Opinion
2003-00649
April 21, 2003.
Proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 in the nature of mandamus, inter alia, to compel the respondent Joseph Grosso, a Justice of the Supreme Court, Queens County, to reinstate the petitioner's previous counsel, Patrick Christopher, in the case entitled People v. Lyons, pending in that court, under Indictment No. 3375/00.
James Lyons, Massapequa Park, N.Y., petitioner pro se.
Patrick Christopher, Howard Beach, N.Y., respondent pro se.
Richard A. Brown, District Attorney, Kew Gardens, N.Y. (James A. Dolan of counsel), for respondents Dianna Megias, Dennis Twomey, Traci R. Turner, John M. Castellano, and Johnette Traill.
Louis Meehan, East Elmhurst, N.Y., respondent pro se.
Before: FRED T. SANTUCCI, J.P., NANCY E. SMITH, DANIEL F. LUCIANO, BARRY A. COZIER, JJ.
DECISION JUDGMENT
ADJUDGED that the petition is denied and the proceeding is dismissed, without costs or disbursements.
The extraordinary remedy of mandamus will lie only to compel the performance of a ministerial act and only when there exists a clear legal right to the relief sought (see Matter of Legal Aid Society of Sullivan County v. Scheinman, 53 N.Y.2d 12, 16). The petitioner has failed to demonstrate a clear legal right to the relief sought.
SANTUCCI, J.P., SMITH, LUCIANO and COZIER, JJ., concur.