People v. Quinones

• Citation: 139 A.D.2d 404,527 N.Y.S.2d 5
• Parties: The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Victor QUINONES, Defendant-Appellant.
• Decision Date: 07 April 1988
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

Page 5

527 N.Y.S.2d 5

139 A.D.2d 404

The PEOPLE of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Victor QUINONES, Defendant-Appellant.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division,

First Department.

April 7, 1988.

M.A. Schwartz, New York City, for respondent.

M.J. Briskey, New York City, for defendant-appellant.

Before MURPHY, P.J., and SULLIVAN, CARRO, MILONAS and KASSAL, JJ.

MEMORANDUM DECISION.

Judgment of the Supreme Court, New York County (Alvin Schlesinger, J.), rendered June 6, 1985, which convicted defendant, after a jury trial, of criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree and sentenced him to an indeterminate term of incarceration of three and one-half to seven years, is reversed, on the law, and the matter remanded for a new trial.

On January 30, 1985, defendant and Scott Horn were engaged in a heated argument over a leather jacket defendant was wearing, which Horn recognized as his and which he claimed had been stolen when his home was burglarized the previous December. The argument attracted attention and the police were summoned. The police arrested both defendant and Horn. At the precinct, a search of the leather jacket uncovered a plastic bag containing stolen jewelry. This jewelry was identified by jeweler Nishan Purshial as having been stolen from his safe sometime in January of 1985.

At trial, before the cross-examination of arresting officer Stuart Goldstein took place, defense counsel objected that the witness' memobook had not yet been produced and that he could not therefore cross-examine the officer. The prosecutor explained that the officer had not been told to bring his memobook. The court instructed defense counsel to proceed with the cross-examination to the extent that he could. During the cross-examination, counsel also learned that Goldstein had completed arrest papers regarding defendant and Horn's arrests, which were also not produced at trial. A third problem arose when the People delayed in producing the police complaint report relating to the burglary of Horn's apartment until after Horn's trial testimony. However, defense counsel was permitted to reopen Horn's cross-examination, during which Horn acknowledged that the burglary report failed to make any mention of the fact that a leather jacket had been stolen.

Prior to submitting the case to the jury, the court dismissed the count of criminal possession of stolen property which related to the leather jacket, because of the inconclusive testimony concerning the monetary value of the jacket. The jury did, however, convict defendant of first-degree criminal possession of stolen property for the possession of the stolen jewelry.

We reject defendant's argument that the People's delay in producing the UF 61 report concerning the Horn burglary complaint requires reversal, since the delay cannot be said to have substantially prejudiced the defense. See People v. Ranghelle, 69 N.Y.2d 56, 63, 511 N.Y.S.2d 580, 503 N.E.2d 1011. Counsel was permitted to cross-examine Horn about the report and used the report to the advantage of the defense by emphasizing that the report omitted any mention of the leather jacket having been stolen. Furthermore, the count of the indictment relating to the criminal possession of the leather jacket was dismissed.

However, we do agree that a reversal and remand for a new trial is required on the basis of the People's failure to turn over Officer Goldstein's memobook and the reports pertaining to the arrests of Horn and defendant. In People v. Ranghelle, supra, 69 N.Y.2d at 63, 511 N.Y.S.2d 580, 503 N.E.2d 1011, the Court of Appeals made clear that when "the prosecution fails completely in its obligation to deliver such [Rosario ] material to defense counsel, the courts will not attempt to determine whether any prejudice accrued to the defense. The failure constitutes per se error requiring that the conviction be reversed and a new trial ordered [citations omitted.]"

The People candidly concede that certain Rosario material, Officer Goldstein's memobook and the police documents pertaining to defendant and Horn's arrests, were never turned over to the defense at trial. Despite Ranghelle's firm holding that failure to turn over Rosario material is per se error requiring reversal, the People would still attempt to frustrate this clear rule by asking this court to hold this appeal in abeyance, until a hearing can be held to determine whether any possibility exists that the unproduced documents are duplicative of other Rosario material that was produced at trial. The People do not claim that the documents are in fact duplicative, but, rather, argue that they should be given an opportunity to find out if the materials fall outside the Rosario rule and under the very limited exception for duplicative materials.

We strongly reject the People's argument on a number of grounds. First, the possibility that the materials are duplicative is very slim considering that even the slightest of differences can provide grounds for impeachment. Secondly, the People never even claimed at trial that the materials were duplicative. Their sole excuse for failing to produce the materials at trial was that the police officer was not told to bring to court his memobook and the arrest papers.

It has now been over twenty-five years since the Court of Appeals first ruled in People v. Rosario, 9 N.Y.2d 286, 289, 213 N.Y.S.2d 448, 173 N.E.2d 881, that "a right sense of justice" requires that the People turn over to defense counsel for cross-examination purposes a witness' prior statements relating to the subject matter of that witness' testimony. The notes and reports of a police officer witness were specifically included as Rosario material as early as 1965, in People v. Malinsky, 15 N.Y.2d 86, 90-91, 262 N.Y.S.2d 65, 209 N.E.2d 694. In People v. Persico, 24 N.Y.2d 758, 299 N.Y.S.2d 853, 247 N.E.2d 667 (1969), a new trial was ordered because the trial court failed to require a police officer to produce his memobook. Years later, in 1976, the Court of Appeals again reminded trial courts that a police officer's notes and reports had to be produced for cross-examination. People v. Gilligan, 39 N.Y.2d 769, 770, 384 N.Y.S.2d 778, 349 N.E.2d 879. Clearly, we are not dealing with an elusive principle of law or a rarely encountered situation, so that it is quite incomprehensible that the prosecutor did not inform Officer Goldstein to produce his memobook and the arrest reports for trial.

A right sense of fairness also requires that concomitant with the prosecutor's obligation to turn over Rosario material is his obligation to specify any objection he may have to furnishing the materials requested and claimed by counsel to be Rosario material. People v. DeJesus, 69 N.Y.2d 855, 857, 514 N.Y.S.2d 708, 507 N.E.2d 301. Otherwise, the People waive any objection they may have had. Id. The People's failure to raise a timely objection, moreover, may not be overlooked in the interest of justice, since our interest of justice jurisdiction extends only to appellants claiming error. See CPL § 470.15, subd. 1.

It is important to emphasize that we are not dealing with a situation where the materials could not be found, despite good faith efforts to locate them, or where the materials were thought not to exist. Accordingly, nothing stood in the way of the prosecutor challenging the materials as duplicative and there is nothing that compels us to give the People a second opportunity to do so. While there are limited instances in which the People may be granted a rehearing to present additional evidence to resolve a legal question, that practice is one constrained both by considerations of fairness and the extent to which the People already had an opportunity to present that evidence. Accordingly,

* * * where 'no contention is made that the People had not had [a] full opportunity to present evidence * * * [t]here [is] no justification * * * to afford the People a second chance to succeed where once they had tried and failed' ( People v. Bryant, 37 NY2d 208, 211 [371 N.Y.S.2d 881, 333 N.E.2d 161]; but see People v. Cardaio, 18 NY2d 924 [276 N.Y.S.2d 1004, 223 N.E.2d 497] ). Denial of a rehearing under these circumstances accords with a system that offers a single opportunity for the presentation and resolution of factual questions. If such a practice were not followed, the defendant * * * would be haunted by the specter of renewed proceedings.

People v. Havelka, 45 N.Y.2d 636, 643, 412 N.Y.S.2d 345, 384 N.E.2d 1269.

While Havelka concerned a different issue of criminal law, granting the People a second opportunity to present new evidence in opposition to a motion to suppress evidence, the same considerations are relevant in the Rosario context, where fairness is said to be the "focus" of the Rosario rule. People v. Jones, 70 N.Y.2d 547, 553, 523 N.Y.S.2d 53, 517 N.E.2d 865. Having foregone their opportunity to present the claim of duplicative material, there is no reason to give the People a second bite at the apple. We know of no case law to support the dissent's broad conclusion that the People's "claim of exemption from the Rosario requirement ought to be cognizable whenever raised."

Neither do the cases cited by the People and the dissent support their claim that the proper remedy for this admitted and inexcusable Rosario violation is a remand for a hearing. People v. Poole, 48 N.Y.2d 144, 422 N.Y.S.2d 5, 397 N.E.2d 697, established that when the prosecutor represents either that certain alleged Rosario material does not exist or that the material is excepted from the rule, it is for the trial court to inspect, in camera, the questioned document or file to resolve the dispute. Id. at 149, 422 N.Y.S.2d 5, 397 N.E.2d 697. The trial court may not accept the prosecutor's representation without its own inspection. Id. This is, of course, the procedure to follow when the prosecutor makes a timely objection at trial. Poole is irrelevant to...