People v. Joseph

47 Misc. 3d 265, 999 N.Y.S.2d 320
CourtCriminal Court of the City of New York
DecidedJune 23, 2014
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 47 Misc. 3d 265 (People v. Joseph) 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. Joseph, 47 Misc. 3d 265, 999 N.Y.S.2d 320 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Melissa A. Crane, J.

Defendant asks this court to consider the recent Court of Appeals decision, People v Sibblies (22 NY3d 1174 [Apr. 8, 2014]), and hold the People’s off-calendar statements of readiness illusory. In Sibblies, the Court of Appeals issued a plurality opinion,1 finding the People’s certificate of readiness (COR) invalid (22 NY3d at 1175). The People in that case had filed a misdemeanor information on February 8, 2007 (id.). On February 22, 2007, 14 days after filing a misdemeanor information, the People filed an off-calendar COR (id.). After filing this COR, but before the next scheduled court appearance, the People requested the medical records of the victim. Finally, on March 28, during the next court date, the People stated they were not ready to proceed because they were “continuing to investigate and . . . awaiting medical records” (id. at 1175-1176). Although based on different rationales, the six Court of Appeals Judges agreed that the February 22 COR at issue was illusory and dismissed the case on speedy trial grounds.

Chief Judge Lippman issued one opinion. He would have required the People to demonstrate an exceptional fact or circumstance that arose after their declaration of readiness to explain the prosecution’s unreadiness at the next court date (People v Sibblies, 22 NY3d 1174, 1179 [2014]). Judge Lippman relied on CPL 30.30 (3) (b) to define an “exceptional fact or circumstance” (id.). Section 30.30 (3) (b) provides that a court may deny a motion to dismiss on speedy trial grounds where the People are not ready for trial and the People’s present unreadiness is “due to some exceptional fact or circumstance, including, but not limited to, the sudden unavailability of evidence material to the people’s case.”

Judge Graffeo adopted a narrower approach. She noted that a prosecutor’s COR is presumed truthful and accurate (People v Sibblies, 22 NY3d at 1180-1181, citing People v Miller, 113 AD3d 885, 887 [3d Dept 2014], and People v Acosta, 249 AD2d 161, 161 [1st Dept 1998]). Defendant, then, bears the burden of [267]*267rebutting this presumption with proof that the People’s readiness statement does not accurately reflect their position, i.e., that the prosecutorial statement of readiness was indeed “illusory” (People v Sibblies, 22 NY3d at 1181; see also People v Robinson, 67 AD3d 1042, 1044 [3d Dept 2009]; People v Acosta, 249 AD2d at 161-162 [defendant did not submit evidence to contradict court’s findings and failed to demonstrate that the People’s readiness statements were illusory]). Applying existing speedy trial principles, Judge Graffeo agreed that the February 22, 2007 COR was illusory because “the prosecutor gave no explanation for the change in circumstances between the initial statement of readiness and the subsequent admission that the People were not ready to proceed without the medical records” (People v Sibblies, 22 NY3d at 1181).

In a recent New York County, Criminal Court decision, People v McLeod, Judge Steven Statsinger followed Judge Graffeo’s approach, noting that her opinion

“leaves intact the settled principles of speedy trial law that (1) a post-COR statement that the People are not ready does not, by itself, vitiate an off-calendar COR and (2) an unexceptional reason for post-COR unreadiness that does not demonstrate that the COR was inaccurate, such as ‘the complainant is unavailable today,’ does not render the COR illusory” (People v McLeod, 44 Misc 3d 505, 508-509 [Crim Ct, NY County 2014]).

Further, Judge Statsinger reasoned that in cases where a plurality opinion from an appellate court results in no clear ruling, the trial court must follow the more narrow reasoning: “the holding of the Court may be viewed as that position taken by those Members who concurred in the judgments on the narrowest grounds” (People v McLeod, 44 Misc 3d at 509, citing Marks v United States, 430 US 188, 193 [1977], quoting Gregg v Georgia, 428 US 153, 169 n 15 [1976]).

The delays associated with bringing a case to trial are serious and well known (see William Glaberson, In Misdemeanor Cases, Long Waits for Elusive Trials, NY Times, Apr. 30, 2013). Some delays involve the court. Some delays involve the People and some involve defense counsel. Most are beyond any one person’s control.

Sibblies deals with one familiar problem that can delay a case — the People’s repeated filing of off-calendar CORs and subsequent declarations of unreadiness. In any one case, the [268]*268People may file several CORs declaring readiness and then answer not ready at the next court date. Or, the People may request a specific date in open court,2 receive that date despite the court’s busy calendar, and then still not be able to answer ready at the next court date. The lack of the People’s readiness is usually because of the tremendous scheduling difficulties associated with obtaining the availability of all witnesses and the assigned assistant district attorney (ADA) on the same date.

Even when the People are ready, defense counsel is often unavailable. This is usually because counsel is on trial somewhere else, a natural consequence of maintaining a busy practice.

In addition, illness can strike either side or a witness at any time. Life events, like family deaths or the birth of children can get in the way of a case proceeding to trial.

Also, circumstances arise where the People have no choice but to file a COR. For example, the court may reject the People’s in court explanation for not being ready and charge the time until the People file a COR. Another involves the situation where the People answer not ready because they believe there will be a disposition and the defendant has second thoughts at the last minute. If the court charges the time, the People must file a COR unless the ADA standing up on the case, who is ordinarily not the ADA who will try the case, happens to know when the People can next be ready and makes a request for that date.

Finally, no one can overlook how a congested court calendar, along with the shortage of judges and court staff, contribute to the delay in bringing a case to trial. Both sides can answer ready and then wait in the courtroom for hours, only to learn that there are no open trial parts. Moreover, when the People answer not ready but request, perhaps merely two weeks, this often results in a six-week adjournment due to court congestion.

Given these realities, to adopt Judge Lippman’s approach would require the People to answer ready repeatedly or risk exceeding CPL 30.30 time. This is not only unfair to the People, but would also cause police officers to be taken off their non-court related duties on multiple occasions, with concomitant adverse effects on the public’s safety and wallet.

[269]*269For these reasons, and because this court must adopt the most narrow approach (People v McLeod, 44 Misc 3d at 508), this court will not apply Judge Lippman’s requirement that the People demonstrate an “exceptional fact or circumstance” to explain situations where the People file a COR and then answer not ready at the next court date.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
47 Misc. 3d 265, 999 N.Y.S.2d 320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-joseph-nycrimct-2014.