People v. Cook

• Decision Date: 27 April 1995
• Citation: 85 N.Y.2d 928,626 N.Y.S.2d 1000,650 N.E.2d 847
• Parties: , 650 N.E.2d 847 The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Michael COOK, Appellant.
• Court: New York Court of Appeals Court of Appeals

Page 1000

626 N.Y.S.2d 1000

85 N.Y.2d 928, 650 N.E.2d 847

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Michael COOK, Appellant.

Court of Appeals of New York.

April 27, 1995.

[85 N.Y.2d 930] [650 N.E.2d 848] Marsha Weinstein, Kew Gardens, for appellant.

Charles J. Hynes, Dist. Atty. of Kings County, Brooklyn (Alyson J. Gill and Roseann B. MacKechnie, of counsel), for respondent.

OPINION OF THE COURT MEMORANDUM.

The order of the Appellate Division should be reversed, and a new trial ordered.

Following a jury trial, defendant was acquitted of two counts of robbery (Penal Law § 160.15[1], [2], and convicted of one count of assault in the first degree (Penal Law § 120.10[4]. During the course of jury deliberations, the jury addressed several written inquiries to the trial court, including requests that parts of the testimony and the court's instructions be read back. After responding to a jury request not at issue on this appeal, the court informed the parties that it had received another note, this one from a single member of the jury stating that the jury was at an "emotional impasse."

At that point, defense counsel asked to approach the bench, but was told that he could not and that he should not interrupt the court. Counsel continued to protest, noting that he had not seen the note. However, the court, without responding to counsel, read the note aloud and then instructed the jury to decide the case on the evidence, without letting emotions enter into their deliberations.

After the jury left the courtroom to continue deliberating, the court and defense counsel engaged in a colloquy during which the court ruled that defense counsel had absolutely no right to suggest or comment on the response to the jury's "emotional impasse" note, and peremptorily directed counsel not to attempt to assert such right. The court also refused defense counsel's request for an opportunity to make a record of his objections.

On appeal, the Appellate Division, citing this Court's decision in People v. O'Rama, 78 N.Y.2d 270, 574 N.Y.S.2d 159, 579 N.E.2d 189, held that although the Trial Judge erred by refusing defense counsel the opportunity to suggest responses to the note from the juror, the error was harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt (202 A.D.2d 443, 608 N.Y.S.2d 507). We agree that the trial court committed error but are unable to agree that the error was harmless.

In O'Rama, we held that the failure of a trial court to inform defense counsel of the exact contents of a juror's note ^* deprived defendant of the "meaningful notice" required by CPL 310.30. Meaningful notice, we said, requires not only that counsel be present in the courtroom when the court delivers its response to jurors' requests for information or instruction, but also "that counsel has the opportunity to be heard before the response is given" (People v. O'Rama, supra, at 277, 574 N.Y.S.2d 159, 579 N.E.2d 189; cf., People v. Starling, 85 N.Y.2d 509, 626 N.Y.S.2d 729, 650 N.E.2d 387 [decided today].

The trial court's error in O'Rama, i.e., failure to disclose the exact content of a substantive inquiry by a deliberating jury, "had the effect of entirely preventing defense counsel from participating meaningfully in this critical stage of the trial" (id., at 279, 574 N.Y.S.2d 159, 579 N.E.2d 189) and was, thus, inherently prejudicial. This Court...