People v. Yanowitch

140 Misc. 2d 575, 530 N.Y.S.2d 975, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 455
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedJune 23, 1988
StatusPublished

This text of 140 Misc. 2d 575 (People v. Yanowitch) 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. Yanowitch, 140 Misc. 2d 575, 530 N.Y.S.2d 975, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 455 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Raymond Harrington, J.

The defendant moves this court, through his attorney, for an order granting various forms of pretrial relief as follows:

1. Pursuant to CPL 240.45 and People v Rosario (9 NY2d 286 [1961]), People v Consolazio (40 NY2d 446 [1976]), People v [576]*576Perez (65 NY2d 154 [1985]), People v Ranghelle (69 NY2d 56 [1986]), and People v Jones (70 NY2d 547 [1987]), directing the prosecution to provide the defendant with a copy of the stenographic minutes of the testimony of all police officers who testified at defendant’s previous New York County trial;

2. Pursuant to section 722-c of the County Law and CPLR 1102 (b), directing that the defendant be provided with a copy of the stenographic minutes of the testimony of all police officers who testified at defendant’s New York County trial;

3. Pursuant to section 722-c of the County Law and CPLR 1102 (b), directing that the defendant be provided with a copy of the stenographic minutes of the pretrial hearings, the trial and all other relevant proceedings relating to the above-captioned indictment;

4. Pursuant to section 722-b of the County Law and CPLR 1102 (b), directing that Gino Josh Singer be assigned as counsel for the defendant for the remainder of this proceeding, and that said counsel be compensated at the rate established by section 722-b of the County Law;

5. Granting a continuance for a reasonable period of time to enable the minutes of the New York County trial to be transcribed so the defendant will have said minutes available to him during the course of the hearings and trial in the above-captioned case;

6. Granting a continuance for a reasonable period of time to enable the minutes of the pretrial hearings and other relevant proceedings in this case to be transcribed so the defendant will have said minutes available to him for posthearing briefing and the trial of this action; and

7. Granting such other and further relief which to the court seems just and proper.

1. PRIOR TRIAL TESTIMONY

The court presumes that this request also encompasses a request to produce this material at the pretrial hearings in this case pursuant to CPL 240.44. While the notice of motion does not make such a request, from paragraph 11 of counsel’s affirmation, and also from item 5 in the notice of motion of the defendant, the court infers such a request is made.

In the first instance, since the request is based upon CPL 240.44 and 240.45, it must be limited to material "made by a person whom the prosecutor intends to call as a witness” (CPL 240.45 [1] [a]) at hearings and/or trial. People v Rosario (supra) [577]*577and its progeny have never required more. Therefore, to the extent that this application seeks the testimony of all police officers who testified at defendant’s previous New York County trial, it is denied as to any witnesses at that New York County trial whom the People do not intend to call at the hearings and/or trial of this indictment.

The court recognizes in all candor that the cases decided on this issue are divided and the rationale of many of the opinions is confusing (compare, People v Caban, 123 Misc 2d 943 [Sup Ct, Kings County 1984], with People v Ward, 121 Misc 2d 1092 [Sup Ct, NY County 1983]).

Some cases have held that the untranscribed prior testimony of the People’s witnesses does not constitute "recorded statements” of those witnesses within the meaning of the so-called Rosario and Jencks decisions (Jencks v United States, 353 US 657; Fed Rules Crim Pro, rule 16; United States v Baker, 358 F2d 18, cert denied 385 US 869). CPL article 240 was adopted in substance from rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (People v Copicotto, 50 NY2d 222, 226). Under this rationale, such testimony would not be governed at all by the Rosario rule and by CPL 240.45 or 240.44 and, therefore, the failure of the People to produce such testimony would not be per se error under the Consolazio-Perez-Ranghelle-Jones line of cases. Indeed, the Court of Appeals, in the context of an appeal of a habeas corpus proceeding in which the relator sought the vacating of a judgment against him where he was denied a copy of the suppression hearing minutes prior to trial, held that the Rosario rule applied only to ex parte statements of the People’s witnesses to the police, District Attorney or Grand Jury (People ex rel. Cadogan v McMann, 24 NY2d 233, 236). The court stated (at 236): "The Rosario case, however, held merely that the defense was entitled, at the trial, to the prior statements of prosecution witnesses made 'to police, district attorney or grand jury’ * * * The defense was thereby given access to ex parte statements that would otherwise remain undisclosed to him throughout the trial. The Rosario case required only that all ex parte statements made by prosecution witnesses should be made available to the defense at the trial. It did not require that the defense be afforded transcripts of testimony given in the presence of both the defendant and his counsel, or that they be made available before trial or before the prosecution witnesses had testified.”

While CPL 240.44 and 240.45 now refer to "[a]ny written or [578]*578recorded statement” of a prosecution witness, that legislation does not undercut the Court of Appeals view that Rosario (supra) was intended to apply to ex parte statements which, without the prosecutorial obligation, would otherwise remain undisclosed. Indeed, while the Court of Appeals in People v Perez (supra) extended the Rosario rule to a witness’s recorded statement to a private party, the court was persuaded to do so because the recorded statements were solely in the control of the prosecutor and the failure to disclose them substantially damaged the defense since defense counsel was led into a trap (People v Perez, at 159). The court stated (at 159), "[t]he fairness concept embodied in the Rosario rule cannot be said to have been satisfied when pretrial statements revealing a potential trap for the cross-examiner are furnished to defense counsel only after the trap has sprung”. The hallmark of all of these cases is fairness. To whom the witness makes the statement is not germane to that concept. What is the salient point to the Rosario fairness concept is disclosure prior to examination of the witness so that the cross-examiner can decide what questions to ask and what questions to avoid asking (People v Poole, 48 NY2d 144, 149).

As another court stated: "It is interesting to note that CPL 240.45 (subd 1, par [a]) specifically states: 'including any testimony before a grand jury’. Apparently the Legislature did not feel that testimony is included in the concept of recorded statements. Further, by including only Grand Jury testimony the statute implies that it excludes other forms of testimony (expressio unius est exclusio alterus). ” (People v Caban, supra, at 944, n 1.)

Accordingly, this court holds that transcripts of testimony given in the presence of both the defendant and his counsel are not required to be produced by the Rosario

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Related

Jencks v. United States
353 U.S. 657 (Supreme Court, 1957)
People v. Rosario
173 N.E.2d 881 (New York Court of Appeals, 1961)
People v. Montgomery
224 N.E.2d 730 (New York Court of Appeals, 1966)
People v. Ballott
233 N.E.2d 103 (New York Court of Appeals, 1967)
People ex rel. Cadogan v. McMann
247 N.E.2d 492 (New York Court of Appeals, 1969)
People v. Zanotti
287 N.E.2d 376 (New York Court of Appeals, 1972)
People v. Consolazio
354 N.E.2d 801 (New York Court of Appeals, 1976)
People v. Poole
397 N.E.2d 697 (New York Court of Appeals, 1979)
People v. Copicotto
406 N.E.2d 465 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
People v. Ranghelle
503 N.E.2d 1011 (New York Court of Appeals, 1986)
People v. Jones
517 N.E.2d 865 (New York Court of Appeals, 1987)
People v. Ward
121 Misc. 2d 1092 (New York Supreme Court, 1983)
People v. Caban
123 Misc. 2d 943 (New York Supreme Court, 1984)
In re John M.
104 Misc. 2d 725 (NYC Family Court, 1980)
People v. Grissom
128 Misc. 2d 246 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 1985)

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Bluebook (online)
140 Misc. 2d 575, 530 N.Y.S.2d 975, 1988 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-yanowitch-nycountyct-1988.