People v. Sherry Netherland Chemists Corp.

77 Misc. 2d 529, 354 N.Y.S.2d 536, 1974 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1184
CourtCriminal Court of the City of New York
DecidedMarch 21, 1974
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 77 Misc. 2d 529 (People v. Sherry Netherland Chemists Corp.) 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. Sherry Netherland Chemists Corp., 77 Misc. 2d 529, 354 N.Y.S.2d 536, 1974 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1184 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1974).

Opinion

Frederic S. Bermas, J.

Defendant Sherry Netherland Chemists Corp., a retail pharmacy, is charged with violation of paragraphs (1) and (4) of subdivision (g) of section 75.11 of the New York City Health Code.1

The facts as adduced from the testimony of Inspector James C. Johnson of the New York City Health Department, at a hearing for motion to suppress held by this court, are as follows:

Inspector Johnson arrived at defendant’s premises at 783 Fifth Avenue, New York City on July 23,1973, at approximately 10:00 a.m. He thereupon identified himself as an inspector for the Health Department and requested to speak to the pharmacist in charge. The president of Sherry Netherland Chemists Corp., Henry Rosen, approached the counter and Inspector Johnson identified himself and explained that he was on a routine audit of the disposition of barbiturate drugs and asked if he could proceed with an audit and inspection of the defendant’s records concerning Tuinal. Mr. Rosen consented and conducted Inspector Johnson to a raised level which contained the prescription department. At this point Inspector Johnson requested the records of several specific drugs and informed Mr. Rosen that these same drugs were being routinely audited in that area of Manhattan. Mr. Rosen acquiesced and said that he would supply what was necessary to complete the [531]*531audit, which he did. There had been no search warrant nor any prior notice to defendant.

Defendant moves to suppress on the grounds that the search was made without warrant, consent or suspicion of wrongdoing. He claims that evidence was seized in violation of defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights. Further, he claims that he is licensed by the Education Department of the State of New York and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs of the United States Department of Justice. He also asserts that he is not licensed by the New York City Health Department. Defendant claims that he should have been warned of his right to refuse a warrantless search and that he should have been given his Miranda warnings.

The People point out that the routine inspection of a regulated business is valid without a search warrant, citing a recent United States Supreme Court case, United States v. Biswell (406 U. S. 311), which held that a warrantless seizure by a Federal treasury agent of unlicensed firearms from a licensed firearms dealer pursuant to subdivision (g) of section 923 of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (U. S. Code, tit. 18, § 921 et seq.) was valid under the Fourth Amendment. The Biswell decision (supra) distinguished Colonnade Catering Corp. v. United States (397 U. S. 72), on the ground tha(; in Colonnade, excessive force was used, although the search was pursuant to the lawful regulation of the liquor industry.

In the context of a regulatory inspection system of business premises that is carefully limited in time, place, and scope, the legality of the search depends not on consent but on the authority of a valid statute ”. (United States v. Biswell, 406 U. S., atp. 315.)

The court, in Biswell, also said (p. 316): It is also apparent that if the law is to be properly enforced, and inspection made effective, inspections without warrant must be deemed reasonable official conduct under the Fourth Amendment. In See v. City of Seattle, 387 U. S. 541 (1967), the mission of the inspection system was to discover and correct violations of the building code, conditions that were relatively difficult to conceal or to correct in a short time * * * We expressly refrained in that case from questioning a warrantless regulatory search such as that authorized by § 923 of the Gun Control Act. Here, if inspection is to be effective and serve as a credible deterrent, unannounced, even frequent, inspections are essential. In this context, the prerequisite of a warrant, could easily frustrate inspection; and if the necessary flexibility as to time, scope, and [532]*532frequency is to be preserved, the protections afforded by a warrant would be negligible.”

The case of United States v. Del Campo Baking Mfg. Co. (345 F. Supp. 1371 [Dist. Ct., Delaware, 1972]), explained the rationale of the Biswell decision. In Del Campo, inspectors of the Food and Drug Administration searched the defendant’s business premises without a warrant; the defendant’s business did not have a Federal license. The court, in Del Campo, held that the decision in Biswell did not depend on the fact that the business was Federally licensed but that it was pervasively regulated.

The recent case of United States v. Anile (352 F. Supp. 14 [Dist. Ct., N. D. W. Va., 1970]), differs from Biswell (supra), in that the inspection in Anile was not a routine, periodic one, but was prompted by complaints and was preceded by four previous visits by authorities. Also, the defendant in Anile was told by the authorities that he could not choose to withhold his consent to the inspection.

New York State decisions have also upheld warrantless search in similar situations. In Matter of McKaba v. Board of Regents (30 A D 2d 495), it was held that a warrantless search of pharmacist’s records was proper on the ground that the pharmacist consented to the search by accepting his license. The Appellate Division (3d Dept.) stated (p. 498): In accepting his license the petitioner accepted the incident obligation of keeping the required records and permitting their inspection. The dangers and hazards of narcotics to health and public safety are known to all. Such records are nonprivileged records required by statute to be kept for proper regulation and protection of the general public and their inspection without a search warrant was constitutionally valid. (People v. Laverne, 14 N Y 2d 304.) ”

With regard to warrantless search, defendant relies heavily upon Camara v. Municipal Ct. (387 U. S. 523) and its companion case, See v. City of Seattle (387 U. S. 541). In Camara, at page 539, it was held that under the Fourth Amendment a defendant had a constitutional right to insist that inspectors obtain a warrant to search and may not constitutionally be convicted for refusal to consent to the inspection.

In See, a fire department inspector sought access to See’s locked commercial warehouse during a routine periodic inspection of premises subject to the municipality’s fire code. See was prosecuted for refusing to permit an inspector to enter [533]*533without a warrant. The Supreme Court here extended Camara to commercial structures not used as private residences.

Defendant Sherry Netherland, by its president Mr. Rosen, never refused admittance, never demanded that Inspector Johnson secure a search warrant, nor did he refuse consent to audit to Inspector Johnson.

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Bluebook (online)
77 Misc. 2d 529, 354 N.Y.S.2d 536, 1974 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-sherry-netherland-chemists-corp-nycrimct-1974.