People v. Allen

152 Misc. 2d 257, 575 N.Y.S.2d 760, 1991 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 603
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 29, 1991
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 152 Misc. 2d 257 (People v. Allen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Allen, 152 Misc. 2d 257, 575 N.Y.S.2d 760, 1991 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 603 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1991).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Martin Marcus, J.

In this case, after the defendant was arraigned on a Bronx County indictment charging him with robbery in the first [258]*258degree and related charges, and after the People announced their readiness for trial, he began serving a sentence in an upstate prison, imposed upon him in another case and in another county. For a period of almost 10 months thereafter, he was not produced for any of his Bronx County adjourned dates. The defendant now makes a speedy trial motion, arguing that the failure to cause his production in and of itself makes otherwise excludable adjournments per se chargeable to the People. Because CPL 30.30 does not permit or require the application of such a per se rule, and because much of the period is excludable despite the defendant’s absence, the includable delays do not exceed the permissible six months. Accordingly, the defendant’s motion to dismiss on speedy trial grounds must be denied.

THE FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On April 15, 1989, the defendant was incarcerated in Bikers Island following his arrest for an unrelated incident in New York County. Over three months later, on August 1, 1989, the Grand Jury of Bronx County returned the instant indictment, the first accusatory instrument filed in this case. Eight days later, on August 9, 1989, the defendant was arrested on this indictment and brought before the court for arraignment. The People then and on numerous other occasions thereafter announced their readiness for trial. The defendant was transferred from Bikers Island to a New York State correctional facility sometime around February 14, 1990, in order to begin serving the sentence imposed upon him under the New York County conviction. On October 4, 1990, defense counsel informed the People and the court of the defendant’s whereabouts, and steps to secure his production then began. The defendant was returned to Bikers Island on November 19, 1990, and that day the People filed a new statement of readiness. After further adjournments, this speedy trial motion was filed.

During and after the period the defendant was imprisoned upstate, his attorney requested various adjournments on grounds unrelated to the defendant’s absence, consented to other adjournments requested by the People, and expressly waived the defendant’s production in court for several appearances. Also during this time period, and despite the defendant’s absence, the defendant’s attorney drafted and served omnibus motions, which were then answered by the People [259]*259and decided by the court. At defense counsel’s request, the court also postponed the defendant’s trial in this case to accommodate defense counsel’s trial and vacation schedule and his observance of religious holidays.

THE APPLICABLE LAW

Although many of the adjournments granted during this period were otherwise excludable pursuant to CPL 30.30 (4), the defendant insists upon the application of a per se rule: the absence from court of a defendant incarcerated in another jurisdiction makes the adjournment of his case chargeable to the People, regardless of the circumstances of or reasons for the adjournment. The People take a contrary but no less absolutist position. They claim that they should not be held responsible for the "curious absence of the defendant” during the period from February 1990 until October 4, 1990 "when during this entire period of time Mr. Bornstein also was not aware that any problem in producing Mr. Allen existed.” In other words, it is their position that it was defense counsel’s obligation to inquire into his incarcerated client’s whereabouts, and until defense counsel provided that information to the People, they had no responsibility to secure his appearance.

Neither position is consistent with the law. It is clear that the People have the burden of securing the appearance of an incarcerated defendant, that in his absence from the jurisdiction the People are not ready for trial, and that his absence is not chargeable only "provided the district attorney is aware of such detention and has been diligent and has made reasonable efforts to obtain the presence of the defendant for trial”. (CPL 30.30 [4] [e].) However, while the People’s failure to secure the appearance of such a defendant thus renders the People, ipso facto, not ready for trial, it does not thereby also render excludable adjournments includable.

In People v Anderson (66 NY2d 529, 534 [1985]), the Court of Appeals held that the dismissal of an indictment was not required because of a "postreadiness failure” by the People which had no bearing on the People’s readiness, even if it affected the defendant’s ability to proceed to trial. The court, however, gave as an example of postreadiness delay which did affect the People’s readiness, a situation in which "the People fail * * * to produce for trial a defendant in their custody” (66 NY2d, at 538). Moreover, in affirming the reinstatement of an [260]*260indictment dismissed on speedy trial grounds, it agreed that the People should be charged with what the Appellate Division had found were "103 days of delay * * * resulting from the People’s failure to have the Department of Correction produce defendant for various court appearances.” (People v Jones, 105 AD2d 179, 181-182 [2d Dept 1984].)

In People v McKenna (76 NY2d 59 [1990]), for five months after their announcement of readiness, the People failed to provide the trial court with Grand Jury minutes for resolution of a motion to inspect and dismiss the indictment. Finding that the failure to produce the minutes "was a direct, and virtually insurmountable, impediment to the trial’s very commencement,” the court found it analogous to an unexcused failure by the People to produce a defendant in their custody for trial, "since in both situations it is the People’s dereliction that is preventing the defendant’s trial from going forward.” (Supra, at 64.) Thus, relying on its prior decision in Anderson (supra), the court held that and other delay chargeable to the People and dismissed the indictment.

As the Court of Appeals has held, "ready for trial” has two components: first, a statement of readiness, and second, a state of actual readiness. (People v Kendzia, 64 NY2d 331, 337 [1985].) Here the People had originally communicated their readiness for trial while the defendant was still incarcerated within the jurisdiction and present in court. However, once the defendant was transferred out of the jurisdiction, they were no longer ready for trial. "The test is whether the People are able to present their case and do so immediately.” (People v Robinson, 171 AD2d 475, 477 [1st Dept 1991].) Without the presence of the defendant, the trial could obviously not go forward. (People v Jones, 105 AD2d 179, 186 [2d Dept 1984], affd 66 NY2d 529 [1985], supra.) Accordingly, the People were not ready for trial throughout the defendant’s absence from the jurisdiction, from February 1990 until November 19, 1990.

Whether that period is excludable under CPL 30.30 (4) (e) is a separate question. While CPL 30.30 (4) (e) might afford the People a reasonable period of time to learn of the defendant’s transfer and then arrange for his return (see, People v McLaurin, 38 NY2d 123; but see, People v Jones, 105 AD2d 179, 186 [2d Dept 1984], affd 66 NY2d 529 [1985], supra; People v Scott,

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Bluebook (online)
152 Misc. 2d 257, 575 N.Y.S.2d 760, 1991 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 603, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-allen-nysupct-1991.