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People v. Best

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department
Aug 26, 2020
186 A.D.3d 845 (N.Y. App. Div. 2020)

Opinion

2016–12303 Ind. No. 768/14

08-26-2020

The PEOPLE, etc., respondent, v. Hillary BEST, appellant.

Hilary Best, named herein as Hillary Best, Forest Hills, NY, appellant pro se. Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, N.Y. (John M. Castellano, Johnnette Traill, and Danielle O'Boyle of counsel), for respondent.


Hilary Best, named herein as Hillary Best, Forest Hills, NY, appellant pro se.

Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, N.Y. (John M. Castellano, Johnnette Traill, and Danielle O'Boyle of counsel), for respondent.

WILLIAM F. MASTRO, J.P., CHERYL E. CHAMBERS, JOSEPH J. MALTESE, LINDA CHRISTOPHER, JJ.

DECISION & ORDER ON MOTION Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Barry A. Schwartz, J.), rendered June 28, 2016, convicting him of assault in the second degree, upon his plea of guilty, and imposing sentence.

ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed.

Contrary to the defendant's contention, the record does not reflect that he waived the right to appeal as a result of any duress. Further, the defendant has not drawn our attention to any other circumstance which might otherwise warrant our declining to enforce the appeal waiver. Therefore, the defendant's waiver of his right to appeal precludes appellate review of his contention that the Supreme Court improvidently exercised its discretion in denying his preplea recusal application (see People v. Taylor, 165 A.D.3d 1181, 84 N.Y.S.3d 367 ).

The defendant's contention regarding the voluntariness of his plea survives his waiver of the right to appeal (see People v. Seaberg, 74 N.Y.2d 1, 10, 543 N.Y.S.2d 968, 541 N.E.2d 1022 ; People v. Haywood, 122 A.D.3d 769, 769, 996 N.Y.S.2d 137 ). However, the record establishes that the defendant knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently entered a plea of guilty (see People v. Sougou, 26 N.Y.3d 1052, 1054–1055, 23 N.Y.S.3d 121, 44 N.E.3d 196 ; People v. Rodriguez, 142 A.D.3d 1189, 1189–1190, 38 N.Y.S.3d 224 ), and that his conviction was not the product of duress.

The defendant's contention that his constitutional right to represent himself at his arraignment on the felony complaint was violated survives both the entry of his plea of guilty and the waiver of his right to appeal (see People v. Lopez , 6 N.Y.3d 248, 255, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 ; People v. Hansen , 95 N.Y.2d 227, 230, 715 N.Y.S.2d 369, 738 N.E.2d 773 ; People v. Seaberg , 74 N.Y.2d at 11, 543 N.Y.S.2d 968, 541 N.E.2d 1022 ). Nevertheless, it is without merit. The right to represent oneself at trial is guaranteed under both the New York State and Federal Constitutions (see N.Y. Const., art. I, § 6 ; Faretta v. California , 422 U.S. 806, 95 S.Ct. 2525, 45 L.Ed.2d 562 ; People v. Arroyo , 98 N.Y.2d 101, 103, 745 N.Y.S.2d 796, 772 N.E.2d 1154 ). This right, however, is not absolute (see People v. Crespo , 32 N.Y.3d 176, 178, 88 N.Y.S.3d 120, 112 N.E.3d 1243 ). There is a three-pronged analysis to determine when a defendant in a criminal case may invoke this right: "(1) the request [must be] unequivocal and timely asserted, (2) there [must have] been a knowing and intelligent waiver of the right to counsel, and (3) the defendant [must] not engage[ ] in conduct which would prevent the fair and orderly exposition of the issues" ( People v. McIntyre , 36 N.Y.2d 10, 17, 364 N.Y.S.2d 837, 324 N.E.2d 322 ). "[U]nder New York law a defendant's mental capacity may be taken into account" in determining whether to permit the defendant to proceed pro se, "although the trial court need not conduct a formal ‘competency’ hearing prior to adjudicating a self-representation request" ( People v. Stone , 22 N.Y.3d 520, 527, 983 N.Y.S.2d 454, 6 N.E.3d 572 ; see Faretta v. California , 422 U.S. 806, 95 S.Ct. 2525 ).

Viewing the whole record (see People v. Providence , 2 N.Y.3d 579, 583, 780 N.Y.S.2d 552, 813 N.E.2d 632 ), we conclude that the Supreme Court properly denied the defendant's request to represent himself at his arraignment on the felony complaint. The defendant failed to satisfy the first and second requirements. With respect to the first requirement, the defendant's request to proceed pro se was made in the alternative to his complaint that he was denied an opportunity to retain private counsel rather than based on an unequivocal desire to proceed without the assistance of counsel (see People v. Larkins , 128 A.D.3d 1436, 1441, 8 N.Y.S.3d 755 ). With respect to the second requirement, the court had reason to believe that the defendant suffered from a mental condition that affected his ability to waive counsel and proceed pro se inasmuch as two prior criminal matters had been dismissed as a result of the defendant's mental incapacity (see People v. Stone , 22 N.Y.3d at 527–529, 983 N.Y.S.2d 454, 6 N.E.3d 572 ). Following its colloquy with the defendant, the court determined that he lacked the ability to knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently waive the right to counsel at that time (see People v. McIntyre , 36 N.Y.2d at 17, 364 N.Y.S.2d 837, 324 N.E.2d 322 ; People v. Stone , 22 N.Y.3d at 527, 983 N.Y.S.2d 454, 6 N.E.3d 572 ), and there is no basis to disturb that determination. In any event, the defendant was ultimately granted his request to proceed pro se at his arraignment on the indictment and he represented himself throughout the remainder of the proceedings.

The defendant's contention that, after he was permitted to proceed pro se, his absence when his assigned investigator made an application to be relieved violated his constitutional rights to counsel, to be present at all material stages of the criminal proceedings, and to due process also survives both the entry of his plea of guilty and the waiver of his right to appeal (see People v. Lopez , 6 N.Y.3d at 255, 811 N.Y.S.2d 623, 844 N.E.2d 1145 ; People v. Hansen , 95 N.Y.2d at 230, 715 N.Y.S.2d 369, 738 N.E.2d 773 ; People v. Seaberg , 74 N.Y.2d at 11, 543 N.Y.S.2d 968, 541 N.E.2d 1022 ). In every criminal proceeding, a defendant has an absolute right to be present, with counsel, "whenever his presence has a relation, reasonably substantial, to the fullness of his opportunity to defend against the charge" ( Snyder v. Massachusetts , 291 U.S. 97, 105–106, 54 S.Ct. 330, 78 L.Ed. 674 ; see People ex rel. Bartlam v. Murphy , 9 N.Y.2d 550, 553, 215 N.Y.S.2d 753, 175 N.E.2d 336 ; N.Y. Const., art. I, § 6 ). The application by the assigned investigator to be relieved was not a material stage of the criminal proceedings (see People v. Harris , 76 N.Y.2d 810, 812, 559 N.Y.S.2d 966, 559 N.E.2d 660 ; see also People v. Roman , 88 N.Y.2d 18, 26, 643 N.Y.S.2d 10, 665 N.E.2d 1050 ; People v. Morales , 80 N.Y.2d 450, 455, 457, 591 N.Y.S.2d 825, 606 N.E.2d 953 ), and, in any event, the proceeding was adjourned, and no other proceedings took place on that date. Accordingly, the defendant's absence from the courtroom on that date did not violate his rights to counsel, to be present at all material stages of the criminal proceedings, or to due process.

Although the defendant's contention that the felony complaint was jurisdictionally defective survives both the entry of his plea of guilty and the waiver of his right to appeal (see People v. Dreyden, 15 N.Y.3d 100, 103, 905 N.Y.S.2d 542, 931 N.E.2d 526 ; People v. Hansen, 95 N.Y.2d at 230, 715 N.Y.S.2d 369, 738 N.E.2d 773 ), it is without merit. The felony complaint was properly verified through the use of a form notice complying with the provisions of CPL 100.30(1)(d), and the form notice method of verification assures a measure of reliability sufficient to satisfy the demands of due process and double jeopardy (see People v. Kalin, 12 N.Y.3d 225, 231–232, 878 N.Y.S.2d 653, 906 N.E.2d 381 ; see also People v. Dreyden, 15 N.Y.3d at 103, 905 N.Y.S.2d 542, 931 N.E.2d 526 ; People v. Casey, 95 N.Y.2d 354, 366, 717 N.Y.S.2d 88, 740 N.E.2d 233 ).

Contrary to the defendant's further contention, the indictment was not jurisdictionally defective. The indictment effectively charged the defendant with the commission of a particular crime and afforded him fair notice of the charges made against him, so that he could prepare a defense and avoid subsequent attempts to retry him for the same crime (see People v. Ray, 71 N.Y.2d 849, 850, 527 N.Y.S.2d 740, 522 N.E.2d 1037 ).

By pleading guilty, the defendant forfeited his contention that he should have been granted a preliminary hearing on the felony complaint (see People v. Taylor, 65 N.Y.2d 1, 5, 489 N.Y.S.2d 152, 478 N.E.2d 755 ; People v. Strong, 17 A.D.3d 1121, 1122, 794 N.Y.S.2d 258 ; People v. Wiggins, 198 A.D.2d 535, 535, 605 N.Y.S.2d 936 ).

MASTRO, J.P., CHAMBERS, MALTESE and CHRISTOPHER, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Best

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department
Aug 26, 2020
186 A.D.3d 845 (N.Y. App. Div. 2020)
Case details for

People v. Best

Case Details

Full title:The People of the State of New York, respondent, v. Hillary Best…

Court:SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department

Date published: Aug 26, 2020

Citations

186 A.D.3d 845 (N.Y. App. Div. 2020)
130 N.Y.S.3d 461
2020 N.Y. Slip Op. 4754

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