People v. Olsen

23 Misc. 3d 593
CourtNassau County District Court
DecidedJanuary 30, 2009
StatusPublished

This text of 23 Misc. 3d 593 (People v. Olsen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nassau County 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. Olsen, 23 Misc. 3d 593 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Valerie Alexander, J.

If William Shakespeare were writing this decision, he would no doubt have entitled it “Much Ado About Nothing.”

The defendant herein is charged with assault in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor, and three counts of harassment in the second degree, a violation. It is alleged that at 4:00 p.m. on October 6, 2007, in the vicinity of 2696 W Alder Road, Bell-more, New York, the defendant punched and choked the complainant, his live-in girlfriend, causing her substantial pain and difficulty in swallowing. The People move to quash a subpoena issued by defense counsel to CVS Pharmacy for the complainant’s pharmacy records. The defense opposes the motion and cross-moves for an order by this court recusing itself from this case for reasons of bias and, upon assignment to another judge, dismissing the charges on constitutional and statutory speedy trial grounds as well as for the alleged violation of his due process rights and his rights under Brady v Maryland (373 US 83 [1963]).

The issues presented in these motions arise from the following events. On or about November 2007, defense counsel served a subpoena upon CVS Pharmacy for the complainant’s prescription records. The subpoena was not so-ordered and was not Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant, an issue the court will address later in more detail. CVS nevertheless forwarded the requested records to the court where they were received by the Clerk’s Office. At about [595]*595the same time, the People served a so-ordered subpoena upon South Nassau Communities Hospital for the complainant’s medical records regarding a hospital admission on October 8, 2007, two days after the alleged assault. The admission lasted two days, until October 10, 2007, when the complainant was discharged. That subpoena called for the hospital records to be delivered to the Clerk of the District Court. Apparently, upon receipt of these two sets of records, the Clerk forwarded both sets of records to the prosecutor handling the case. In scanning the CVS records, the prosecutor realized that the CVS records were provided in response to a defense subpoena and brought the matter to the attention of the court and defense counsel. Both sets of records are now in the possession of the court.

Thereafter, numerous conferences took place at which the defense claimed to be entitled to access to both sets of records. The court expressed concern that the CVS records were improperly obtained in that defense counsel’s subpoena was not HIPAA compliant. After some delay without resolution of this issue, the court suggested the prosecution file a motion to quash so that the matter could be properly briefed. That motion was filed on August 8, 2008, and the cross motion with opposition and reply were subsequently filed and the matter was submitted to the court for decision on December 15, 2008.

Turning first to the cross motion to recuse, defense counsel alleges that the court is biased against the defendant in violation of Judiciary Law § 14 and Canons 1, 2, and 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct. In support of that contention, and by way of example, counsel argues that the court erred in:

1. Wrongly believing that defense counsel’s subpoena was unenforceable.
2. Permitting the plaintiff to review the records in question while denying the same opportunity to the defense.
3. Delaying in concluding its own premotion research regarding the HIPAA issue.
4. Not allowing the defense counsel to make a record regarding its position in this matter.
5. Advising the prosecution to make the instant motion to quash.

Judiciary Law § 14 provides in relevant part:

“A judge shall not sit as such in, or take any part in the decision of, an action, claim, matter, motion or proceeding to which he is a party, or in which he [596]*596has been attorney or counsel, or in which he is interested, or if he is related by consanguinity or affinity to any party to the controversy within the sixth degree.”

Canon 1 is entitled “A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary.” Canon 2 is entitled “A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All His Activities.” Canon 2, Commentary (2.2) (2A) notes that “[t]he test for appearance of impropriety is whether the conduct would create in reasonable minds a perception that the judge’s ability to carry out judicial responsibilities with integrity, impartiality and competence is impaired.” Canon 3 is entitled “A Judge Shall Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially and Diligently.”

This court has not violated either the Judiciary Law or the Canons of the Code of Judicial Conduct. As will be discussed shortly, the court was entirely correct in fearing that the defendant’s subpoena was improper and unenforceable in that it failed to comply with HIPAA and the sections of the Code of Federal Regulations enacted pursuant to it. The court did not “permit” the prosecutor to review any medical records herein. Any such review occurred prior to the matter being brought to the court’s attention. There was some delay engendered by the court’s initial efforts to research the HIPAA issue which could have easily been limited by legal input from defense counsel. The court then ultimately, in order to properly rule on the matter, suggested the instant motion to quash which at the same time provided the court with some assistance in its research and gave the defense its opportunity to make as full and complete a record as it desired. (In this regard, the court notes that the defense did not take this opportunity, despite a 29-page cross motion and a 21-page reply, to provide the court with a single case or statutory citation in support of its position on the HIPAA issue.) Finally, the court did not err in suggesting the prosecutor make the instant motion to quash. It is appropriate for the court to interject itself into the proceedings to the extent necessary to resolve disputes between counsel or to clarify important issues and keep the proceedings on track (People v Mees, 47 NY2d 997 [1979]; People v Moulton, 43 NY2d 944 [1978]; People v De Jesus, 42 NY2d 519 [1977]).

Absent a legal disqualification under Judiciary Law § 14, which in this case does not exist, a trial judge is the sole arbiter of its recusal to avoid the appearance of impropriety, and the de[597]*597cisión is left to the personal conscience of the court (People v Moreno, 70 NY2d 403 [1987]; People v Gallagher, 158 AD2d 469 [1990]). This court holds no bias whatsoever against this defendant. Neither does the court believe that a fair reading of the record to date could or would lead a reasonable person to conclude otherwise. Accordingly, the motion to have this court recuse itself from further proceedings is denied.

Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed HIPAA. In part, this legislation seeks to protect a patient’s right to privacy regarding medical information. The requirements of the federal law have been incorporated into our state discovery procedures. For instance, CPLR 3122 (a) was amended in 2002, effective September 1, 2003, to provide in relevant part:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Brady v. Maryland
373 U.S. 83 (Supreme Court, 1963)
People v. Carter
699 N.E.2d 35 (New York Court of Appeals, 1998)
People v. De Jesus
369 N.E.2d 752 (New York Court of Appeals, 1977)
People v. Taranovich
335 N.E.2d 303 (New York Court of Appeals, 1975)
People v. Moulton
374 N.E.2d 1243 (New York Court of Appeals, 1978)
People v. Mees
394 N.E.2d 283 (New York Court of Appeals, 1979)
People v. Gissendanner
399 N.E.2d 924 (New York Court of Appeals, 1979)
People v. Berkowitz
406 N.E.2d 783 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
People v. Moreno
516 N.E.2d 200 (New York Court of Appeals, 1987)
People v. Gallagher
158 A.D.2d 469 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1990)
People v. Middlemiss
198 A.D.2d 755 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1993)
People v. Gutkaiss
206 A.D.2d 584 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1994)
People v. Fuller
216 A.D.2d 695 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1995)
People v. Arredondo
226 A.D.2d 322 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1996)
Saratoga Harness Racing Ass'n v. Monaghan
9 Misc. 2d 868 (New York Supreme Court, 1958)
In re the Estate of Ettinger
7 Misc. 3d 316 (New York Surrogate's Court, 2005)
Cataldo v. County of Monroe
38 Misc. 2d 768 (New York Supreme Court, 1963)
People v. Coleman
75 Misc. 2d 1090 (New York County Courts, 1973)
People v. Jones
154 Misc. 2d 481 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 1992)
People v. Gonzalez
181 Misc. 2d 105 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 Misc. 3d 593, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-olsen-nydistctnassau-2009.