People v. Bank, 461 KA 09-00607

• Decision Date: 12 June 2015
• Docket Number: 461 KA 09-00607
• Citation: 12 N.Y.S.3d 673,129 A.D.3d 1445,2015 N.Y. Slip Op. 04954
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Herman H. BANK, Defendant–Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

129 A.D.3d 1445

12 N.Y.S.3d 673

2015 N.Y. Slip Op. 04954

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent

v.Herman H. BANK, Defendant–Appellant.

461 KA 09-00607

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, New York.

June 12, 2015.

Timothy P. Donaher, Public Defender, Rochester (James Eckert of Counsel), for Defendant–Appellant.

Sandra Doorley, District Attorney, Rochester (Leah R. Mervine of Counsel), for Respondent.

PRESENT: SMITH, J.P., CARNI, LINDLEY, SCONIERS, and DeJOSEPH, JJ.

OpinionMEMORANDUM:

Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him upon a nonjury verdict of, inter alia, two counts of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree (Penal Law § 125.12[1] ), and one count each of vehicular manslaughter in the first degree (§ 125.13[4] ) and driving while ability impaired by drugs (Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192[4] ). Defendant contends that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because defense counsel pursued a hopeless defense and, in any event, failed to call an expert who could provide a proper opinion in support of that defense. We reject that contention.

This prosecution arises from an incident in which defendant drove the wrong way on a divided highway, eventually colliding with a vehicle proceeding in the proper direction. The collision resulted in the deaths of two occupants of the other vehicle and injuries to a third. Defendant was found trapped in the driver's seat of his vehicle, from which it took first responders and ambulance crew members more than an hour to remove him. A sample of defendant's blood was obtained pursuant to a court order, and an analysis of it revealed, among other things, the presence of cocaine and several of its metabolites. The People's expert toxicologist opined that defendant had a “significant concentration” of cocaine in his system at the time he operated the vehicle. The expert testified that she had seen “a great many cocaine deaths that are due to” the presence of cocaine at such a concentration.

At trial, defendant called an expert pharmacological witness, who opined that defendant was unable to appreciate the nature and consequences associated with ingesting cocaine and driving. After noting that defendant had been diagnosed as suffering from bipolar disorder and that he was prescribed medication therefor, the expert opined that defendant's failure to take the prescribed medication predisposed him to enter the manic or hypomanic phase of his bipolar disorder. The expert further noted that one of the medications recently prescribed to defendant was now counterindicated for people who had bipolar disorder because of the drug's tendency to cause such people to enter a manic phase. The expert opined that defendant would have been unable to appreciate the risks inherent in behavior such as taking cocaine and driving if he were in the manic or hypomanic phase of his bipolar disorder. The expert testified that she relied upon diagnoses in defendant's medical records in determining that he suffered from bipolar disorder, but that she was not a psychological expert and thus could not form an opinion whether defendant was suffering from the disorder when he operated the vehicle.

We reject defendant's contention that he was denied effective assistance of counsel by defense counsel's choice to pursue a defense based on mental disease or defect and by defense counsel's failure to call a psychological or psychiatric expert in support of that defense. The defense of mental disease or defect, insofar as relevant here, “is an affirmative defense [requiring proof] that when the defendant engaged in the proscribed conduct, he lacked criminal responsibility by reason of mental disease or defect. Such lack of criminal responsibility means that at the time of such conduct, as a result of mental disease or defect, he lacked substantial capacity to know or appreciate ... [t]he nature and consequences of such conduct” (Penal Law § 40.15[1] ). With respect to defendant's contention that defense counsel was ineffective because “defense counsel should have simply put the [P]eople to their proof” rather than attempting to present an affirmative defense without an appropriate expert, it is well settled that, “[t]o prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, it is incumbent on defendant to demonstrate the absence of strategic or other legitimate explanations” for defense counsel's allegedly deficient conduct (People v. Rivera, 71 N.Y.2d 705, 709, 530 N.Y.S.2d 52, 525 N.E.2d 698 ; see People v. Benevento, 91 N.Y.2d 708, 712, 674 N.Y.S.2d 629, 697 N.E.2d 584 ). In addition, a reviewing court must “avoid both confusing true ineffectiveness with mere losing tactics and according undue significance to retrospective analysis” (People v. Baldi, 54 N.Y.2d 137, 146, 444 N.Y.S.2d 893, 429 N.E.2d 400 ; see Benevento, 91 N.Y.2d at 712, 674 N.Y.S.2d 629, 697 N.E.2d 584 ; People v. Kurkowski, 117 A.D.3d 1442, 1443, 984 N.Y.S.2d 761, lv. denied 16 N.Y.3d 896, 926 N.Y.S.2d 32, 949 N.E.2d 980 ; see also People v. McGee, 20 N.Y.3d 513, 521, 964 N.Y.S.2d 73, 986 N.E.2d 907 ; People v. Satterfield, 66 N.Y.2d 796, 798, 497 N.Y.S.2d 903, 488 N.E.2d 834 ). “The fact that an attorney chooses to rely upon an unsuccessful defense to the exclusion of another available defense does not mean that the attorney's representation was ineffective” (People v. Robinson, 156 A.D.2d 974, 974, 549 N.Y.S.2d 266, lv. denied 75 N.Y.2d 923, 555 N.Y.S.2d 42, 554 N.E.2d 79 ; see People v. Lane, 60 N.Y.2d 748, 750, 469 N.Y.S.2d 663, 457 N.E.2d 769 ).

Here, defense counsel diligently presented and pursued the defense that defendant was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. In support of that defense, he made cogent opening and closing statements, cross-examined the People's witnesses, and offered expert testimony. Furthermore, defendant's contention that defense counsel would have had a greater likelihood of success if he had put the prosecution to its proof rather than pursue the affirmative defense is without foundation in light of the overwhelming quantity and quality of the proof presented by the People. Consequently, we agree with the People that defendant failed to establish “ ‘the absence of strategic or other legitimate explanations' for [defense] counsel's alleged shortcomings” in pursuing the affirmative defense (Benevento, 91 N.Y.2d at 712, 674 N.Y.S.2d 629, 697 N.E.2d 584 ; see People v. Roman, 60 A.D.3d 1416, 1417–1418, 875 N.Y.S.2d 703, lv. denied 12 N.Y.3d 928, 884 N.Y.S.2d 710, 912 N.E.2d 1091 ; see also People v. Morgan, 96 A.D.3d 1418, 1419, 946 N.Y.S.2d 358, lv. denied 20 N.Y.3d 987, 958 N.Y.S.2d 703, 982 N.E.2d 623 ).

Defendant also failed to establish that defense counsel was ineffective in choosing to present the affirmative defense through a pharmacological expert rather than a psychological or psychiatric expert. “It is well settled that the failure to call a particular witness does not necessarily amount to ineffective assistance of counsel” (People v. Muller, 57 A.D.3d 1113, 1114, 869 N.Y.S.2d 270, lv....