In re Lamb

140 Misc. 2d 502, 531 N.Y.S.2d 464, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 458
CourtNew York City Family Court
DecidedJune 20, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 140 Misc. 2d 502 (In re Lamb) 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 Lamb, 140 Misc. 2d 502, 531 N.Y.S.2d 464, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 458 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Charles J. Tejada, J.

The following is the decision and order of this court.

The respondent, charged in a juvenile delinquency petition filed on March 10, 1987, with committing acts constituting attempted robbery in the second degree (Penal Law §§ 110.00, 160.10 [2]); assault in the second degree (Penal Law § 120.05 [6]); attempted robbery in the third degree (Penal Law [503]*503§§ 110.00, 160.05); attempted grand larceny in the fourth degree (Penal Law §§ 110.00, 155.30 [5]); and assault in the third degree (Penal Law § 120.00 [1]), moves to dismiss this proceeding on the ground that respondent’s statutory and constitutional right to a speedy trial have been violated pursuant to US Constitution 6th Amendment and Family Court Act § 340.1.

The respondent was arraigned on March 10, 1987. On April 9, 1987, respondent failed to appear in Part 9 for trial and a warrant was issued.

Thirteen months later, on May 25, 1988, respondent was returned on the warrant issued on April 9, 1987. The respondent was remanded and a trial date was set for May 31, 1988.

On May 31, 1988, respondent was produced for trial. However, the petitioner was not ready to proceed to trial and the respondent was paroled and leave to file a motion to dismiss was granted.

With respect to juvenile delinquency proceedings the Family Court Act’s "speedy trial” provision, section 310.2, states that, "After a petition has been filed, the respondent is entitled to a speedy fact-finding hearing.” Additionally, specific time limitations are set forth in section 340.1 of the Family Court Act. This section states, in part, that, "If the respondent is not in detention the fact-finding hearing shall commence not more than sixty days after the conclusion of the initial appearance” (Family Ct Act § 340.1 [2]). However, "The court may adjourn a fact-finding hearing * * * on its own motion or on motion of the presentment agency for good cause shown * * * not more than thirty days if the respondent is not in detention” (Family Ct Act § 340.1 [3] [a]) or "on motion by the respondent for good cause shown for not more than thirty days” (Family Ct Act § 340.1 [3] [b]). Additionally, "Successive motions to adjourn a fact-finding hearing shall not be granted in the absence of a showing, on the record, of special circumstances” (Family Ct Act § 340.1 [5]). With respect to this court’s power to issue warrants, section 312.2 of the Family Court Act states, in part, that the Family Court "may issue a warrant, directing that the respondent personally” be brought before the court, "when a petition has been filed and it appears that * * * a respondent has failed to appear.” (Family Ct Act § 312.2 [5].)

In this case, a trial has not commenced within 60 or 90 days after conclusion of the initial appearance. In fact, there has been no trial for more than 13 months while a warrant for the [504]*504respondent’s arrest, issued by this court, was outstanding. Nor has either party moved for successive adjournments based on "good cause” or "special circumstances”.

In response to this motion, the presentment agency argued that the respondent should not be rewarded with dismissal of the petition by being absent or unavailable for trial for 13 months. Further, the presentment agency argues that it took appropriate steps, by obtaining a warrant, to have the respondent arrested and brought in for trial within the Family Court Act’s time requirement for a speedy trial and that it has no control over or supervision of the police department warrant squad’s activity and should not be penalized for their failure or inability to execute the warrant and arrest the respondent.

The respondent argues that Family Court Act § 340.1 "sets forth specific time limitations within which a fact-finding hearing must be commenced. A delay in fact-finding beyond 60 days must be presumed to be a denial of a juvenile’s right to a speedy trial pursuant to this statute. A thirty day adjournment of the case beyond that period may be granted only upon a showing of good cause and that absent a showing of special circumstances, further delays are strictly prohibited. F.C.A. § 340.1 (3) (a), (5).”

Further, he argues that during the time which the warrant was outstanding the "respondent continued to reside with his family at the address on the petition from the date of his arrest, March 2, 1987 to sometime in February of 1988, when he moved with his family to the address at which they now reside and for which a phone is listed by the New York Telephone Company.” Consequently, the respondent states, in his motion papers, that, "Assuming arguendo that the analogous C.P.L. speedy trial provision, excluding time in which a defendant is absent or unavailable could properly be applied here, exclusion is warranted under the circumstances of this case. C.P.L. § 30.30 (4) (c). The C.P.L. specifically provides that a defendant may only be deemed absent whenever his location is unknown and he is attempting to avoid apprehension or prosecution, or his location cannot be determined by due diligence. A defendant must be considered unavailable whenever his location is known, but his presence for trial cannot be obtained by due diligence”, and that the respondent’s "location was known to the presentment agency and court and that his presence could have been obtained with due diligence.”

The question presented by this motion is whether dismissal [505]*505of this juvenile delinquency petition is appropriate, as a denial of a speedy trial, when the delay in commencing this trial has been caused by the respondent’s failure to appear for the trial voluntarily or involuntarily pursuant to a bench warrant.

The Court of Appeals in Matter of Frank C. (70 NY2d 408, 413-414) has unequivocally ruled that, "[S]ection 340.1 leaves no room for the contention that delays outside of the presentment agency’s control should not provide a basis for the remedy of dismissal. Unlike CPL 30.30, Family Court Act § 340.1 is a true 'speedy trial’ provision, in that both its language and its underlying purpose are directed toward bringing the accused juvenile to trial within a specified 60- to 90-day period (barring 'special circumstances’). Indeed, the legislative decision expressly to preclude 'court congestion’ and other docket problems as permissible grounds for successive adjournments furnishes a clear indication that in adopting section 340.1 the Legislature meant to address all of the sources of delay within the system and not just those connected with the presentment agency. Moreover, the fact that the Legislature enacted the statute despite the concerns expressed by some regarding the undue burden its strict time limitations would impose on the Family Court system (see, Bill Jacket, L 1982, ch 920, Mem of Office of Court Administration; Mem of Association of Judges of Family Court of State of NY) strongly suggests that the Legislature weighed all of the competing considerations and found the goal of speedy resolution of charges against juveniles to be paramount.”

Given this Court of Appeals holding, this court finds that the failure of the respondent to appear voluntarily or involuntarily, pursuant to the warrant issued by this court, for 13 months, can be the basis for dismissal of this petition. However, this 13-month delay alone does not require that this petition be automatically dismissed because it exceeds the section 340.1 60-day time limitation.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
140 Misc. 2d 502, 531 N.Y.S.2d 464, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 458, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-lamb-nycfamct-1988.