People v. Tavares

44 Misc. 3d 245, 983 N.Y.S.2d 773
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 22, 2014
StatusPublished

This text of 44 Misc. 3d 245 (People v. Tavares) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Tavares, 44 Misc. 3d 245, 983 N.Y.S.2d 773 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Jill Konviser, J.

Procedural Background

By indictment No. 3633/13, the defendant is charged with grand larceny in the third degree, a class D felony offense pursuant to Penal Law § 155.35 (1), and identity theft in the first degree, a class D felony offense pursuant to Penal Law § 190.80 (1). On September 30, 2013, the defendant filed a motion to dismiss the indictment on speedy trial grounds pursuant to CPL 30.30 (1) (a). On October 15, 2013, the People filed an affirmation in response, opposing the defendant’s motion. On November 8, 2013, the defendant filed a reply and on November 18, 2013, the People filed a letter in response to that reply. On November 19, 2013, the People provided the court with transcripts related to several court appearances. As a specific factual issue regarding the defendant’s representation by counsel remained unresolved after a review of the transcripts and the papers submitted by the parties, the court ordered a hearing in connection with the defendant’s motion. That hearing was held before this court on March 7, 2014. Based upon a review of the court file, the relevant transcripts, the papers filed by the parties, and the evidence presented at the hearing, the defendant’s motion is denied.

Calculation of Speedy Trial Time

This action commenced on January 23, 2013 when an accusatory instrument charging a felony offense was filed against the defendant. Pursuant to CPL 30.30 (1) (a), the People are required to be ready for trial within six months of the commencement of the criminal action. As the six-month period in which the People are required to be ready for trial is measured by the number of days in the intervening calendar months, the People are required to be ready for trial in this matter within 181 days following the commencement of the action (see People v Cortes, 80 NY2d 201 [1992]). Whether the People have satisfied this obligation is determined by computing the time elapsed between the commencement of the action and the People’s declaration of readiness, subtracting any periods of delay that are excludable under the terms of the statute and then adding to [247]*247the result any post-readiness periods of delay that are attributable to the People and are ineligible for an exclusion (id. at 208). This court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law with respect to the speedy trial time incurred in this case.

January 23, 2013 to April 8, 2013: 0 days

The defendant was arraigned on January 23, 2013, and, with the People’s consent, released on her own recognizance. At the defendant’s arraignment, H. Benjamin Perez, Esq. filed a notice of appearance on her behalf, and served notice of her intent to testify before the grand jury, pursuant to CPL 190.50 (hereinafter cross grand jury notice). The case was adjourned to April 8, 2013 for grand jury action.

In the defendant’s instant speedy trial motion, she argues that as the case was adjourned for grand jury action, and the matter had not been presented to the grand jury, the People simply must be charged for this time period. The People respond, however, that as the defendant’s attorney had served cross grand jury notice at her arraignment, yet subsequently told them that he had not been retained to represent her post-arraignment, they could not have presented the case to the grand jury during this time period, in which the defendant was without counsel. They conclude, therefore, that they should not be charged with this adjournment. In response, the defendant asserts that her attorney-client relationship was never discussed with the People and she was never without counsel. In order to resolve this factual issue, the court ordered a hearing.

The CPL 30.30 Hearing

The Defendant’s Case

Hector Benjamin Perez, Esq. testified for the defendant.1 Perez testified that the defendant contacted him in January 2013, after a detective reached out to her in connection with a criminal investigation. Perez met with the defendant on January 22, 2013, when she signed a retainer agreement.2 According to Perez, the defendant retained him to “surrender her and arraign her” and the agreement itself references legal services only in connection with “surrender and arraignment.” Pursu[248]*248ant to the retainer agreement, the defendant paid “the standard price for surrender and arraignment” — $2,000. Perez acknowledged that he would not have handled the defendant’s “entire case” for only $2,000, and explained that it was his firm’s “customary business practice” to have the client sign an “initial retainer,” and then to have the client sign a second retainer once it had been determined how to “price the entire case.” According to Perez, “no client” hires him “just for arraignment,” and as “with every single client,” the defendant wanted him to “handle the entire matter.” Perez testified that he surrendered the defendant to a police precinct on January 23, 2013, and, as was “customary” at his law firm, provided the detective with a letter indicating, inter alia, that he was the defendant’s attorney.3

On that same day, January 23, 2013, Perez appeared in court for the defendant’s criminal court arraignment and submitted a written notice of appearance.4 Perez testified that he also filled out a document, commonly known as a “notice to the warden,” seeking permission to speak to the defendant prior to her appearance in court.5 Neither the notice of appearance nor the notice to the warden indicated that Perez’s representation of the defendant was for arraignment purposes only, although Perez testified that he “generally” would not include a notation of that sort on those documents. At the arraignment, Perez served cross grand jury notice on the defendant’s behalf. Perez testified that it is his practice to serve cross grand jury notice “on every felony” so that he will “know what’s happening” on the case. The defendant’s case was adjourned to April 8, 2013 for grand jury action.6

Perez testified that on or about March 4, 2013, he spoke to Assistant District Attorney George Camacho in relation to the case.7 At the time of that telephone conversation, Perez acknowledged that he still had only been retained for the defendant’s surrender and arraignment, and that he had not done [249]*249any additional work on the defendant’s case. During the conversation, Camacho indicated that he had “questions” about the complaining witness, and inquired whether the defendant would be willing to speak to him about the case. Perez told him that he would discuss the matter with the defendant and that he would get in touch with Camacho if she was interested in doing so. Perez informed Camacho that he expected the defendant to “sign” and pay him for the remainder of the case sometime later that week. Perez testified that even though at that point he had only been retained for surrender and arraignment and had not done any additional work on the case, he, nonetheless, considered the defendant to be his client. According to Perez, Camacho never mentioned that he wanted to schedule a grand jury presentation. In fact, Perez testified that “[t]here was never any discussion about grand jury presentment at all,” as it was “clear” to him that as a result of “issues” with the complaining witness, there “wasn’t going to be any presentment to the grand jury.”

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Related

People v. Liotta
79 N.Y.2d 841 (New York Court of Appeals, 1992)
People v. Cortes
80 N.Y.2d 201 (New York Court of Appeals, 1992)
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People v. Rickard
71 A.D.3d 1420 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
People v. Shannon
143 A.D.2d 572 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1988)
People v. Vidal
180 A.D.2d 447 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1992)
People v. Middlemiss
198 A.D.2d 755 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1993)
People v. Drake
205 A.D.2d 996 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1994)
People v. Manning
306 A.D.2d 157 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
44 Misc. 3d 245, 983 N.Y.S.2d 773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-tavares-nysupct-2014.