124 Misc. 2d 190 | N.Y. Fam. Ct. | 1984
This is a motion by the presentment agency seeking an order, in the interests of justice, to prevent the sealing of the records of a juvenile respondent pursuant to section 375.1 of the Family Court Act. The underlying petition, which alleges that the respondent did acts which if committed by an adult would constitute attempted rape (Penal Law, §§ 110.00, 130.35), sexual abuse (Penal Law, § 130.65), unlawful imprisonment (Penal Law, § 135.10) and menacing (Penal Law, § 120.15) has been dismissed as a result of the request of the four-year-old complainant’s mother to withdraw the petition and her refusal to allow the child to testify.
The presentment agency argues that section 375.1 of the Family Court Act is mandatory, not discretionary, in requiring the court to enter an order preventing the sealing of a juvenile respondent’s records merely upon a motion for such relief by the presentment agency. Judge Nason, in Matter of Steven R. (121 Misc 2d 245, 246), has addressed that precise argument in holding: “The language of section 375.1 of the Family Court Act is plain and unambiguous. The statute expressly provides for the sealing of records unless the presentment agency ‘demonstrates to the satisfaction of the court that the interests of justice require otherwise’. If the Legislature had intended the records to remain automatically unsealed in every case in which the presentment agency were to make such an application, it would not have required the presentment agency to demonstrate the legitimacy of a request to prevent sealing. Instead, the Legislature in section 375.1 has placed the burden upon the presentment agency to show that the records should not be sealed and has required the court to apply its discretion in determining whether or not that burden has been satisfied. Accordingly, the court finds that the presentment agency’s interpretation of section 375.1 is inconsistent with the language of the statute and the Legislature’s intent.” This court agrees with the reasoning therein.
The presentment agency contends that if the records of the respondent are sealed, any dispositional hearing in a
The presentment agency has failed to assert adequate grounds to support its contention that it is in the interests of justice to leave the records of this juvenile respondent unsealed. The arguments here presented do not address the factual circumstances of this proceeding or concern this individual respondent. Since the statute requires sealing unless the presentment agency is able to prove that it is in the interests of justice to do otherwise, it is the burden of the presentment agency to show why the records of this proceeding should remain open. “A motion to prevent sealing which states no special equities or unique facts peculiar to a particular prosecution at bar is in the final analysis, framed upon a disagreement with legislative articulation of the public policy of this State and is properly addressed to the Legislature rather than the court.” (Matter of Wayne M., 121 Misc 2d 346, 348.)
But should the court on its own motion determine that it is in the interests of justice to leave the records of this juvenile respondent unsealed? The respondent herein was charged with acts which if committed by an adult would constitute the crimes of attempted rape, sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment and menacing in that he allegedly restrained a four-year-old female child and attempted to “subject her to sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion by placing his penis on her vagina, further intentionally placing complainant in fear of imminent serious physical injury”. The petition was supported by the deposition of the complainant made on her behalf by her mother. The child’s grandmother was the respondent’s foster mother at the time of the alleged incident. Due to long delays occasioned by the respondent’s failure to appear and the resulting need to issue a warrant for his return to court, this matter did not come on for hearing until January 19,1984, more than 13 months after the acts charged in the petition allegedly occurred. At that point,
What should the court consider when determining whether such extraordinary and compelling circumstances
1. The availability of records for the use of the Department of Probation, at any future adjustment process involving the same respondent is no longer something the court need consider in determining whether the interests of justice require a respondent’s records to remain unsealed. While the Legislature has granted juvenile respondents the right to have their records sealed if the proceeding against them has been terminated in their favor it specifically allows the Department of Probation access to those records for the purpose of determining whether or not a future case may be adjusted if the initial proceeding and the future allegations are of crimes specified in subdivision 4 of section 308.1 of the Family Court Act.
2. The need for the respondent’s records in any future dispositional hearing in the Family Court or in sentencing hearings in another court has been considered. Section 375.1 of the Family Court Act adopts the provisions of CPL 160.50, except for some “favorable terminations” that have no comparable application in Family Court, and adds two additional “favorable terminations” — withdrawal of the petition (Family Court Act, § 375.1, subd 2, par [a]) and dismissal of the petition when the court determines after a dispositional hearing that the respondent does not require supervision, confinement or treatment (Family Ct Act,
Under what circumstances then, should the court exercise its discretion and determine that it is in the interests of justice to leave the records of a respondent unsealed? Surely if it can be shown that the respondent directly caused the petition to be withdrawn by interfering with or threatening the complainant or other witnesses, the interests of justice would be served by permitting the respondent’s records to remain unsealed. Likewise, proof that the respondent committed fraud, duress or any other misconduct during the adjustment process or during any hearings before the court could result in an order to leave these records unsealed. Absent some overt act of the respondent resulting in a dismissal of the petition, however, it would appear that the Legislature has preempted the court’s deliberations and requires sealing of these records. As to the respondent herein, nothing in the court file or the motion papers of the parties indicates the existence of any such extraordinary circumstances. And where the Legislature has spoken with such clear intent to protect the records of respondents who have not had findings of juvenile delinquency made against them, it would be error to limit application of the law. The withdrawal of the petition against this respondent and the dismissal of the proceeding
In accordance with the foregoing reasons, the motion of the presentment agency should be denied.
. See Kamins, Sealing Provisions Under the Criminal Procedure Law, 35 Brooklyn Barrister 36; Sobie, Practice Commentary, McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 29A, Family Ct Act, § 375.1; NY Legis Ann, 1976, p 408 (L 1976, ch 877); NY Legis Ann, 1977, p 322 (L 1977, ch 905).
. Prior to 1977, the authority for sealing or expunging Family Court records was found in the court’s inherent power over its own records and a broadly interpreted section 166 of the Family Court Act; such power did not extend to records other than those of the court. (See Matter of Richard S. v City of New York, 32 NY2d 592.) In 1977, former section 753-b of the Family Court Act was enacted giving the Family Court statutory authority over its own records as well as those of the police. (See Matter of Dorothy D., 49 NY2d 212; Matter of Anthony P., 49 NY2d 1022; Matter of Dennis B., 104 Misc 2d 166.) Effective July 1,1983, sections 354.1, 375.1, 375.2, 375.3, 381.2 and 381.3 of the Family Court Act give the court statutory authority over its own records and those of the presentment agency, the Probation Department, police department and other law enforcement agencies, reaffirm the court’s inherent power over its own records and prohibit access to these records by another court if sealed pursuant to section 375.1.
. Subdivision 4 of section 308.1 of the Family Court Act provides that the probation service shall not adjust a case in which the respondent has allegedly committed reckless endangerment, first degree; manslaughter, second degree; rape, third degree; sodomy, third degree; sexual abuse, first degree; coercion, first degree; burglary, third degree; arson, third degree; robbery, third degree; or criminal possession of a weapon, first degree, second degree or third degree where the respondent has “previously had one or more adjustments of a case in which such child allegedly committed an act which would be a crime specified in this subdivision”.
. Former rule 2507.5 of the Family Court (22 NYCRR) applied to proceedings involving juvenile delinquents and persons in need of supervision (PINS). Effective October 13, 1983, rule 2507.5 of the Family Court (22 NYCRR) applies only to PINS proceedings and rule 2503.3 of the Family Court (22 NYCRR) applies only to juvenile delinquency proceedings.
. The “favorable terminations” in CPL 160.50 not adopted in section 375.1 of the Family Court Act are dismissals due to (1) the defendant having obtained immunity, (2) a jurisdictional impediment to conviction, (3) insufficient or deficient Grand Jury evidence, (4) an order setting aside the verdict, (5) an order vacating the judgment, and (6) an order of the Grand Jury dismissing the proceeding.
. But see Williams v New York (337 US 241) and United States v Grayson (438 US 41) which affirm the authority of a sentencing court to consider information about a defendant’s prior conduct even if that conduct did not result in a conviction.
. Contra Matter of Wayne M. (121 Misc 2d 346, 349-350, supra) in which Judge Gartenstein asserts that the “strange notion that these magic words sealing a docket forever cut off access to it or the information it contains either by the court itself or by auxiliary personnel on proper application to a Judge is sheer nonsense on stilts.”