People v. Block

71 Misc. 2d 714, 337 N.Y.S.2d 153, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1430
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedOctober 26, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 71 Misc. 2d 714 (People v. Block) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Block, 71 Misc. 2d 714, 337 N.Y.S.2d 153, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1430 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1972).

Opinion

Bernard Tomson, J.

This is a ‘ ‘ massage parlor ’ ’ case where the female employees of the defendants were alleged for a fee to have manipulated the private parts of male customers to climax. The defendants urge that the acts do not violate the prostitution article of the Penal Law (Penal Law, art. 230) and that the prostitution article itself is unconstitutionally vague.

Defendants were indicted for three counts of promoting prostitution in the second degree (Penal Law, § 230.25). The first count of the indictment charged the defendants with violation of subdivision 1 of section 230.25 of the Penal Law which states: “A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the second degree when he knowingly: 1. Advances or profits from prostitution by managing, supervising, controlling or owning, either alone or in association with others, a house of prostitution or a prostitution business or enterprise involving prostitution activity by two or more prostitutes ”.

The second and third counts of the indictment charged the defendants with violating subdivision 2 of section 230.25 of the Penal Law which states: “A person is guilty of promoting prostitution in the second degree when he knowingly: * * * 2. Advances or profits from prostitution of a person less than nineteen years old.”

At the end of the nonjury trial, defendant Ronald Stewart was found guilty on all three counts of the indictment, and defendant Jerome Block was found guilty on the second and third counts.

Defendants raised two issues during the trial that merit further elaboration. The first relates to the constitutionality of section 230.00 et seq. of the Penal Law and the second requires a determination as to the quantum of corroboration required for conviction for promoting prostitution.

[715]*715Section 230.00 of the Penal Law states: “ A person is guilty of prostitution when such person engages or agrees or offers to engage in sexual conduct with another person in return for a fee.” (emphasis supplied).

Defendants maintain that this definition section is unconstitutional and thereby attack the entire prostitution article. In particular, the defendants urge the term sexual conduct” is impermissibly vague.

In attacking the constitutionality of the statute, the person making such challenge must first overcome the presumption of constitutionality. (Nettleton Co. v. Diamond, 27 N Y 2d 182; People v. Pagnotta, 25 N Y 2d 333; Fenster v. Leary, 20 N Y 2d 309; People v. Byron, 17 N Y 2d 64; Matter of Van Berkel v. Power, 16 N Y 2d 37; Knapp v. Fasbender, 1 N Y 2d 212; Farrington v. Pinckney, N 2d 74; McKinney’s Cons. Laws of N. Y., Book 1, Statutes, § 150.) Additionally, a court of first impression should not set aside a statute as unconstitutional unless that conclusion is inescapable. (Bohling v. Corsi, 204 Misc. 778, affd. 306 N. Y. 815; McKinney’s Cons. Laws of N. Y., Book 1, Statutes, § 150.)

11 Sexual conduct ” is not further defined in article 230 of the Penal Law; it is, however, defined in other articles of the Penal Law. Subdivision 3 of section 235.20 of the Penal Law defines “ sexual conduct” as acts of masturbation, homosexuality, sexual intercourse or physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or, if such person be a female, breast.” (see, also, Penal Law, § 245.10, subd. 2, defining sexual conduct ” in similar language).

In 1965 when section 484-h of the Penal Law was amended “ sexual conduct ” was also defined as: “ acts of masturbation, homosexuality, sexual intercourse, or physical contact with a person’s clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks or, if such person be a female, breast. ” In that same year, 1965, the present Penal Law was enacted. Although the present article 230 of the Penal Law does not define sexual conduct ” (nor does Penal Law, art. 130) its meaning may be ascertained from reading the definition given in section 484-h of the former Penal Law and elsewhere in the Penal Law.

Under the present Penal Law, “ sexual conduct ” is defined exactly the same way as it was defined in section 484-h of the former Penal Law. (See Penal Law, § 235.20 added by L. 1967, ch. 791 and Penal Law, § 245.10 added by L. 1971, ch. 962, defining “ sexual conduct ”.)

Dictionary definitions do not conflict with the conclusion reached. Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English [716]*716Language (2d ed., Unabridged [1947], p. 2297) defines “ sexual ” as “ pertaining to the use or abuse of sex functions, appetites, etc.; as, sexual morality”. The Oxford Universal Dictionary (3d ed., Revised with Addenda [1955], p. 1859) defines ‘ ‘ sexual ’ ’, as “3. Relative to the physical intercourse between the sexes or the gratification of sexual appetites, as s. morality, excess, etc. 1878.” (emphasis supplied). “ Conduct ” is defined in subdivision 4 of section 15.00 of the Penal Law and made applicable to the entire Penal Law, as “an ant or omission and its accompanying mental state.” Oxford’s Universal Dictionary (supra, p. 365) defines “ conduct ” as “4. Manner of conducting oneself or .one’s life; behavior. (Now the leading sense). 1673.”

“ Fee ” is not defined anywhere in either the Penal Law or the CPL. However, based on section 5.00 of the Penal Law and section 94 of McKinney’s Statutes (McKinney’s Cons. Laws of N. Y., Book 1, Statutes, § 94), this word must be given its obvious and natural meaning.

Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language (2d ed., Unabridged [1947], p. 928) defines “fee” as: “ Compensation, often a fixed charge, for professional service or for special and requested exercise of talent or of shill, as by an artist; as a fee for consultation; a retaining fee.” (emphasis supplied).

Corpus Juris Secundum devotes three pages to various definitions of the word “ fee ”. It is variously defined as: “ compensation to professional men, a remuneration for .services rendered in the line of their professions ”; “ recompense for official or professional services”; and “ reward, compensation or wage given to one for the performance of professional services.” (36A C. J. S., Fee, pp./248-249; emphasis .supplied).

The fair import of the word “ fee ” then is payment in return for professional services rendered. It is not intended facetiously to point out here that prostitution has long been euphemistically known as “ the oldest profession ”, “ Fee ” in section 230.00 of the Penal Law can fairly be said to connote professionalism. It restricts the purview of the statute. For example, it wcrnld eliminate the situation (suggested by the defendants) of a wife who withholds the performance of her conjugal duties unless her husband gives her a mink coat. It further defines and limits the type of behavior the Legislature intended as criminal.

Section 235.20 of the Penal Law states that the definition of “ sexual conduct ” applies to sections 235.21 and 235.22 of the [717]*717Penal Law. However, there is no proscription in section 235.20 of the Penal Law to applying that definition to other sections of the Penal Law. (The same is also true of Penal Law, § 245.10.)

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Bluebook (online)
71 Misc. 2d 714, 337 N.Y.S.2d 153, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-block-nycountyct-1972.