Case Title: The People v. Desirie Wilson

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: new-york

Court: New York Appellate Court

Date: 2010-06-03T00:00:00Z

Document:
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This memorandum is uncorrected and subject to revision before
publication in the New York Reports.
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No. 124  SSM 49
The People &c.,
            Respondent,
        v.
Desirie Wilson,
            Appellant.
Harold V. Ferguson, Jr., for appellant.
Kayonia L. Whetstone, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM:
The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.
After a non-jury trial, defendant was convicted of
attempted aggravated harassment in the second degree, a
misdemeanor.  She appealed her conviction, which was affirmed by
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No. 124
*  Defendant does not argue that reversal is warranted
because her appeal was heard by the Appellate Division rather
than the Appellate Term.
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the Appellate Division in a divided decision.*  One of the
Appellate Division dissenters granted defendant leave to appeal. 
In this Court, contending that her misdemeanor case was
tried in Supreme Court, defendant argues for the first time that
the trial court lacked the subject matter jurisdiction to
adjudicate the matter because it was prosecuted on a misdemeanor
information and not an indictment or superior court information
(SCI) issued upon waiver of indictment.  The People dispute
defendant's claim, asserting that the case was resolved in New
York City Criminal Court, Bronx County, and was presided over by
a New York City Criminal Court Judge who was also an Acting
Supreme Court Justice.  In addition, the People maintain that
Supreme Court possesses the subject matter jurisdiction to try
misdemeanors, regardless of whether they are charged in a
misdemeanor information, an indictment or an SCI.
Defendant's claim that the trial court lacked subject
matter jurisdiction to issue a judgment of conviction may be
considered on appeal, despite her failure to timely raise the
issue, because it falls within an exception to the preservation
rule (see People v Casey, 95 NY2d 354, 365 [2000]; see e.g.
People v Nicomenti, 12 NY2d 428 [1963]).  Even assuming that
defendant's case was tried in Supreme Court, she is not entitled
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No. 124
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to reversal of her conviction on jurisdictional grounds because
Supreme Court possesses concurrent subject matter jurisdiction
over the trial of unindicted misdemeanor offenses (see People v
Correa, ___ NY3d ___ [decided herewith]).  Anticipating this
holding, defendant argues in the alternative that, even if
Supreme Court may resolve misdemeanor charges, the transfer of
her case from New York City Criminal Court to Supreme Court was
impermissible since court rules creating the Bronx Criminal
Division in Supreme Court and directing the reassignment of
certain misdemeanor cases to that court for trial were not in
effect on the date of her conviction (see id.; 22 NYCRR Part 42;
22 NYCRR Part 142).  Given that Supreme Court had the power to
hear the case, the transfer error defendant alleges is the
equivalent of an improper venue claim, which is not
jurisdictional in nature and is waived if not timely raised (see
People v Carvahal, 6 NY3d 305, 312 [2005] ["venue issues -- which
relate only to the proper place of trial, rather than to the
power of the court to hear and determine the case -- are
waivable"] [emphasis and citation omitted]).  Because defendant
did not object in the trial court to the (purported) transfer of
her case to Supreme Court, we may not consider this alternative
claim.
Finally, we have reviewed defendant's challenge to the
jurisdictional sufficiency of the accusatory instrument and find
it to be lacking in merit.
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No. 124
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*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
On review of submissions pursuant to section 500.11 of the Rules,
order affirmed, in a memorandum.  Judges Ciparick, Graffeo, Read,
Smith, Pigott and Jones concur.  Chief Judge Lippman took no part.
Decided June 3, 2010