State v. Angel A.

50 Misc. 3d 446, 19 N.Y.S.3d 702
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 9, 2015
StatusPublished

This text of 50 Misc. 3d 446 (State v. Angel A.) 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
State v. Angel A., 50 Misc. 3d 446, 19 N.Y.S.3d 702 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Dineen A. Riviezzo, J.

Respondent Angel A. is the subject of a petition for sex offender civil management pursuant to article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law. On October 3, 2014, following a jury trial presided over by Hon. Wayne Ozzi, respondent was found to be a detained sex offender who suffers from a mental abnormality under the statute. Judge Ozzi was reassigned to another county and this matter has been assigned to this court for a dispositional hearing pursuant to Mental Hygiene Law § 10.07 (f).

Respondent now moves for an order to set aside the jury’s verdict, dismissing the petition, based on the following grounds: (1) that the “trial court erred in allowing evidence that [respondent] suffered from a[n] antisocial personality disorder to support a finding that he has a mental abnormality as defined by MHL Section 10.03 (i)”; (2) that “pursuant to Michael M. the case should be dismissed for failure of the Petitioner to demonstrate at trial that the respondent was unable to control his sexual conduct to the extent that he was likely to be a danger to others”; and (3) that respondent’s court-appointed psychiatric examiner “erroneously and prematurely reached a conclusion of MA (during SIST review) and has now made his current findings comport to the erroneous findings” (affirmation of respondent’s counsel ¶¶ 4-7). Respondent seeks, in the alternative, an order appointing a third psychiatric examiner. The State opposes the motion in its entirety.

The court has considered the petition, and all relevant exhibits, the trial testimony of the respondent and the State’s expert, Lawrence Siegel, M.D., and the submissions of both parties upon this motion, as well as the recent precedent of Matter of State of New York v Donald DD. (24 NY3d 174 [2014]). For the reasons set forth below, the court denies respondent’s motion in its entirety.

Factual and Procedural Background

Respondent was convicted, by a plea of guilty, on December 10, 1997 in Kings County of one count of sodomy in the first degree (Penal Law § 130.50 [3] [sexual contact with a person less than 11 years of age]). The plea was in full satisfaction of an indictment for the charges of 26 counts of sodomy in the [448]*448first degree, 44 counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, five counts of assault in the second degree, and five counts of assault in the third degree. Respondent was sentenced to a determinate sentence of 10 years’ incarceration. According to the petition, from January 1995 through December 1996 respondent subjected the nine-year-old daughter of his girlfriend to sexual contact, including placing his penis in the child’s mouth, rubbing his penis against and in her vagina, and rubbing her vagina with his hand. It is also alleged that respondent punched and slapped the child in the face and head.

In 1990, respondent was previously convicted, by a plea of guilty, of sexual abuse in the first degree (Penal Law § 130.65 [3] [sexual contact with a person less than 11 years of age]). Respondent was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence of 2V2 to 5 years’ incarceration. According to the petition, respondent had sexual contact with his live-in girlfriend’s five- and six-year-old daughters. It was reported that at least one of the children contracted a sexually transmitted disease as a consequence of the sexual assaults.

Upon nearing his release date, respondent was initially held pursuant to article 9, also known as the Pataki civil confinement initiative. However, article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law was enacted in 2007 and it was held that respondent’s conviction qualified him as a detained sex offender (Matter of State of New York v Angel A., 74 AD3d 1209 [2d Dept 2010]). Thus, respondent was served with notice that he had been referred to a case management team for psychiatric evaluation. After a psychiatric examination of the respondent, the case management team concluded that respondent was a sex offender requiring civil management. Specifically, respondent was diagnosed with the following disorders or conditions: Axis I: pedophilia, alcohol abuse, cannabis abuse, and cocaine abuse; Axis II: antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).

The case team recommended civil management and the State commenced this proceeding in Oneida County Supreme Court by serving and filing an order to show cause and petition. On January 9, 2008, upon motion by respondent, the court transferred venue of this matter to Kings County Supreme Court, the county of the underlying criminal sexual offense. A probable cause hearing was conducted before Hon. Deborah Dowling on July 24, 2008. By decision and order dated August 18, 2008, the court found probable cause to believe that respondent suffers from a mental abnormality which predisposes him [449]*449to engage in sexually offending conduct, that the respondent is presently a dangerous sex offender, and there are no lesser conditions of confinement which would protect the community during pendency of the proceeding. On October 3, 2014, a jury trial was conducted before Hon. Wayne Ozzi and the jury unanimously found that respondent currently suffers from a mental abnormality.

At trial, the State offered the testimony of Lawrence Siegel, M.D. Dr. Siegel testified that he reviewed substantial records of the respondent, including but not limited to records from police departments, probation agencies, correctional facilities and psychiatric facilities (Siegel tr at 60). Dr. Siegel also reviewed treatment reports from New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) employees and case review teams (Siegel tr at 60). Dr. Siegel initially evaluated respondent in 2008 by completing a review of his records, since the respondent refused to meet with him (Siegel tr at 60). Thereafter, in November 2009, Dr. Siegel met with respondent to conduct an interview that lasted l3At hours, and in February 2012 they met for a follow-up interview for one hour (Siegel tr at 61). In March 2012, Dr. Siegel met with respondent again to administer a neuropsychological test (Siegel tr at 61).

Dr. Siegel testified at trial that as a result of his review of the records and based on his interviews and neuropsychological test, he diagnosed respondent with pedophilic disorder, a substance abuse problem in remission, and personality disorder with antisocial features (Siegel tr at 106, 122).1 *Dr. Siegel further opined that respondent had serious difficulty in controlling his sexual urges. Respondent testified on his own behalf and admitted that he abuses children ages five to eight, that his attraction to young female children never leaves, and that it can only be managed (respondent tr at 395). While he denied any sexual urges for children currently, or in the last few years, respondent admitted to fantasizing about children when masturbating (respondent tr at 335). Respondent also admitted that he is confrontational and can display anger at times (respondent tr at 329, 338).

[450]*450Standard on Motion

A trial court may set aside a jury verdict pursuant to CPLR 4404 (a) where a party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. To order such a dismissal, the court must find there is “no valid line of reasoning and permissible inferences which could possibly lead rational [persons] to the conclusion reached by the jury on the basis of the evidence presented at trial” (Rodgers v New York City Tr. Auth., 70 AD3d 917, 919 [2d Dept 2010]). The court, therefore, examines respondent’s motion based on this standard.

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State v. Shannon S.
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State v. Donald DD.
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Rodgers v. New York City Transit Authority
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Bluebook (online)
50 Misc. 3d 446, 19 N.Y.S.3d 702, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-angel-a-nysupct-2015.