People v. Green

83 Misc. 2d 583, 371 N.Y.S.2d 271, 1975 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2943
CourtCriminal Court of the City of New York
DecidedJune 19, 1975
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 83 Misc. 2d 583 (People v. Green) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Criminal Court of the City of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Green, 83 Misc. 2d 583, 371 N.Y.S.2d 271, 1975 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2943 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1975).

Opinion

E. Leo Milonas, J.

The defendant has been charged with attempted assault in the third degree, obstructing governmental administration, and harassment. He entered a plea of “not guilty” and, subsequently, made a motion for a bill of particulars and discovery, on which the court has already rendered a decision. The People now move, pursuant to CPL 240.20 (subd 4), for reciprocal discovery of the names, addresses, birthdates, and pretrial statements of witnesses whom the defense intends to call at trial. The defendant urges that this court reject the prosecutor’s request, offering a number of arguments in support of his contention.

There is no question that the future trend is toward more [585]*585liberal discovery by both the defendant and the People. Broad discovery should serve to expedite and facilitate the operation of the criminal process without sacrificing any of the accused’s constitutional protections. The defendant, having detailed knowledge of the case against him, will be in a position to enter into plea negotiations on an informed basis. There will be less of an incentive to hold frivolous trials and, since both parties will be better prepared, a more satisfactory disposition of cases that do proceed to trial. Further, liberalized discovery will operate to minimize the not infrequent tendency of criminal actions to disintegrate into a legal contest between the prosecution and the defense over who can outmaneuver the other.

Currently, a nationwide re-evaluation, on both the Federal and State levels, is taking place in the whole area of pretrial disclosure. The American Bar Association’s Project on Standards for Criminal Justices, Standards Relating to Discovery and Procedure Before Trial (hereinafter referred to as the ABA Standards), and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration’s National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals (hereinafter referred to as the NAC Standards) have both proposed model discovery provisions upon which much local and Federal interest is focused and which many jurisdictions have begun to implement, either through legislative enactment or judicial rule-making authority. The Federal courts, although confronted with a statute, rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (US Code, tit 18, Appendix, rule 16), which is somewhat more restrictive than New York law, have generally shown greater flexibility in authorizing broad discovery. Various District Courts around the country have instituted procedures advocated by the ABA Standards, such as the omnibus hearing, and at least 22 States have substantially adopted the Standards. New York State has itself completed a comparative analysis of its criminal procedure in relation to the ABA proposals. In fact, several bills have been introduced before the Legislature which would greatly broaden the existing discovery provisions as to disclosure by both the prosecutor and the defendant.

In general, the present New York discovery law follows that of its Federal counterpart, rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Rule 16 is a totally discretionary statute in that there is no provision for mandating disclosure of any item, including written or recorded statements of the defend[586]*586ant to law enforcement officials or the defendant’s recorded testimony before the Grand Jury, which under CPL 240.20 (subd 1) are both required to be ordered by the court upon defense motion. However, the discovery of all other property, whether consisting of reports and documents of physical or mental examinations or scientific tests and experiments within the possession, custody or control of the government, or any other items designated by the defendant which is not deemed to be exempt, as defined by CPL 240.10 (subd 3), is discretionary under New York law, as it is under rule 16.

In practice, New York courts have varied widely in their application of CPL article 240 in conformity with the great latitude permitted therein. While the courts have generally authorized disclosure pursuant to CPL 240.20 (subd 2), which provides for discretionary discovery of reports and documents of physical or mental examinations and scientific tests and experiments, it is subdivision 3 of that same section, referring to discretionary disclosure of "any other property specifically designated by the defendant, except exempt property”, which has created the most divergence of opinion. Some courts grant disclosure of almost any item requested by the defendant, others have so strictly construed article 240 as to disallow discovery for all material other than that expressly enumerated under subdivisions 1 and 2 of CPL 240.20, and still other courts have adopted an eclectic approach, depending on the circumstances of the case and the personal philosophy of the particular Trial Judge involved.

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Related

People v. Contento
146 A.D.2d 959 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1989)
In re Wilhelm
117 Misc. 2d 159 (New York Family Court, 1983)
Mulvaney v. Dubin
80 A.D.2d 566 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1981)
People v. Copicotto
406 N.E.2d 465 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
People v. Andre W.
44 N.Y. 179 (New York Court of Appeals, 1978)
People v. Catti
90 Misc. 2d 409 (New York Supreme Court, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
83 Misc. 2d 583, 371 N.Y.S.2d 271, 1975 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2943, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-green-nycrimct-1975.