People v. Diallo

2025 NY Slip Op 51324(U)
CourtYonkers City Court
DecidedAugust 22, 2025
DocketDocket No. CR-0288-24
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2025 NY Slip Op 51324(U) (People v. Diallo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Yonkers City Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Diallo, 2025 NY Slip Op 51324(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2025).

Opinion

People v Diallo (2025 NY Slip Op 51324(U)) [*1]

People v Diallo
2025 NY Slip Op 51324(U)
Decided on August 22, 2025
City Court Of Yonkers
Medina, J.
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.


Decided on August 22, 2025
City Court of Yonkers


The People of the State of New York, Plaintiff

against

Abdoul Diallo, Defendant




Docket No. CR-0288-24

Arlene M. Ramezanzadeh, Assistant District Attorney
Westchester County District Attorney's Office
Yonkers Branch
104 South Broadway
Yonkers NY 10701

Rosalie C. Leslie, Esq.
202 Mamaroneck Avenue
Suite 504
White Plains, NY 10601 Ada D. Medina, J.

The following papers numbered 1-7 were read and considered on defendant's motion to dismiss (CPL § 30.30).

Papers Numbered
Notice of Motion and Affidavits Annexed 1
Affirmation/Affidavits in Opposition 2
Felony Complaint 3
Misdemeanor Information 4
Filed Papers 5-7
Factual Background

On January 10, 2024, the People filed a felony complaint charging defendant with criminal mischief in the second degree (Penal Law § 145.10). Thereafter, on February 15, 2024, the People filed a superseding misdemeanor information ("SMI") charging defendant with unlawful imprisonment in the second degree (Penal Law § 135.05 [counts one and two]); assault [*2]in the third degree (Penal Law § 120.00 [1] [count three]); criminal mischief in the fourth degree (Penal Law § 145.00 [1] [counts four and five]); menacing in the third degree (Penal Law § 120.15 [count six]); and harassment in the second degree (Penal Law § 240.26 [1] [counts seven, eight, and nine]).

The People filed a Certificate of Compliance ("COC") and declared ready for trial on April 26, 2024. The People turned over additional discovery and filed supplemental Certificates of Compliance ("SCOC") on April 24, 2025 and July 3, 2025 respectively. Now before this Court is defendant's motion to dismiss (CPL § 30.30) filed on June 4, 2025. The People submitted opposition on July 3, 2025. Defendant did not reply.



Certificate of Compliance

On January 1, 2020, substantive criminal discovery reforms took effect regarding the People's disclosure obligations (CPL § 245 et al.). In the following years, local courts analyzed the statutory discovery changes on a case-by-case basis. It was not until 2023 that the Court of Appeals provided authority to assist courts in determining whether the People are in compliance with their discovery obligations (People v Bay, 41 NY3d 200 [2023]). Now, the legislature implemented further revisions to CPL § 245, some of which codify the Court of Appeals analysis in People v Bay. These statutory changes significantly impact a court's CPL § 245 and CPL § 30.30 analysis.

As of January 1, 2020, the People were required to " . . . disclose to the defendant . . . all items and information that relate to the subject matter of the case and are in the possession, custody or control of the prosecution or persons under the prosecution's direction or control . . . " (emphasis added; CPL § 245.20 [1] [effective January 1, 2020 through August 6, 2025]). This provision has been removed and is now amended under certain categories of discovery to read "relate[s] to the subject matter of the charge against the defendant" and/or "relevant to any offense charged or to any potential defense thereto" (CPL § 245.20 et al. [effective August 7, 2025]). Now, when a defendant challenges a specific item of discovery, this Court must refer to the enumerated item of discovery to ascertain the applicable language.

Moreover, statutory changes also relate to a defendant's obligations when contesting the validity of the People's COC and/or SCOC. Previously, to the extent defendant was "aware of a potential defect or deficiency[,]" defendant was required to "notify or alert the opposing party as soon as practicable" and file a motion "as soon as practicable" (CPL § 245.50 [4] [b]-[c] [effective January 1, 2020 through August 6, 2025]). Now, "[c]hallenges to the validity of a [COC] or [SCOC] served on the defense and filed with the court . . . shall be addressed by motion within thirty-five days of the service of the [COC or SCOC]) (CPL § 245.50 [4] [c] [effective August 7, 2025). As this relates to the People's speedy trial obligations (CPL § 30.30), the statute provides "[n]othing in this section shall be construed to waive a party's right to file a motion pursuant to section 30.30 . . . on grounds unrelated to the validity of a [COC]" (CPL § 245.50 [4] [c]).

This Court may extend the thirty-five day requirement only for "good cause shown" (CPL § 245.50 [c] [i]) and such request must be made prior to the "expiration of the thirty-five days" (CPL § 245.50 [c] [i]). The only exception is where " . . . the grounds for such challenge are based upon a material change in circumstances, including but not limited to the belated disclosure of discoverable material . . . or, where the party entitled to disclosure could not, with due diligence, have known of the specific and particularized matters forming the basis of the challenge prior to the expiration of such period" (CPL § 245.50 [4] [c] [ii]).

A motion challenging a COC and/or SCOC now requires "an affirmation by the moving party that, after the filing of the opposing party's [COC], such moving party timely conferred in good faith or timely made good faith efforts to confer with the opposing party regarding the specific and particularized matters forming the basis for such challenge, that efforts to obtain the missing discovery from the opposing party or otherwise resolve the issues raised were unsuccessful, and that no accommodation could be reached" (CPL § 245.50 [4] [c]). This includes conferring "informally, including but not limited to communication by email, telephone, or any other reasonable means" (CPL § 245.50 [4] [c]).

Lastly, the Court of Appeals in People v Bay provided factors for a court to consider when determining whether the People exercised due diligence to comply with discovery (41 NY3d at 212). The legislature has codified the Bay factors which include but are not limited to:

" . . . the efforts made by the prosecutor to comply with the requirements of [CPL § 245]; the volume of discovery provided and the volume of discovery outstanding; the complexity of the case; whether the prosecutor knew that the belatedly disclosed or allegedly missing material existed; the explanation for any alleged discovery lapse; the prosecutor's response when apprised of any allegedly missing discovery; whether the belated discovery was substantively duplicative, insignificant, or easily remedied; whether the omission was corrected; whether the prosecution self-reported the error and took prompt remedial action without court intervention; and whether the prosecution's delayed disclosure of discovery was prejudicial to the defense or otherwise impeded the defense's ability to effectively investigate the case or prepare for trial"
(CPL § 245.50 [5] [a]). Furthermore, "[t]he court's determination shall be based on consideration of all factors [above] and no one factor shall be determinative" (CPL § 245.50 [5] [b]).

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Bluebook (online)
2025 NY Slip Op 51324(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-diallo-nyyonkerscityct-2025.