State v. Marcello A.

48 Misc. 3d 635, 9 N.Y.S.3d 840
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMay 5, 2015
StatusPublished

This text of 48 Misc. 3d 635 (State v. Marcello 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. Marcello A., 48 Misc. 3d 635, 9 N.Y.S.3d 840 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Emily Pines, J.

This decision addresses the question of whether the close scrutiny required by the Court of Appeals’ decision in Matter of State of New York v Floyd Y. (22 NY3d 95 [2013]) has any applicability to the probable cause stage of an article 10 proceeding under the New York State Mental Hygiene Law. The court was presented with this question when asked to determine whether there exists probable cause to believe that the respondent, Marcello A., is a “sex offender requiring civil management” pursuant to Mental Hygiene Law § 10.06 (g). A sex offender requiring civil management is defined in article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law as “a detained sex offender who suffers from a mental abnormality” (Mental Hygiene Law § 10.03 [q]). The instant civil proceeding pursuant to article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law was commenced on August 18, 2014, in Dutchess County. An order of removal transferring the proceeding to Suffolk County was issued on August 19, 2014 (Peter M. Forman, J.) at the request of respondent. Counsel on behalf of respondent set forth on the record that respondent voluntarily waived his appearance at the probable cause hearing.

The sole witness appearing at the probable cause hearing was petitioner’s psychiatric examiner, who had interviewed the respondent and reviewed what were described as “all available records,” including police arrest reports, police statement forms, witness statements, presentence reports, inmate status reports, violation of release reports, a New York State Office of Mental Health sex offender risk assessment and record review, a crim[637]*637inal history summary report, and telephone conversations with a Suffolk County Police Officer and a sex offender counseling and treatment program director and treatment provider.

At the commencement of the hearing, respondent’s counsel made an oral application to suppress any evidence, during the probable cause hearing, to the extent that it constituted basis hearsay that would be considered both inherently unreliable and prejudicial. Respondent’s attorney cited the recent holding by the Court of Appeals in Matter of State of New York v Floyd Y. (22 NY3d 95 [2013]) and its progeny. Petitioner’s counsel opposed the application arguing that the holding of the Court of Appeals in State v Floyd Y. applies solely to the trials of article 10 proceedings and not to the initial probable cause hearing. With the consent of counsel for petitioner and respondent, and based on the fact that no prior application had been made and that the petitioner’s psychiatric examiner was present and ready to testify, the court reserved decision on the application and allowed the testimony to proceed. Of particular concern to respondent’s counsel was the inclusion in the psychiatric examiner’s report, and in her testimony, of police and witness statements concerning two arrests and related charges in 1998 and 2001 against the respondent for sex offenses within the ambit of article 10, all of which were dismissed. Based on the above application, the court has reviewed the recent case law concerning article 10 proceedings and basis hearsay.

Floyd Y and Basis Hearsay

In Matter of State of New York v Floyd Y. (22 NY3d 95 [2013]), the Court of Appeals considered the extent to which a trial court, in a Mental Hygiene Law article 10 proceeding, may admit otherwise inadmissible hearsay when it serves as the underlying basis for an expert’s opinion (i.e., basis hearsay). Although the Court determined that basis hearsay may be admissible (id.), it held that the due process protections of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, as expressed by the Mathews v Eldridge (424 US 319 [1976]) balancing test, protect against the admission of hearsay evidence that is unreliable or more prejudicial than prohibitive (id.). Thus, in Mental Hygiene Law article 10 trials, basis hearsay is admissible if it satisfies two criteria: (1) the proponent must demonstrate through evidence that the hearsay is reliable; and (2) the court must determine that the probative value in helping the jury [638]*638evaluate the expert’s opinion substantially outweighs its prejudicial effect. (Matter of State of New York v John S., 23 NY3d 326 [2014]; Matter of State of New York v Charada T., 23 NY3d 355 [2014]; State v Floyd Y., Matter of State of New York v Walter R., 118 AD3d 714 [2d Dept 2014].)

In these cases, the Court of Appeals placed the basis hearsay often presented in article 10 cases into three categories. Where evidence of sex offenses is supported by adjudications of guilt, such as convictions or guilty pleas, it was categorized as inherently reliable and therefore admissible through expert testimony without offending due process (Matter of State of New York v John S., 23 NY3d 326 [2014]; see State v Floyd Y.). Within the same realm, the Court included hearsay containing an admission of guilt by the respondent. Such was also found to be generally reliable, where the trial court determines that the probative value of the hearsay outweighs its prejudicial effect. An expert, therefore, should be permitted to introduce basis testimony about the admission (State v John S.; State v Floyd Y.).

On the other hand, hearsay indicating that the respondent was acquitted of a sex offense was held to fail both parts of the due process test; it cannot provide the basis for reliability and is considered more prejudicial than probative on the question of the respondent’s mental abnormality (Matter of State of New York v John S., 23 NY3d 326 [2014]; State v Floyd Y.). Without other factors necessary to substantiate the accusations underlying the acquitted charges, basis testimony about an acquittal must be excluded (State v John S.; State v Floyd Y.). Similarly, hearsay evidence about uncharged crimes should be excluded if the underlying allegations are not supported by an admission from the respondent or extrinsic evidence substantiating those allegations (State v John S.; Matter of State of New York v Charada T., 23 NY3d 355 [2014]; State v Floyd Y.; see Matter of State of New York v Walter R., 118 AD3d 714 [2d Dept 2014]).

Perhaps the most problematic was the third category involving the admissibility of basis hearsay about criminal charges that resulted in neither acquittal nor conviction. Such was held to present a close question to be resolved by the trial court (Matter of State of New York v John S., 23 NY3d 326 [2014]; Matter of State of New York v Floyd Y., 22 NY3d 95 [2013]). Documentary evidence supporting such charges may provide sufficient reliability that weighs in favor of admission of the hearsay, but due process concerns remain in the absence of [639]*639conclusive proof of guilt (State v John S.; see State v Floyd Y.). In such instances, the trial court must scrutinize the evidence supporting the charges and ensure that the allegations are substantially more probative than prejudicial before allowing the hearsay to be admitted (State v John S.; see State v Floyd Y.).

This court reads as included within this category basis hearsay information from a presentence report. This may bear certain indicia of reliability, however, its admissibility may require support by other reliable evidence and, in such instance, may result in the admission of basis testimony about uncharged crimes (Matter of State of New York v John S., 23 NY3d 326 [2014];

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Related

Mathews v. Eldridge
424 U.S. 319 (Supreme Court, 1976)
State v. Floyd Y.
2 N.E.3d 204 (New York Court of Appeals, 2013)
State v. John S.
15 N.E.3d 287 (New York Court of Appeals, 2014)
State v. Charada T.
14 N.E.3d 362 (New York Court of Appeals, 2014)
State v. Wilkes
77 A.D.3d 1451 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
State v. Anonymous
79 A.D.3d 758 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
State v. Pierce
79 A.D.3d 1779 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
Zilliox v. Western New York Snowmobile Club of Boston, Inc.
79 A.D.3d 1782 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
State v. Mark S.
87 A.D.3d 73 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2011)
People v. Rennie
190 A.D.2d 830 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1993)
State v. Walter R.
118 A.D.3d 714 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2014)
State v. Bass
119 A.D.3d 1356 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2014)
State v. Armstrong
119 A.D.3d 1431 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2014)
State v. Pedraza
18 Misc. 3d 261 (New York Supreme Court, 2007)

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Bluebook (online)
48 Misc. 3d 635, 9 N.Y.S.3d 840, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-marcello-a-nysupct-2015.