State v. Zimmer

26 Misc. 3d 299
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 9, 2009
StatusPublished

This text of 26 Misc. 3d 299 (State v. Zimmer) 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. Zimmer, 26 Misc. 3d 299 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

James C. Tormey, J.

A motion was made by the petitioner, State of New York, by the Attorney General’s Office and held on June 29, 2009, requesting a change of venue of this matter from the County of Oneida to Supreme Court, Broome County, pursuant to Mental Hygiene Law § 10.08 (e). This motion was heard on August 13, 2009 and present was Tiffinay Rutnick, Esq. from the Attorney General’s Office representing the State of New York; and Janine Frank, Esq. from the Mental Hygiene Legal Service representing the respondent. Petitioner previously applied for the same relief in February 2008, and on March 13, 2008 the court ordered a change of venue from Oneida County Supreme Court to Broome County Supreme Court, from which the respondent appealed. The Appellate Division, Fourth Department, issued a memorandum and order finding that the petitioner’s February 8, 2009 moving papers lacked specificity and did not rise to give cause to change venue in this case ([appeal No. 2] 63 AD3d 1562 [2009]). Specifically, the appellate court noted that the moving papers contained only an attorney’s affirmation which did not identify witnesses. Therefore, the Attorney General’s affirmation was deemed to be not specific enough to amount to a good cause for change of venue.

Petitioner now submits an affirmation and affidavits for the court’s review alleging good cause pursuant to Mental Hygiene Law § 10.08 (e) to change venue. Petitioner sets forth in its motion and subsequent papers that Mental Hygiene Law § 10.08 (e) states that “the court may change the venue of the trial to [301]*301any county for good cause, which may include considerations relating to the convenience of the parties or witnesses” and argues that this standard is a different standard than the standard used in assessing a venue change application in civil proceedings, generally citing CPLR 510 (3), where the movant is required to show “convenience of material witnesses and [that] the ends of justice will be promoted by the change.” Petitioner argues that Mental Hygiene Law article 10 created its own statutory scheme for the venue change application, and, therefore, the venue provisions of article 5 of the CPLR are not applicable and, as such, the body of case law regarding such application of article 5 of the CPLR is not applicable. Petitioner further argues that article 10 presumes that the identification of witnesses will not be disclosed to the respondent, his counsel or his expert pursuant to section 10.08 (b) and (d) of the Mental Hygiene Law. Petitioner sets forth that although the convenience of parties is not relevant under the general civil venue standards, the convenience of parties is relevant to change of venue under article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law pursuant to section 10.08 (e), which specifically states good cause for change of venue may include “considerations relating to the convenience of the parties or witnesses.” In this motion, unlike the previous motion, petitioner submitted affidavits of three witnesses who petitioner expects to call at trial and argues that it would be an inconvenience if this matter was venued in Oneida County. Petitioner stated that these witnesses will be relevant to trial to prove the nature of the respondent’s underlying crimes and to prove statements that the respondent made about the crimes. Petitioner argues that undue hardship would be caused to the witnesses if they are forced to travel to the Oneida County Courthouse in Utica, New York instead of the Broome County Courthouse located in Binghamton, New York. The Oneida County Courthouse is located 180 miles away from Binghamton, round trip. Petitioner points out that the respondent has minimum ties to Oneida County and that the petition was filed in Oneida County because Mental Hygiene Law § 10.06 (a) requires the Attorney General to file article 10 petitions in the county in which the respondent is located. At the time of the filing, the respondent was incarcerated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services at Midstate Correctional Facility in Oneida County. Other than being the county where respondent served his prison sentence, the respondent has no discernable ties to Oneida County, and Oneida County has no connection to the facts and dispute in this matter.

[302]*302Respondent, through his counsel, attorney Janine Frank, opposed petitioner’s motion to change venue by filing an affirmation in opposition on or about July 23, 2009 which, in form and substance states that this exact issue was subject to an interlocutory appeal to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and it issued an order reversing the decision of the court and denied the change of venue. Respondent argues that petitioner’s remedy would be to bring the matter before the Court of Appeals under CPLR 5601, which allows for an appeal to the Court of Appeals as of right, or by CPLR 5602, which allows for an appeal by petition to the Appellate Division. Respondent argues that the Appellate Division order of June 5, 2009 falls squarely within the mandate of CPLR 5611, which states that an order of the Appellate Division is deemed final when it disposes of “all” of the issues in the action. Respondent argues that the order of the Appellate Division reversed the March 13, 2008 order on the law and denied the motion, and that nowhere in the order of the Appellate Division was there language which would allow for repleading or the right of petitioner to form some other act to defeat the finality of the order. Respondent also argues that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the motion due to collateral estoppel or issue preclusion, arguing that the judgment in one action is conclusive as to the later one, not only to the matters actually litigated therein, but also as to any that might have been so litigated when the two causes of action have such measures of identity that a different judgment in the second would destroy or impugn rights or interests established by the first. Respondent argues that petitioner fails to meet the standards required by Mental Hygiene Law § 10.08 (e) and CPLR 510 (3). Respondent argues that there has been a failure to show good cause due to the convenience of witnesses. Respondent further argues that nothing in the statute would bar the court in Oneida County from hearing the first part of the trial to determine the question of whether or not respondent has a mental abnormality as defined by Mental Hygiene Law § 10.03 (i) and then transferring the matter to Broome County for determination as to whether or not respondent can be placed on strict and intensive supervision in that community. The court rejects this type of bifurcation of these matters at the initial jury trial and placement stage. Respondent argues that the only witnesses put forward at this point are senior parole officers and two retired state troopers who took a confession that was set aside by a higher court applying retroactively the Rogers [303]*303rule, which sets forth the indelible right to counsel in criminal matters; however, the Rogers rule was subsequently overturned by the higher courts and dealt with criminal proceedings.

Petitioner, State of New York, through the Attorney General’s Office, counterargues that there is no provision in the law that prevents the petitioner from reapplying to the same court for a venue transfer with additional facts and that the Appellate Division, June 5, 2009 memorandum and order did not preclude the petitioner from bringing a separate application with more evidence.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 Misc. 3d 299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-zimmer-nysupct-2009.