People v. Wilson

108 Misc. 2d 417, 437 N.Y.S.2d 839, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2216
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedFebruary 9, 1981
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 108 Misc. 2d 417 (People v. Wilson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Wilson, 108 Misc. 2d 417, 437 N.Y.S.2d 839, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2216 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1981).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

William W. Serra, J.

This is a motion to dismiss an indictment on the grounds that in sentencing the defendant and thereby reducing his conviction for arson in the third degree upon a plea of guilty to judgment (as those terms are defined in CPL 1.20 (subds 13, 14, 15), the defendant would be deprived of his rights against self incrimination under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution as well as his rights against self incrimination and to due process under section 6 of article I of the New York State Constitution and under the Criminal Procedure Law.

Prior to the plea of guilty in a pretrial conference, certain commitments were made which in substance were that the defendant, who set fire to a house or cottage which was destroyed by fire, and his attorney would voluntarily co-operate with the District Attorney in every way they reasonably could to the best and fullest of their abilities in leading to the arrest and conviction of another person [418]*418believed by the District Attorney to have been the prime mover in the crime. In return, the District Attorney would have no sentencing recommendations.

The court assented that it would, under such circumstances, give due consideration to such conduct and that it would be possible, based upon such conduct and all other materials which may have been developed in the presentence investigation, to consider nonincarceration and relief from liquor license disabilities. No further commitment was made by the court.

The attorneys, out of the presence of the court agreed that “co-operation” was to include a written statement, submission to stress evaluation test, testimony before the Grand Jury and the urging of another witness to cooperate. After a plea of guilty, the defendant submitted to questioning by the District Attorney, gave a statement, and submitted to a four-hour stress test. The District Attorney was not satisfied with the stress test results and indicated to defense counsel he intended to instruct the Grand Jury on criminal contempt in the first degree and peijury in the first degree in relation to the defendant’s proposed testimony before the Grand Jury. Defense counsel advised the District Attorney by letter that he would not permit the defendant to testify before the Grand Jury under those circumstances. The District Attorney subpoenaed the defendant. The defendant moved to quash the subpoena on the grounds that the defendant was being asked to testify against himself and to incriminate himself in violation of his Fifth Amendment rights.

On consideration of the motion by the court, the District Attorney advised the Judge in charge of the Grand Jury that he would move for contempt if the defendant did not testify pursuant to the subpoena. The Judge hearing the application denied the motion to quash. The defense counsel advised that the defendant would refuse to testify on the grounds that any testimony which the defendant might give might incriminate him. The following remarks were then made before the court:

[419]*419“mr. francis: Well, he’s going to get immunity as all witnesses who testify before the grand jury do. Now, where does that put us just so we can save time?

“mr. Andrews: Someone has to sign a waiver of immunity.

“mr. francis: I’m not asking to sign a waiver of immunity. I’m going to grant him immunity. He gets immunity.

“mr. Andrews: He and I will have to discuss that aspect, but not all witnesses before a grand jury are given immunity. Some are asked to sign a waiver of immunity.

“mr. francis: He’s not being asked to sign. Now what?

“mr. Andrews: I’m going to advise Mr. Wilson that he is granted immunity and not asked to sign a waiver of immunity, he has to recognize that in that posture, he must give testimony or be held in contempt of court.

“mr. francis: Okay, you advise him of that, and we’ll get started right away.”

The defendant testified at length. The Grand Jury was not instructed on contempt or perjury by the District Attorney.

The legal question now before the court is what is the extent of the immunity granted. CPL 190.40 provides insofar as applicable in part as follows: “Grand jury; witnesses, compulsion of evidence and immunity. 1. Every witness in a grand jury proceeding must give any evidence legally requested of him regardless of any protest or belief on his part that it may tend to incriminate him. 2. A witness who gives evidence in a grand jury proceeding receives immunity unless: (a) He has effectively waived such immunity pursuant to section 190.45; or (b) Such evidence is not responsive to any inquiry and is gratuitously given or volunteered by the witness with knowledge that it is not responsive, (c) *** Any further evidence given by the witness entitles the witness to immunity except as provided in subdivisions (a) and (b) of this section.”

CPL 50.10 defines such immunity as follows: “ ‘Immunity.’ A person who has been a witness in a legal proceeding, and who cannot, except as otherwise provided in this [420]*420subdivision, be convicted of any offense or subjected to any penalty or forfeiture for or on account of any transaction, matter or thing concerning which he gave evidence therein, possesses ‘immunity’ from any such conviction, penalty or forfeiture. A person who possesses such immunity may nevertheless be convicted of perjury as a result of having given false testimony in such legal proceeding, and may be convicted of or adjudged in contempt as a result of having contumaciously refused to give evidence therein.”

This is an unsettled area of law with two conflicting cases found in New York State, both in nisi prius courts.

In 1940, in People v Fine (173 Misc 1010), it was held in Orange County Supreme Court under section 996 of the Penal Law, then in effect, and section 6 of article I of the New York State Constitution that testimony before the Grand Jury against another defendant concerning the facts of the crime which he had been convicted of after trial but as to which he had not yet been sentenced did not prevent his subsequent sentence for the crime of which he had been convicted. It is noticed that while the section is similar to the CPL, there is no finding of prejudice to sentencing, and a full trial had been had of the issues of the case.

In 1978, Matter of Jaime T. (96 Misc 2d 173), a contrary opinion was rendered. This case involved a juvenile offender charged with burglary in the second degree (Penal Law, §§ 140.25, 10.00, subd 18), to which the respondent had entered a plea of guilty. The Law Guardian moved for a dismissal upon substantially the same grounds as in this case. For reasons not stated, the District Attorney did not oppose the motion to dismiss in Matter of Jaime T., appearing to concur in the immunization theory of the court. The court, interpreting the language of CPL 50.10 as to “penalty or forfeiture” held that after testifying before the Grand Jury, the juvenile respondent could no longer be subjected to Family Court dispositional procedures, such procedures being analogous to criminal sentencing involving penalty or forfeiture, citing Matter of Gault (387 US 1) and Matter of De Gaglia (54 Misc 2d 423).

[421]

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Related

People v. Wilson
96 A.D.2d 741 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1983)
State v. Runions
665 P.2d 1358 (Washington Supreme Court, 1983)
People v. Sobotker
117 Misc. 2d 394 (Appellate Terms of the Supreme Court of New York, 1982)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 Misc. 2d 417, 437 N.Y.S.2d 839, 1981 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-wilson-nycountyct-1981.