People v. Williams

2026 NY Slip Op 50261(U), 88 Misc. 3d 1228(A)
CourtMount Vernon City Court
DecidedFebruary 27, 2026
DocketDocket No. CR-03020-25
StatusUnpublished
AuthorNichelle A. Johnson

This text of 2026 NY Slip Op 50261(U) (People v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mount Vernon City Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Williams, 2026 NY Slip Op 50261(U), 88 Misc. 3d 1228(A) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2026).

Opinion

People v Williams (2026 NY Slip Op 50261(U)) [*1]
People v Williams
2026 NY Slip Op 50261(U) [88 Misc 3d 1228(A)]
Decided on February 27, 2026
City Court Of Mount Vernon
Johnson, J.
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.


Decided on February 27, 2026
City Court of Mount Vernon


The People of the State of New York

against

Joseph Williams, Defendant.




Docket No. CR-03020-25

Westchester County District Attorney
Mount Vernon branch

Daniel Harnick, Esq.
Attorney for Defendant
345 Bronx River Road - #4D
Yonkers, NY 10704
Nichelle A. Johnson, J.

Defendant is charged under Docket #03020-25 with two counts of Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree (PL 215.50 [3]) and under Docket #0321-25 with Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree (PL 215.14[3]) and Harassment in the Second Degree [PL 240.25 [1]). The matters were consolidated for trial. The People filed an initial Certificate of Compliance ("COC") and Statement of Readiness ("SOR") on July 29, 2025 for Docket #3212-25 and on August 15, 2025 for Docket # 03020-25. Supplemental COCs were filed for the consolidated Dockets on October 17, 2025 and November 17, 2025.

Defendant moves for an order striking the People's Certificate of Compliance and Statement of Readiness filed on July 29, 2025, August 15, 2025, and Supplemental COC on October 27, 2025. He also moves to dismiss the accusatory instrument pursuant to CPL §30.30.

In support of the motion, the defendant asserts that the People failed to comply with their discovery obligations and as such, the COC and SOR are illusory and that the speedy trial clock has run. Specifically, the defendant contends that the People belatedly disclosed Ring doorbell camera footage of one of the incidents and photos taken by police officers. The defendant argues that the People filed their COCs on July 29, 2025 and August 15, 2025 and Supplemental COC on October 27, 2025, and that the Ring Camera footage and photos at issue were not turned over until November 17, 2025, the day before this matter was on for a jury trial. The People also filed a Supplemental COC the same day. Defendant contends that the People failed to provide the requisite discovery as set forth in CPL § 245 in a timely manner and, as such, the People's July 29, 2025, August 15, 2025 and October 27, 2025 COCs were invalid and as such, its Statement of Readiness was illusory. As such, defendant contends that as the People's SOR was illusory, [*2]the People have failed to be ready for trial within their requisite CPL 30.30 time limit and the accusatory instruments should be dismissed.

In opposition, it is the People's position that their Certificates of Compliance are not illusory. The People argue that they exercised due diligence prior to filing the COCs and SOR. The People assert that on June 23, 2025, an email and Discovery Demand was sent to the Mount Vernon Police Department ("MVPD") requesting all discovery on Docket #3020-25. A copy of the email and Demand is attached to the papers as Exhibit 1. The People assert that on June 30, 2025 they sent an email and Discovery Demand to the Mount Vernon Police Department requesting all discovery on Docket # CR-03212-25. A copy of the email and Demand is attached to the motion papers as Exhibit 2. The People assert that they provided various discovery material to the Legal Aid Society and defense counsel on June 30, 2025, July 8, 2025, July 29, 2025, August 15, 2025; the lists include two surveillance videos, body worn cameras, and witness information. On or about July 21, 2025, the MVPD uploaded a final checklist, indicating they had turned over all discovery on Docket #3212-25. A copy is attached to the papers as Exhibit 6.

The People affirm that on October 17, 2025, while preparing for trial, they discovered an additional police report. The People provided the report to the defendant and filed a supplemental COC the same day. The People assert that while they were preparing their witnesses for jury trial on November 17, 2025, one of the witnesses provided an additional Ring camera video. Also, while reviewing the body camera footage they discovered that a police officer had taken photos of a witness. The People affirm that they immediately provided this additional discovery to defense counsel and filed the supplemental COC on November 17, 2025.

The People argue that defendant's motion to strike is untimely pursuant to CPL 245.50 [4][c] because the motion was not made within (35) thirty-five days of service of the COC and no extension of time was granted by the Court to file the motion. This argument is without merit because the People filed newly discoverable evidence on the eve of trial and the Court granted the defendant's application to file this motion (CPL 245.50[4] [c][ii]).

With respect to the CPL § 30.30 portion of the motion, the People affirm that there are only 8 days of chargeable time on Docket #3020-25. Thus they argue they have 82 remaining days of CPL 30.30 time on this docket. As for Docket# 3212-25, they argue that there are only 31 days of chargeable time, and 59 days of CPL 30.30 time remaining.

An order deeming a Certificate of Compliance invalid amounts to a determination that the People's Statement of Readiness is illusory. CPL § 245 requires the People to file a certificate of compliance/statement of readiness with the court prior to announcing readiness under CPL § 30.30 (CPL § 245.50[3]; CPL §30.30[5]). In order for the People to be ready for trial, "the People must: (1) file a certificate of good faith discovery compliance; (2) file a valid statement of readiness; and (3) certify the facial sufficiency of the accusatory instrument (People v. Seymour, 2023 NY Misc. LEXIS 1943 [Dist Ct. Nassau Cty 2023] citing (People v Ramirez-Correa, 71 Misc 3d 570, 572, 142 NYS3d 783, 785 [Crim Ct., Queens Co. 2021]; see also People v Hall, CR-013437-20SU [Dist Ct., Suffolk Co. 2021, Kerr, J.]. Criminal Procedure Law § 245.50[1] defines a proper certificate of compliance, and it requires the People to certify, in good faith, two things. First, that they have exercised "due diligence" and made "reasonable inquiries" to "ascertain the existence" of discoverable material (CPL § 245.50[1]; see also People v. LaClair, 2023 NY Slip Op. 23146 [2d Dept 2023]; People v. Guzman, 75 Misc 3d 132[A] [2d Dept 2022]), and second, that they "made available all known material and [*3]information subject to discovery." (CPL § 245.50[1]; see also People ex rel. Ferro v. Brann, 197 AD3d 787, 787-88, 153 N.Y.S.3d 194 [2d Dept. 2021]).

The CPL provides that the People shall disclose to the defense "material and information in the possession, custody or control of the prosecution or persons under the prosecution's direction or control." (See CPL § 245.20 [1)). The key question in determining if a proper COC has been filed pursuant to CPL § 245.20 is whether the prosecution has exercised due diligence and made reasonable inquiries to ascertain the existence of material and information subject to discovery (CPL § 245.50). There is no rule of strict liability, that is, the statute does not require or anticipate a perfect prosecutor. Belated disclosures do not, in and of themselves, signify that a certificate of compliance is invalid.

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Related

People v. Williams
Mount Vernon City Court, 2026

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2026 NY Slip Op 50261(U), 88 Misc. 3d 1228(A), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-williams-nymtverncityct-2026.