People v. Spiegelman

142 Misc. 2d 617, 537 N.Y.S.2d 964, 1989 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 106
CourtKensington Village Court
DecidedJanuary 24, 1989
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 142 Misc. 2d 617 (People v. Spiegelman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kensington Village Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Spiegelman, 142 Misc. 2d 617, 537 N.Y.S.2d 964, 1989 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 106 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1989).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Stephen R. Taub, J.

Defendant moves, pursuant to CPL 170.35 (1) (a), for dismissal of a simplified trafile information on the grounds that said information is insufficient as a matter of law for failure to provide a supporting deposition pursuant to timely demand. The affirmation in support of the motion refers the court to no relevant cases, relying entirely on the language of CPL 100.25 (2).

The Village Prosecutor has cross-moved to amend the simplified traffic information (presumably by serving the supporting deposition) or alternatively for leave to re-serve the defendant with a new simplified traffic information (presumably with a supporting deposition). The application of the People, like that of the defendant, is based upon CPL 170.35 (1) (a).

[618]*618The statute relied on by both the prosecutor and the defendant reads as follows:

"1. An information, a simplified information, a prosecutor’s information or a misdemeanor complaint, or a count thereof, is defective within the meaning of paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section 170.30 when:

"(a) It is not sufficient on its face pursuant to the requirements of section 100.40; provided that such an instrument or count may not be dismissed as defective, but must instead be amended, where the defect or irregularity is of a kind that may be cured by amendment and where the people move to so amend” (CPL 170.35 [1] [a]).

Both the defendant and the prosecutor interpret the same language as authority for the relief he seeks.

The facts, for purposes of this motion and cross motion, are not in dispute. On September 14, 1988 at approximately 5:30 p.m., the defendant received uniform traffic ticket No. TK700008-1, alleging a violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1180 (d), for speeding at the rate of 41 miles per hour in a 25-miles-per-hour zone within the Village of Kensington. On September 27, 1988, the defendant’s attorney sent a letter to this court purportedly serving four purposes: (1) as a notice of appearance; (2) to enter a plea of not guilty; (3) requesting a court date; and (4) demanding a supporting deposition. No supporting deposition has been served.

The defendant claims that a failure to comply with CPL 100.25 (2) renders a simplified traffic information defective as a matter of law. Although not cited, the court takes judicial notice of CPL 100.40 (2) which indeed states that a failure to provide a supporting deposition "renders the simplified information insufficient on its face”. For the foregoing reasons, the defendant wants the summons dismissed.

The Village Prosecutor initially seeks denial of the motion upon the authority of People v Schlosser (129 Misc 2d 690 [Dist Ct, Nassau County 1985]). In that decision, Honorable Jules E. Orenstein, now a Judge of the Nassau County Court, denied a similar motion on the grounds that the defendant failed to serve a copy of the demand for a supporting deposition upon the District Attorney of Nassau County. Judge Orenstein felt that a demand for a supporting deposition, like any other document served in the course of litigation, must be served upon one’s adversary prior to filing with the court.

The court accepts the prosecutor’s representation that no [619]*619such demand was served. However, this court will not deny the motion on these grounds. Judge Orenstein recognized that in the Central Traffic Part of the Nassau County District Court, tens of thousands of traffic tickets and prosecutions are processed each year and prosecuted by the Nassau County District Attorney, presenting many administrative and ministerial problems. He also recognized that "In many small Justice, Magistrate, or other local minor traffic courts, the local law enforcement officer in most instances prosecutes traffic violations, and the local District Attorney does not prosecute same” (supra, 129 Misc 2d, at 691). In the Village of Kensington, the office of Village Prosecuting Attorney is a part-time position. To send a copy of the demand to the Village Prosecutor would require nothing more than sending a second copy of the same letter to the same address as the original letter filed with the clerk of the court. While motions, affidavits and similar documents must be separately served on the Village Prosecutor, this court will not require a procedural frivolity of sending two copies of the same letter to the same address. Therefore, in full agreement with the logic of Judge Orenstein, this court will not deny defendant’s motion for failure to serve the Village Prosecutor.

This court has found only two appellate cases on point. In People v De Feo (77 Misc 2d 523 [App Term, 2d Dept 1974]), a motion to dismiss a summons for speeding was based upon the prosecutor’s failure to comply with defendant’s demand for a supporting deposition. The District Court of Nassau County had denied the motion, granting the prosecutor’s request for an adjournment of the trial solely for the purpose of providing same. The Appellate Term reversed and dismissed, holding that an adjournment for the purpose of serving a supporting deposition was improper. Clearly, failure to provide a supporting deposition in a timely manner renders the simplified traffic information defective as a matter of law and subject to dismissal. Significantly, however, the court did not decide whether the People were thereby precluded from reprosecuting the defendant.

In 1980, the Appellate Term for the Ninth and Tenth Judicial Districts, in People v Baron (107 Misc 2d 59), unanimously reversed a conviction and dismissed the simplified traffic information. A supporting deposition, supplied by the officer, was inconsistent with the ticket with respect to the date and time of the alleged offense. The court stated (supra, at 60): "Of course, the court on a motion to dismiss a simpli[620]*620fied [traffic] information on the ground that it is not sufficient on its face pursuant to CPL 100.40, must amend same rather than dismiss said simplified information, if the defect or irregularity is of the kind that may be cured by amendment and the People move to so amend (see CPL 170.30, subd 1, par [a]; 170.35, subd 1, par [a]).”

The District Attorney, however, rather than amend the supporting deposition, sought leave to supersede the simplified traffic information with a long-form information and supporting deposition, which the court below permitted. The Appellate Term held that a long-form information could not be substituted for a simplified traffic information and dismissed for insufficiency pursuant to CPL 100.25 (2); 100.40 (2); and 100.10 (2). This court interprets the foregoing decision of the Appellate Term not only to stand for the proposition that a simplified traffic information and long-form information are separate and unrelated entities, but also for the proposition that a simplified traffic information could, indeed, be amended by the act of amending an otherwise insufficient supporting deposition.

The City Court of Long Beach, in People v Origlia (138 Misc 2d 286), held that a failure to provide a supporting deposition rendered the simplified traffic information insufficient on its face. The prosecutor sought leave to file a superseding information. The court concluded that a simplified traffic information could not be corrected or amended by the filing of a superseding information and dismissed the prosecution.

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Related

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154 Misc. 2d 616 (Muttontown Justice Court, 1992)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
142 Misc. 2d 617, 537 N.Y.S.2d 964, 1989 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 106, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-spiegelman-nykensjustct-1989.