People v. Glover

116 Misc. 2d 676, 456 N.Y.S.2d 325, 1982 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3939
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 19, 1982
StatusPublished

This text of 116 Misc. 2d 676 (People v. Glover) 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. Glover, 116 Misc. 2d 676, 456 N.Y.S.2d 325, 1982 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3939 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Joseph A. Cerbone, J.

This defendant was originally indicted on June 23, 1982 for the crime of manslaughter in the second degree, arising out of a homicidal incident alleged to have occurred on June 13 of that year. The Grand Jury minutes reflect the fact that in reaching this determination consideration was given to the crimes of murder in the second degree as well as manslaughter in the first degree and that such charges were impliedly dismissed.

Subsequently on or about September 13, 1982, an application was made to dismiss this indictment based upon the allegation that the defense of justification was either “not charged or * * * improperly submitted considering the fact that this incident occurred within the defendant’s residence and after he was attacked by the deceased” (Penal Law, § 35.15, subd 2, par [a]) and in response to this application an order was entered dismissing the indict[677]*677ment with leave to the People to re-present the same before another Grand Jury. (Sept. 15, 1982, Warner, J.)

Since justification is not a defense to reckless manslaughter (manslaughter, second degree), the sole rationale for making such an application was defendant’s belief that, based upon the evidence accompanied by proper and adequate instructions on the defense of justification, emphasizing the fact that the defendant was not the initial aggressor and that the incident occurred in his dwelling thus absolving him from any obligation to retreat (Penal Law, § 35.15, subd 2, par [a]), “no indictment would properly have been rendered”. This presumption quite naturally inferred that any re-presentation of the evidence would resurrect the intentional charges of murder in the second degree and manslaughter in the first degree, which had been previously dismissed, since in the absence of such intentional crimes, the defense of justification, whether or not properly charged, has no relevancy.

However, contrary to defense counsel’s expectations, the second presentation, based on substantially the same evidence, and with a proper justification charge, resulted in the defendant’s indictment for the higher crime of manslaughter in the first degree.

Faced with this unexpected result, citing People v DeLio (75 Misc 2d 711) and People v Westbrook (79 Misc 2d 902) among other cases, the defendant now moves to dismiss that superseding indictment “without leave to re-present”, since he contends the Grand Jury lacked authority to inquire into these intentional crimes, which had been previously dismissed.

In response, the District Attorney argues that the cases cited are inapplicable, where, as here, “the catalyst for resubmission was the [defendant’s application] not that of the District Attorney and likens the defense application to an all or nothing” legal stratagem designed to “carry the day” and that defendant, having made application for the resubmission, cannot now complain of the undesirable findings of the Grand Jury.

We start with CPL 190.75 (subd 3) which states as follows: “3. When a charge has been so dismissed [by the Grand Jury], it may not again be submitted to a grand jury [678]*678unless the court in its discretion authorizes or directs the People to resubmit such charge to the same or another grand jury. If in such case the charge is again dismissed, it may not again be submitted to a grand jury.”

This subdivision protects a potential defendant by preventing the District Attorney from resubmitting a matter more than once and by requiring him to obtain permission from the court to resubmit. At common law an order of the court permitting resubmission was unnecessary and a prosecutor was free to resubmit as often as he chose. Under section 270 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the forerunner of CPL 190.75 (subd 3), the prosecutor was required to obtain permission from the court — but with permission he could resubmit as often as he was allowed.

However “[t]hat the prosecutor is still required to make an application to the court shows that his dissatisfaction with the first Grand Jury * * * is not in itself sufficient reason to permit resubmission * * * [Nor is] the court’s role * * * purely ministerial because the case may not again be submitted ‘unless the court in its discretion authorizes or directs the people to resubmit’ (CPL 190.75, subd 3).” (People v Martin, 71 AD2d 928, 929, citing People ex rel. Flinn v Barr, 259 NY 104; People v Neidhart, 35 Misc 191; People v Groh, 97 Misc 2d 894.) Moreover, the power of the court to order resubmission should be sparingly and discriminately used. (People v Benson, 208 Misc 138; People v Besser, 207 Misc 692; People v Rowe, 36 NYS2d 980; People v Martin, 97 Misc 2d 441, revd on other grounds 71 AD2d 928.) However, the facts that must be shown are not limited to new evidence — a showing that the proceedings before the Grand Jury were in the slightest degree unusual or irregular or that that body did not give the matter a searching investigation and most careful attention would support a resubmission order. (People v Groh, 97 Misc 2d 894, supra.)

Putting aside for the moment the problem of whether this court may review the prior order of a Judge of coordinate jurisdiction (People v Martin, supra, citing Matter of Wright v County of Monroe, 45 AD2d 932; Field v Public Administrator of County of N. Y., 10 AD2d 97; Public Serv. Mut. Ins. Co. v McGrath, 56 AD2d 812; Matter of Rose, [679]*679NYLJ, July 30, 1981, p 11, col 3, citing Messenger v Anderson, 225 US 436; Werthner v Olenin, 186 Misc 829, affd 272 App Div 798; People v Mason, 97 Misc 2d 706, supra; Matter of Silverberg v Dillon, 73 AD2d 838; Matter of McGrath v Gold, 36 NY2d 406; People v Leone, 44 NY2d 315; People v Fernandez, NYLJ, Oct. 7, 1981, p 15, col 4, citing People v Romney, 77 AD2d 482; CPLR 2221; People v Wright, NYLJ, June 25, 1980, p 7, col 2, quoting Walker v Gerli, 257 App Div 249, and citing United States v United States Smelting Co., 339 US 186; Martin v City of Cohoes, 37 NY2d 162), this court is of the opinion that notwithstanding the accuracy of defendant’s contention that the return of a true bill in the first instance indicting the defendant for manslaughter in the second degree constituted a dismissal of the higher crimes (People v DeLio, 75 Misc 2d 711, supra; People v Westbrook, 79 Misc 2d 902, supra), within the parameters oí People v Groh (supra) the order of resubmission was properly grounded in the interest of justice to provide defendant with the partial defense of intoxication and the complete defense of justification; and, as such, it goes without saying that to provide such defenses, the Grand Jury must, of necessity, be charged on the intentional higher crimes. Nor does anything in the papers persuade me that either defense counsel or the District Attorney was unaware of these potentialities when the application was made. In other words, in relying on the defenses of intoxication and justification, the defendant took the risk of being indicted on the- higher intentional charges which his defenses were tailored to meet.

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Related

Messenger v. Anderson
225 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1912)
People Ex Rel. Flinn v. Barr
181 N.E. 64 (New York Court of Appeals, 1932)
Walker v. Gerli
257 A.D. 249 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1939)
Werthner v. Olenin
186 Misc. 829 (New York Supreme Court, 1945)
McGrath v. Gold
330 N.E.2d 35 (New York Court of Appeals, 1975)
Martin v. City of Cohoes
332 N.E.2d 867 (New York Court of Appeals, 1975)
Field v. Public Administrator
10 A.D.2d 97 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1960)
Wright v. County of Monroe
45 A.D.2d 932 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1974)
Public Service Mutual Insurance v. McGrath
56 A.D.2d 812 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1977)
People v. Martin
71 A.D.2d 928 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1979)
Silverberg v. Dillon
73 A.D.2d 838 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1979)
People v. Romney
77 A.D.2d 482 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1980)
People v. Neidhart
15 N.Y. Crim. 475 (New York Court of General Session of the Peace, 1901)
People v. Besser
207 Misc. 692 (New York Court of General Session of the Peace, 1955)
People v. Benson
208 Misc. 138 (New York County Courts, 1955)
People v. DeLio
75 Misc. 2d 711 (New York Supreme Court, 1973)
People v. Westbrook
79 Misc. 2d 902 (New York County Courts, 1974)
People v. Martin
97 Misc. 2d 441 (New York Supreme Court, 1978)
People v. Mason
97 Misc. 2d 706 (New York Supreme Court, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
116 Misc. 2d 676, 456 N.Y.S.2d 325, 1982 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3939, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-glover-nysupct-1982.