People v. Bifulco

195 Misc. 2d 483, 758 N.Y.S.2d 231, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 241
CourtNew York District Court
DecidedJanuary 28, 2003
StatusPublished

This text of 195 Misc. 2d 483 (People v. Bifulco) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York District Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Bifulco, 195 Misc. 2d 483, 758 N.Y.S.2d 231, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 241 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

C. Stephen Hackeling, J.

The matter before the court is the defendant’s application dated September 17, 2002, seeking the suppression of evidence [484]*484obtained as a result of the warrantless search conducted by agents of the Town of Huntington on July 17, 2000 (hereafter the Town). The court scheduled and conducted a suppression hearing on December 4, 2002 over the Town’s timeliness and waiver related objection raised under the provisions of CPL 255.20. It is the court’s opinion that the defendant’s constitutional privacy/suppression rights cannot be circumscribed by a mere statute whose main purpose is to expedite discovery and jurisdictional challenges. (See generally People v Amadeo, 188 Misc 2d 187 [Sup Ct, Queens County 2001]; People v Gonzales, 148 Misc 2d 973 [Westchester County Ct 1990].)

Findings of Fact

The following testimony was elicited at trial or is undisputed and is determined by the court to be findings of fact:

(1) Defendant, Mary Bifulco (hereafter defendant), is the owner of 549 Park Avenue, Huntington, New York (hereafter the premises), which exists in an R-7 residential zone.

(2) The premises are improved by at least two separate structures consisting of the main house and a detached garage. The main house predates the Town of Huntington Zoning Code and has a “letter-in-lieu” certification which does not include the detached garage. (See exhibit D of defendant’s Sept. 17, 2002 application.) It is important to note that a “letter-in-lieu” certification does not indicate how many residential units are in the structure. Despite the Town’s Zoning Code, whatever occupancy uses existed in 1934 are “grandfathered” and preserved as long as they are continuous. (Keller v Haller, 226 AD2d 639 [2d Dept 1996].) The defendant alleges the main house was a multiple-family dwelling pre-1934.

(3) Defendant received an accessory apartment permit (hereafter the permit) on or about February 8, 1993 to maintain a second residential unit on the premises. (See exhibit E of defendant’s Sept. 17, 2002 application.) The permit or testimony does not indicate if it was for the main house or the detached garage. The second apartment was constructed in the garage in spite of the fact that paragraph 5 of the accessory apartment board’s findings indicates that the “Accessory Apartment contemplated will not substantially change the single family appearance of the dwelling.” The conditions for the permit are as follows:

“(a) The owner consents to inspections of the [485]*485premises for the purpose of determining continuing compliance with the provisions of Section 198-133 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. upon reasonable notice to the owner.
“(b) The owner consents to inspections of the premises within 60 days after the expiration of the special use permit for any reason as prescribed in Section 198-34A between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. upon reasonable notice to the permit holder.
“(c) Payment of one year fee of $400.00 within thirty days of the date of this resolution.
“(d) The owner will provide unobstructed off street parking for two automobiles and will provide off street parking on the premises for all tenant’s automobiles.
“(e) The owner agrees to provide and maintain in working order smoke detectors on each floor of the premises.
“(f) Pursuant to Local Law 1-1991, there must not be more than a total of five (5) persons living in both apartments on the premises.
“(g) The owner must secure the handrail on the interior main level stairway.
“(h) The owner must install smoke detectors on all floors of the dwelling, including the apartment.
“(i) The owner must make the door to the heating/ boiler room self-closing and fire retardant.
“(j) The owner must obtain a plumbing permit for the kitchen sink in the apartment.
“(k) The owner must supply the Board with copies of the deed, survey and Certificate of Occupancy for the dwelling and floor plans of the entire dwelling.
“(/) The owner must pay $1,000.00 cash security pursuant to Section 198-144 of Local Lawl-1991 within thirty days of the date of this resolution.”

(4) The accessory apartment permit enabling legislation (§ 198-133 [D]) limits accessory apartments to a single-family residential dwelling within the owner’s principal dwelling.

(5) The defendant’s permit expired in 1995 pursuant to Town of Hungtington Zoning Code § 198-134.

(6) The Town refused to renew the accessory apartment permit upon the grounds that the accessory apartment statute [486]*486did not allow a permit for an apartment in a detached structure outside the single-family owner occupied dwelling.

(7) During 1998, the defendant was continually summonsed for the unrenewed unauthorized apartment which resulted in a guilty plea and the issuance of a “conditional discharge” requiring her to come into compliance with the Town’s Zoning Code or to receive approval for the apartment from the Town.

(8) Defendant continually made application for an accessory apartment permit thereafter, and was not issued same as the housing inspectors did not want to certify the appropriateness of the permit in contravention of the express language of the statute to limit same to a single-family dwelling.

(9) At defendant’s request, and with the intercession of elected officials, Housing Inspector Parker was directed by his supervisors to contact defendant to inspect the premises which resulted in a consensual joint inspection on July 17, 2000. Defendant’s preconceived understanding of the scope of the inspection was that it was limited to the detached garage. This view was derived from conversations with individuals other than Inspector Parker.

(10) Defendant initially refused inspection of the main house after granting access to the detached garage. Defendant did reluctantly grant access to the main house after being told by Inspector Parker that Town policy requires an inspection of all structures on the lot as the accessory apartment can never allow more than two residential units or eight people living on one lot. The inspector advised that he would leave if access was not granted.

(11) Defendant testified that she resides in the detached garage and rents the main house.

(12) As a result of the July 17, 2002 inspection, Inspector Parker issued three summons to defendant alleging that defendant does not have a town authorization for a two-family occupancy of the main house, a single-family occupancy of the detached garage, and for multiple residential dwellings on a single-family lot.

Discussion

It is a fundamentally unchallengeable federal and New York State constitutional concept that searches of residential dwellings by governmental agents can only be conducted upon judicial warrant or consent of the homeowner. (Payton v New York, 445 US 573 [1980]; Camara v Municipal Ct. of City & [487]*487County of San Francisco,

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Related

Payton v. New York
445 U.S. 573 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Pashcow v. Town of Babylon
421 N.E.2d 498 (New York Court of Appeals, 1981)
Sokolov v. Village of Freeport
420 N.E.2d 55 (New York Court of Appeals, 1981)
Town of Brookhaven v. Ronkoma Realty Corp.
154 A.D.2d 665 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1989)
Keller v. Haller
226 A.D.2d 639 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1996)
People v. Gonzales
148 Misc. 2d 973 (New York County Courts, 1990)
People v. Amadeo
188 Misc. 2d 187 (New York Supreme Court, 2001)

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Bluebook (online)
195 Misc. 2d 483, 758 N.Y.S.2d 231, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bifulco-nydistct-2003.