In re Michael RR.

284 A.D.2d 786, 728 N.Y.S.2d 222, 2001 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6648
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 21, 2001
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 284 A.D.2d 786 (In re Michael RR.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Michael RR., 284 A.D.2d 786, 728 N.Y.S.2d 222, 2001 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6648 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

Spain, J.

Appeal, by permission, from a judgment of the Supreme Court (Nolan, Jr., J.), entered February 21, 2001 in Albany County, which, upon a rehearing, denied petitioner’s application pursuant to CPL 330.20 to continue to retain respondent at an unsecure psychiatric facility and directed release of respondent under certain conditions.

The relevant facts in this matter are contained in a previous decision of this Court (233 AD2d 30, lvs dismissed 91 NY2d 921, 92 NY2d 886). Briefly, in 1984, respondent was charged with murder in the second degree, manslaughter in the first degree and criminal use of a firearm in the first degree, relating to the shooting death of his uncle. At that time, respondent reported that his uncle had raped him several years earlier and was humiliating him by telling people in the community of the rape. Respondent subsequently entered a plea of not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect, after which a hearing was held pursuant to CPL 330.20 (6). The County Court of Schenectady County found that respondent suffered from a “dangerous mental disorder” (see, CPL 330.20 [1] [c]; [6]) and issued a commitment order placing respondent in petitioner’s custody for confinement in a secure facility. After Supreme Court, Orange County, determined in 1989 that respondent was still suffering from a mental illness but no longer suffered from a dangerous mental disorder (see, 233 AD2d 30, 31-32, supra), he was transferred to the Capital District Psychiatric Center (hereinafter CDPC) in Albany County, a nonsecure facility, where he thereafter remained pursuant to multiple retention orders (see, CPL 330.20 [1], [9]).

In August 1999, petitioner’s application for continued retention of respondent at CDPC until September 2001 was granted by Supreme Court (Marinelli, J.) after a hearing. Respondent then sought a rehearing and review pursuant to CPL 330.20 (16) and Mental Hygiene Law § 9.35. A jury trial was held in [787]*787February 2001, with the jury unanimously finding that, while respondent still suffers from a mental illness, petitioner had not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that continued inpatient care of respondent was essential. Thereafter, Supreme Court, in a well-reasoned decision, denied petitioner’s motion to set aside the jury verdict and this Court granted petitioner’s motion for leave to appeal and for a stay pending appeal.

After careful consideration, we affirm, rejecting petitioner’s contention that the jury’s verdict was, inter alia, against the weight of the evidence. On its request to continue nonsecure retention of respondent, “it was incumbent upon petitioner at periodic court reviews to prove ‘to the satisfaction of the court’ that continued custodial retention was necessary” (233 AD2d 30, 32, supra, quoting CPL 330.20 [8], [9]). To obtain the requested subsequent retention order, petitioner was required to demonstrate by a preponderance of the credible evidence that (1) respondent suffers from a mental illness, (2) in-patient services are essential to his well-being, and (3) his judgment is so impaired that he does not understand the need for such care and treatment (see, 233 AD2d 30, 31-32, supra-, see also, CPL 330.20 [1] [d]).

We are guided by the precept that a jury verdict is entitled to great deference and, if sufficient evidence exists, the verdict will be sustained even if other evidence in the record would support a contrary result (see, Mannello v Town of Ulster, Post 1748, Am. Legion, 272 AD2d 804; see also, Matter of George L., 85 NY2d 295, 305). Importantly, a jury verdict may be set aside as against the weight of the evidence “ ‘only when the evidence preponderates so greatly in the movant’s favor that the jury could not have reached its conclusion on any fair interpretation of the evidence’ ” (Sprung v O’Brien, 168 AD2d 755, quoting Frasier v McIlduff, 161 AD2d 856, 858; see, Lolik v Big V Supermarkets, 86 NY2d 744; Monahan v Devaul, 271 AD2d 895, 895-896; Santalucia v County of Broome, 228 AD2d 895; Stanavich v Pakenas, 190 AD2d 184, lv denied 82 NY2d 659).

At the trial, a retired police officer testified for petitioner regarding respondent’s 1984 apprehension and the taking of respondent’s statement in which he admitted to the shooting death of his uncle. Testimony was also elicited from a forensic psychiatrist employed by the Office of Mental Health, respondent’s treating psychiatrist at CDPC, and a social worker assistant who works with respondent at CDPC. The forensic psychiatrist testified that although she never treated respondent, [788]*788she interviewed him on one occasion prior to trial and reviewed some documents in his clinical records. She opined that respondent suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and described how he suffers from delusions, including his belief that CDPC personnel come into his room at night to beat and sexually molest him and that CDPC staff, his family and the legal system have conspired to maintain his confinement. She also stated that respondent did not believe himself to have a mental illness and was unable to understand the nature of his illness or his need for treatment. There were reports of recent odd behavior, e.g., respondent was putting his mattress against the door to his room at night to protect himself from assaults by the staff, he was — on occasion — walking backwards and he was washing his food — including bagels — fearing contamination.

The forensic psychiatrist also detailed two separate incidents of violence, both occurring in 1990, in which respondent assaulted his roommate and a CDPC security guard. She also indicated that respondent has difficulty following rules, but that for a period of time — in 1994 and 1995 — he was permitted court-approved, unescorted furloughs into the community to work at his old job as a laborer at the Port of Albany. Those privileges were revoked by CDPC staff because respondent returned to CDPC from a furlough several hours late. She also opined that respondent would be dangerous if released into the community based on his failure to acknowledge his mental illness, his denial of committing the murder for which he was originally confined, the likelihood that he would not continue to take his medication if released, his fear of staff, his anger in general toward his family, his odd behavior and his failure to abide by the rules of CDPC. A key factor in her opinion that respondent is dangerous is that he continues to suffer from delusions and that he had — at least once (in 1984) — acted on his delusions, i.e., his belief that, his uncle had sexually molested him and had spread stories throughout the community that he had victimized respondent. She conceded that, since the reported 1990 assaultive incidents, respondent has not engaged in any violent behavior incidents either within CDPC or in the community while on escorted or unescorted furlough. Finally, this witness confirmed that, if respondent were released as a result of the Supreme Court proceedings, any such release would be subject to conditions formulated by CDPC, including court-ordered supervision in the community (see, CPL 330.20 [1] [o]; [9], [11], [12]; see also, Matter of [789]*789Oswald N., 87 NY2d 98; Matter of Jill ZZ., 83 NY2d 133, 137-139; People v Stone, 73 NY2d 296).

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Bluebook (online)
284 A.D.2d 786, 728 N.Y.S.2d 222, 2001 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 6648, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-michael-rr-nyappdiv-2001.