People v. Albro

• Citation: 422 N.E.2d 496,439 N.Y.S.2d 836,52 N.Y.2d 619
• Court: New York Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
• Decision Date: 05 May 1981
• Parties: , 422 N.E.2d 496 The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Appellant, v. Lawrence Raymond ALBRO, Jr., Respondent.

Page 836

439 N.Y.S.2d 836

52 N.Y.2d 619, 422 N.E.2d 496

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Appellant, v. Lawrence Raymond ALBRO, Jr., Respondent.

Court of Appeals of New York.

May 5, 1981.

Stewart E. McDivitt, Dist. Atty. (Steven Foyer, New York City, of counsel), for appellant

Robert L. Miller, Elmvia, and Gerald A. Keene, Waverly, for respondent.

OPINION OF THE COURT

COOKE, Chief Judge.

This appeal presents the court with its first opportunity to interpret the recent amendment to CPL 450.90 (subd. 2, par. provision designed to permit appeals to the Court of Appeals in certain criminal cases where the Appellate Division reverses or modifies on the law and the facts. In the present case, although the Appellate Division, 76 A.D.2d 181, 431 N.Y.S.2d 152 reversal was so based--on the law and the facts--we conclude that the amendment authorizes an appeal. The only question reviewable by us on the appeal, however, is the Appellate Division's determination of law.

As found by the Appellate Division, defendant was initially arrested on June 6, 1976 for possession of marihuana. He was arraigned on that charge and bail was set at $5,000. At 9 A.M. the following day, defendant was rearraigned and was actually represented by counsel. That afternoon, defendant was brought before the same Judge, in the company of a State trooper, and released on his own recognizance. The trooper took defendant to a State Police substation, and within a short time defendant, without having a lawyer present, confessed to a murder and an assault. The confession was admitted at trial and defendant was convicted of those charges.

On appeal, the Appellate Division, 73 A.D.2d 73, 425 N.Y.S.2d 1000 initially held the matter in abeyance and remitted for a hearing to determine whether defendant was still in custody when he made the statement. After the hearing, a majority of that appellate court reversed the convictions, finding that defendant indeed was in custody, and suppressed the statement. It was concluded that custodial interrogation in the absence of an attorney violated defendant's State constitutional right to counsel (People v. Rogers, 48 N.Y.2d 167, 422 N.Y.S.2d 18, 397 N.E.2d 709). Although the court's order recited that the determination was on the law, the slip opinion and decision slip indicated that the reversal was predicated "on the law and the facts". The People now argue that defendant was not in custody at the time he made the statement regarding the murder and the assault and therefore his right to counsel was not violated.

Because it appears that the Appellate Division reversal may have involved a factual issue, a threshold question as to this court's jurisdiction must be resolved. In past years, an order of the Appellate Division reversing or modifying in a criminal case was appealable to the Court of Appeals only if it expressly stated that it was on the law alone (see, e. g., People v. Coppa, 45 N.Y.2d 244, 248-249, 408 N.Y.S.2d 365, 380 N.E.2d 195). That the order recited that it was on the law, however, did not automatically give rise to an appeal; the court looked behind the order to determine the accuracy of the recital (e. g., People v. Johnson, 47 N.Y.2d 124, 126, 417 N.Y.S.2d 46, 390 N.E.2d 764). Upon such examination, if it was discovered that the order was not on the law alone, the appeal would be dismissed (id.).

By contrast, if the intermediate appellate court order expressly recited that it was premised even partially "on the facts", the appeal was automatically precluded (People v. Mackell, 40 N.Y.2d 59, 386 N.Y.S.2d 37, 351 N.E.2d 684). Such an appeal simply did not satisfy the statute requiring the order to state expressly that it was on the law alone (id., at pp. 62-63, 386 N.Y.S.2d 37, 351 N.E.2d 684). And, the language of the statute prevented the court from looking through the order to determine whether it was on the law alone (id.).

A recent amendment to CPL 450.90 (subd. 2, par. however, has prescribed a new rule for appealability of orders of reversal or modification. Under this new legislation, such an order is appealable if the Court of Appeals determines that it was made "on the law alone or upon the law and such facts which, but for the determination of law, would not have led to reversal or modification". One obvious purpose of the statute was to alter the rule applied in People v. Mackell (supra) which precluded appeal of an intermediate appellate court order expressly stated to be on "the facts". Appeal from such an order now is not automatically precluded. But the statute is not limited to the Mackell situation. Rather, it permits the Court of Appeals to determine in all cases whether the order satisfies the criteria for appeal. ^* Thus, an appeal from an order stated to be "on the law", even if found to involve factual considerations, no longer is subject to automatic dismissal. In those cases, the court must assess whether the intermediate appellate determination was based upon such facts which, but for the legal determination, would not have led to reversal or modification. In short, the statute permits appeals where there is a controlling legal question combined with incidental but nondispositive factual issues.

Here, the Appellate Division determination, although stated to be on the law, involved a question of custody, generally a fact issue (e. g., People v. Williamson, 51...