When facing a criminal trial, one of the most essential things to understand is whether you are able to assert any defenses to the charges against you. As seasoned New York criminal defense lawyers, we have aided many people in assessing their cases and crafting vigorous defenses. The following recent…
Articles Posted in CRIMINAL APPEALS
SUIT FILED AGAINST NEW YORK DMV FOR LIFETIME BAN ON CERTAIN DRIVERS WHO POSSESS CERTIFICATES OF GOOD CONDUCT
New York law firm Tilem & Associates has filed an Article 78 lawsuit against the New York State DMV based upon the DMV policy of instituting a lifetime revocation against certain drivers who have multiple alcohol related driving incidents. Although the policy was previously upheld in Court the revocation policy…
New York Court of Appeal Upholds Murder Conviction Despite Lower Court’s Jury Instruction Error
One of the most common issues to arise in a criminal case is whether a certain piece of evidence can be used during a trial. Although there are protocols regarding how the prosecution must maintain evidence and preserve the chain of custody, sometimes evidence is mishandled or lost. This creates…
New York Court of Appeals Rules Evidence of Prior Convictions is Admissible in Drug Crime Case When the Defendant Asserts an Agency Defense
The highest state court in New York recently issued an opinion discussing whether the prosecution can offer evidence of a defendant’s prior drug sale conviction in their direct case in instances in which the defendant is asserting an agency-based defense that is supported entirely by parts of the prosecution’s case-in-chief. The…
New York Court of Appeals Upholds Denial of Motion to Suppress Gun Evidence in Parole Violation Arrest Case
In a recent opinion from New York’s highest state court, the defendant was convicted of possessing a weapon in the second and third degrees as well as the unlawful possession of marijuana. Before the jury trial, the defendant filed a motion to suppress evidence of a firearm located in his…
New York Appellate Court Upholds Conviction of Defendant in Assault Case Over Confrontation Clause Objection
In a recent New York appellate decision, the defendant challenged a conviction of first-degree assault, claiming that he was deprived of a fair trial because he was not afforded his constitutional right of confrontation. The defendant was tried before a jury regarding an incident involving an assault on his estranged…
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY STUN GUN BANS PROBABLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL AFTER US SUPREME STRIKES DOWN MASSACHUSETTS BAN – OTHER WEAPONS PROBABLY NEXT
New York has banned the possession of stun guns by listing them as “per se” weapons in the Penal Law. Possession by a civilian even in a person’s home constitutes Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, a class “A” misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in…
US SUPREME COURT VACATES TWO CONVICTIONS FOR LAWYERS INEFFECTIVE PLEA BARGAINING
Recently we reported in our blog that a DWI conviction was vacated on grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel where the lawyer simply had his client plead guilty to Driving While Intoxicated without conducting an investigation into the evidence in the case. Now, just last week, the United States Supreme…
NEW TRIAL ORDERED IN MURDER/RAPE FROM 1994
The New York State Appellate Court sitting in Brooklyn ordered a new trial for Anthony DiPippo who was convicted of rape and murder back in 1997. It was since discovered that Mr. DiPippo’s attorney in 1997 had a conflict of interest which denied Mr. DiPippo effective assistance of counsel. Attorneys…
NEW YORK’S APPELLATE DIVISION< SECOND DEPARTMENT OVERTURNS SUFFOLK COUNTY MURDER CONVICTION
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Department unanimously overturned a Murder conviction from Nassau County because the trial Court committed a series of errors which combined to deny the defendant a fair trial. In People v. Terraine Slide the Court ruled that permitting the prosecutor to ask the…