People v. Young

136 Misc. 2d 121, 518 N.Y.S.2d 319, 1987 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2394
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJune 26, 1987
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 136 Misc. 2d 121 (People v. Young) 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. Young, 136 Misc. 2d 121, 518 N.Y.S.2d 319, 1987 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2394 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Seymour Rotker, J.

Defendant, in an omnibus motion, seeks the following relief: (1) inspection of the Grand Jury minutes and dismissal of the indictment; (2) suppression of the physical evidence and statements and (3) a bill of particulars and discovery and inspection.

The essence of the defendant’s request for dismissal of the indictment is founded on the actions of the District Attorney in presenting the entire matter to the Grand Jury, charging them on the law and then some two weeks later permitting the defendant to testify without informing him that the matter had already been presented and a vote taken.

The court has inspected both sets of Grand Jury minutes and it is apparent that a true bill was voted and thereafter the defendant was permitted to appear and testify before the Grand Jury which again voted an indictment.

[122]*122The purpose of a motion to inspect the Grand Jury minutes and dismiss the indictment is to test the legal sufficiency of the evidence upon which the indictment is founded (CPL 210.30).

The proper vehicle to attack the present indictment is pursuant to CPL 210.20 (1) (c) which states:

"After arraignment upon an indictment, the superior court may, upon motion of the defendant, dismiss such indictment or any count thereof upon the ground that * * *

"(c) The grand jury proceeding was defective, within the meaning of section 210.35”.

CPL 210.35 (5) states:

"A grand jury proceeding is defective within the meaning of paragraph (c) of subdivision one of section 210.20 when * * *

"(5) The proceeding otherwise fails to conform to the requirements of article one hundred ninety to such degree that the integrity thereof is impaired and prejudice to the defendant may result.”

The court is, therefore, treating the instant motion as one made pursuant to CPL 210.20 (1) (c) and 210.35 (5). (See also, People v Wilkins, 68 NY2d 269.)

The court has determined the following facts which are uncontroverted.

The defendant was arrested and charged with criminal possession of marihuana in the second degree on January 8, 1987. On January 9, 1987 he was arraigned in Criminal Court on those charges.

The matter was presented to the Grand Jury on January 14, 1987, the jury was instructed on the law and a vote was taken. In the People’s response to the defendant’s motion, the People aver that for "expediency sake” the proper mechanism in this case was to allow the District Attorney to "re-open” the case for the purpose of taking defendant’s testimony.

On January 30, 1987, the Assistant District Attorney who had originally presented the matter on January 14, 1984, appeared before the Grand Jury and stated: "For the record on January 14 this case was originally presented. I would ask the foreperson or the secretary if there is a quorum present that heard this case on the 14th”. The foreperson answered "Yes” and the prosecutor, without further preamble to the Grand Jury, had the defendant testify under a waiver of immunity (CPL 190.50 [5] [b]; 190.45). The Grand Jury was [123]*123again charged on the law and a true bill was voted charging defendant with criminal possession of marihuana in the second degree.

Though the record is bereft of any evidence of statutory compliance with CPL 190.50 (5) (a), for the purposes of this motion, the People through their actions have waived any claim to the issue of noncompliance with that section.

The question is whether it is legally permissible for the District Attorney to "re-open” a case after a true bill has been voted in order to cure a fatal defect in the proceeding. The procedure to be followed before a defendant may testify before the Grand Jury is found in CPL 190.50 (5) (a) and (b) which in pertinent part states:

"5. * * * a person has a right to be a witness in a grand jury proceeding under circumstances prescribed in this subdivision:

"(a) When a criminal charge against a person is being or is about to be or has been submitted to a grand jury, such person has a right to appear before such grand jury as a witness in his own behalf if, prior to the filing of any indictment * * * he serves upon the district attorney of the county a written notice making such request and stating an address to which communications may be sent * * * In such case, the district attorney must notify the defendant or his attorney of the prospective or pending grand jury proceeding and accord the defendant a reasonable time to exercise his right to appear as a witness therein;

"(b) Upon service upon the district attorney of a notice requesting appearance before a grand jury pursuant to paragraph (a), the district attorney must notify the foreman of the grand jury of such request, and must subsequently serve upon the applicant, at the address specified by him, a notice that he will be heard by the grand jury at a given time and place. Upon appearing at such time and place, and upon signing and submitting * * * a waiver of immunity pursuant to section 190.45, such person must be permitted to testify before the grand jury”.

Pursuant to CPL 190.50 (5) (c) which states in pertinent part: "(c) Any indictment * * * obtained or filed in violation of the provisions of paragraph (a) or (b) is invalid and * * * must be dismissed”. Failure to follow the proscriptions of CPL 190.50 (5) (a) and (b) invalidates the indictment warranting its dismissal by the court.

[124]*124The creation and function of the Grand Jury is both constitutionally and statutorily defined (NY Const, art I, § 6; CPL 190.05 et seq.). The Grand Jury is a part of the superior court which empanels it and its power is derived from the New York State Constitution (Bellacosa, Practice Commentary, McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 11 A, CPL 190.05, at 185), and statutes governing the Grand Jury process should be strictly construed and compliance therewith meticulously observed (Matter of Grand Jury of Supreme Ct. of Rensselaer County, 98 AD2d 284).

By statute, the Grand Jury is empowered to indict; direct the filing of a prosecutor’s information; request a removal to Family Court; dismiss the charges; or submit a Grand Jury report (CPL 190.60). Where the Grand Jury has voted a dismissal of the charges, the District Attorney must apply to the court to resubmit the charges to another or the same Grand Jury (CPL 190.75 [3]). The court is empowered to grant only one application for resubmission (CPL 190.75 [3]). Thus, the Grand Jury is protected against an abuse of process (People ex rel. Flinn v Barr, 259 NY 104; Bellacosa, Practice Commentary, McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 11A, CPL 190.75, at 342).

CPL article 190, however, is silent as to the power of the District Attorney once the Grand Jury has voted an indictment.

The rules of statutory interpretation state: "A court cannot by implication supply in a statute a provision which it is reasonable to suppose the Legislature intended intentionally to omit; and the failure of the Legislature to include a matter within the scope of an act may be construed as an indication that its exclusion was intended.” (McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 1, Statutes § 74; emphasis added.)

A situation similar to the case at bar arose in Matter of Reports of Grand Jury of County of Montgomery

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Related

People ex rel. Aponte v. Warden, Rikers Island
146 Misc. 2d 386 (New York Supreme Court, 1990)
People v. Young
138 A.D.2d 764 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 Misc. 2d 121, 518 N.Y.S.2d 319, 1987 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2394, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-young-nysupct-1987.