

Given the factual allegations in the supporting deposition, the charge of attempted robbery in the first degree appears to be inconsistent with the counts charging the completed acts of robbery in the second degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree [808]*808and menacing in the second degree. While a prosecutor is authorized to determine who and what to prosecute as well as the specific crimes with which a defendant will be charged (People v Zimmer, 51 NY2d 390, 395 [1980]; Matter of Schumer v Holtzman, 60 NY2d 46, 52 [1983]; Matter of Holtzman v Goldman, 71 NY2d 564, 573 [1988]; People v Harper, 75 NY2d 313, 318 [1990]), the prosecutor cannot draft an accusatory instrument in order to evade limitations placed upon the subject matter jurisdiction of a court.

The Family Court is vested with “exclusive original jurisdiction” over juvenile delinquency proceedings (Family Ct Act §§ 114, 115 [a] [vi]; NY Const, art VI, § 13); however, the Family Court is nevertheless a court of limited jurisdiction (Kleila v Kleila, 50 NY2d 277, 282 [1980]; Rainbow v Swisher, 72 NY2d 106, 109 [1988]; Matter of Johna M.S. v Russell E.S., 10 NY3d 364, 366 [2008]; Matter of H.M. v E.T., 14 NY3d 521, 526 [2010]; Matter of Leonora M., 104 AD2d 755, 756 [1984]; Matter of Brian L. v Administration for Children’s Servs., 51 AD3d 488, 500 [2008], lv denied 11 NY3d 703 [2008]; Matter of John M.S. v Bonni L.R., 49 AD3d 1235 [2008]; King v State Educ. Dept., 182 F3d 162, 163 [2d Cir 1999]). The Legislature has clearly defined the scope of the Family Court’s jurisdiction over juvenile delinquents who are defined as

“a person over seven and less than sixteen years of age, who, having committed an act that would constitute a crime if committed by an adult, (a) is not criminally responsible for such conduct by reason of infancy, or (b) is the defendant in an action ordered removed from a criminal court pursuant to article seven hundred twenty-five of the criminal procedure law” (Family Ct Act § 301.2 [1]).

“Prior to September 1, 1978, children under the age of 16 were not subject to criminal sanctions in New York in any circumstances. Instead, juveniles who performed acts which would have been crimes had they been committed by adults, were all dealt with through a separate juvenile delinquency system” (Matter of Vega v Bell, 47 NY2d 543, 547 [1979]; see e.g. People v Lewis, 260 NY 171 [1932]). However, in 1978, “[i]n reaction to a perceived epidemic of violent criminal conduct by juveniles . . . the Legislature ‘ “criminalized” several serious acts committed by thirteen-, fourteen-, and fifteen-year-old youths’ ” (Matter of Raymond G., 93 NY2d 531, 534-535 [1999] [citation omitted]). As a result of the 1978 statutory amendments “juveniles be[809]*809tween the ages of 13 and 15 who are charged with certain enumerated, serious crimes of violence are now classified as ‘juvenile offenders’ and are prosecuted within the adult criminal justice system” (Vega at 547; see Matter of Equcon M., 291 AD2d 332 [2002]; United States v Smith, 376 Fed Appx 140, 142-143 [2d Cir 2010]).

The 1978 legislation deprived certain offenders of the defense of infancy and classified these offenders as “juvenile offenders” who are subject to criminal prosecution for the commission of any crimes enumerated by statute (Penal Law § 10.00 [18]; § 30.00 [2]; CPL 1.20 [42]).1 As observed in

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Bluebook (online)
29 Misc. 3d 805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-kaminski-g-nycfamct-2010.