People v. Greenberg

132 Misc. 2d 164, 503 N.Y.S.2d 503, 1986 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2658
CourtNew York District Court
DecidedMay 27, 1986
StatusPublished

This text of 132 Misc. 2d 164 (People v. Greenberg) 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. Greenberg, 132 Misc. 2d 164, 503 N.Y.S.2d 503, 1986 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2658 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Warren M. Doolittle, J.

On June 17, 1985, the defendant was arrested and charged with two counts of criminal contempt in the second degree, class A misdemeanors, and criminal mischief in the third degree, a felony.

On June 10, 1985, the defendant allegedly photographed his estranged wife and their son while they were in an automobile. It is further alleged that on June 7, 1985, the defendant entered the property of his estranged wife’s parents and attempted to take his son from said premises. By allegedly committing the aforesaid acts, the defendant is alleged to have violated two orders of protection signed by Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Molloy on June 6, 1985 in violation of Family Court Act article 8, giving rise to the two counts of criminal contempt in the second degree.

On June 18, 1985, the defendant appeared with counsel and entered a plea of not guilty to the aforementioned charges. His attorney requested a conference in Part IX of the District Court and, therefore, an adjournment was granted until July 8, 1985.

The defendant maintains that on July 9th, the People: "needed more time to obtain information regarding restitution on the Criminal Mischief. At this time, all three charges were before the court in Part IX. Pursuant to A.D.A. Looper’s request defendant consented to an adjournment to August 13, 1985 in Part IX.”

The People contend that: "on July 9, 1985, all charges against the defendant were adjourned to August 13, 1985, at the defendant’s request in Criminal 9.”

On August 13, 1985, after rejecting a plea bargain offer in which all three charges were considered, the defendant then requested that all three charges be waived to the Grand Jury.

At such time, the Honorable Henry J. Kalinowski granted defendant’s request and accordingly waived all three charges to the Grand Jury.

On September 17, 1985, Assistant District Attorney John J. McKenna, Jr., sent a letter to the defendant’s attorneys advising them that all three charges were going to be presented to the Grand Jury on Monday, September 25, 1985.

[166]*166Prior to the scheduled date for presentment, the defendant’s counsel reentered plea negotiations with the People on behalf of defendant. Hence, the People removed the matter from the Grand Jury Calendar. At such time, counsel for defendant executed a speedy trial waiver for the period of September 18 through October 18, 1985. Defense counsel presented its arguments to the People in favor of reducing the felony charge to a misdemeanor based upon several salient facts. The People, nevertheless, chose to replace the case on the Grand Jury Calendar. The defendant was served with a notice of presentment advising him that the case had been scheduled for December 9, 1985. This notice clearly refers to all three charges pending against defendant.

Prior to December 9, 1985, counsel for defendant was advised for the first time that only the felony charge of criminal mischief would be presented to the Grand Jury. The felony charge was dismissed in accordance with the issuance of a no true bill by the Grand Jury.

The defendant was later notified through counsel that the misdemeanor charges would be heard in Criminal Part IX on January 17, 1985, then moved to Criminal Part I of this court on January 31, 1985.

LEGAL ANALYSIS

The issue presented before this court is what is the applicable speedy trial time limitation with regard to the two misdemeanor charges?

CPL 30.30 (1) (a) requires that the People must be ready for trial within six months of the commencement of a criminal action wherein defendant is accused of one or more offenses, at least one of which is a felony.

CPL 30.30 (1) (b) requires that the People must be ready for trial within 90 days of the commencement of a criminal action wherein a defendant is accused of one or more offenses, at least one of which is a misdemeanor punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of more than three months and none of which is a felony.

"Commencement of criminal action” is specifically defined by CPL 1.20 (17) as: "A criminal action is commenced by the filing of an accusatory instrument against a defendant in a criminal court, and, if more than one accusatory instrument is filed in the course of the action, it commences when the first of such instruments is filed.”

[167]*167"Criminal action” is specifically defined in CPL 1.20 (16) which states: "A criminal action (a) commences with the filing of an accusatory instrument against a defendant in a criminal court, as specified in subdivision seventeen; (b) includes the filing of all further accusatory instruments directly derived from the initial one, and all proceedings, orders and motions conducted or made by a criminal court in the course of disposing of any such accusatory instrument, or which, regardless of the court in which they occurred or were made, could properly be considered as a part of the record of the case by an appellate court upon an appeal from a judgment of conviction; and (c) terminates with the imposition of sentence or some other final disposition in a criminal court of the last accusatory instrument filed in the case.”

The accusatory instruments in this case were filed on or about June 18, 1985. They did not arise out of the same transaction. Therefore, it is clear for the purposes of defendant’s motion pursuant to CPL 30.30 (1) (a) or (1) (b) there has been a delay of trial for more than six months (and 90 days, respectively) which would warrant a dismissal of the complaint unless it is excused under the exceptions provided by CPL 30.30.

Since the defendant has demonstrated the existence of a delay greater than six months/90 days the burden of proving that certain periods within that time should be excluded falls upon the People. (People v Berkowitz, 50 NY2d 333, 349 [1980].)

Initially, this court must determine which period of time limitation is applicable in the case at bar.

It is the defendant’s position that CPL 30.30 (1) (b) is applicable to the criminal contempt charges in the second degree. However, it is the People’s position that CPL 30.30 (1) (a) is applicable to these outstanding charges.

The People contend that although the felony and misdemeanor charges were not "joinable” offenses within the meaning of CPL article 200 for Grand Jury purposes, they nevertheless maintain that the very same offenses are: "based upon the same criminal transaction in that under Section 40.10 subdivision (2) (b) of the Criminal Procedure Law, the offenses are so closely related in criminal purpose or objective as to constitute elements or integral parts of a single criminal venture.”

The People go on further to state: "Both the felony charge [168]*168and misdemeanor charges had been treated as one case for purposes of conferences, calendar appearances, plea bargaining negotiations. These charges occurred within a two week period. There is undeniably an integral relationship.”

The People are of the opinion that the aforementioned was not the case when it came time to present the matter to the Grand Jury back in December of 1985. They are adamant about the fact that the "misdemeanor contempt charges could not be presented to the Grand Jury without the necessary court order pursuant to Section 170.25 of the Criminal Procedure Law.”

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Related

Santobello v. New York
404 U.S. 257 (Supreme Court, 1971)
People v. Hamilton
388 N.E.2d 345 (New York Court of Appeals, 1979)
People v. Berkowitz
406 N.E.2d 783 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
People v. Brothers
407 N.E.2d 405 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
People v. Kendzia
476 N.E.2d 287 (New York Court of Appeals, 1985)
People v. Carter
73 Misc. 2d 1040 (New York Supreme Court, 1973)
Mooney v. Cahn
79 Misc. 2d 703 (New York Supreme Court, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
132 Misc. 2d 164, 503 N.Y.S.2d 503, 1986 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2658, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-greenberg-nydistct-1986.