Case Title: New Jersey v. Desir

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: new-jersey

Court: New Jersey Supreme Court

Date: 2021-02-09T00:00:00Z

Document:
SYLLABUS

This syllabus is not part of the Court’s opinion. It has been prepared by the Office of the
Clerk for the convenience of the reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the
Court. In the interest of brevity, portions of an opinion may not have been summarized.

                      State v. Herby V. Desir (A-43-19) (083584)

Argued October 13, 2020 -- Decided February 9, 2021

SOLOMON, J., writing for the Court.

       In this appeal, the Court considers whether defendant Herby Desir is entitled to
discovery regarding the controlled purchase of narcotics by a confidential informant (CI).
Defendant was not charged in connection with that controlled purchase; however, the
purchase formed the probable cause for issuance of a search warrant for defendant’s
home, and execution of the search warrant led to charges against defendant for multiple
drug and weapons offenses.

        The affidavit submitted by a detective from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office
(UCPO) in support of the search warrant application stated that a CI, who had previously
provided reliable information that led to arrests, had contacted the detective and claimed
defendant stored and sold Methylenedioxy-N-ethylcathinone (sometimes referred to as
Molly) at his home. According to the affidavit, the detective intercepted two phone calls
between the CI and defendant and overheard them discuss the sale of Molly and firearms.
The affidavit stated that, during the second call, defendant told the CI to come to his
house. The detective followed the CI to defendant’s residence and monitored the home
until after the CI exited. Afterward, the detective and the CI met at a pre-arranged
location, where the CI gave the detective a substance obtained from defendant.

       The affidavit stated that the “suspected 'Molly’ obtained from [defendant] was
submitted to the [UCPO] Laboratory where it . . . tested positive for [Molly,] a Schedule I
controlled dangerous substance.” The affidavit did not state that the detective provided
the CI with “buy money” with which to purchase the drugs. Based solely on that
affidavit, a judge granted a no-knock search warrant for defendant’s home.

       Defendant moved to suppress the contraband seized during the execution of the
warrant and for a Franks hearing, which is a hearing to challenge the veracity of an
affidavit upon which a facially valid search warrant is based. Counsel asserted that
defendant did not sell Molly from his home. Five months after filing his motion to
suppress and for a hearing, defendant moved to compel discovery, seeking the initial
investigation report, any proof of money provided to the CI for the controlled buy,
laboratory reports, and a transcript or audio recording of the intercepted calls.

                                            1
       The trial court denied defendant’s motion to suppress and for a Franks hearing.
Six months later, a different judge considered and denied defendant’s motion to compel
discovery. Defendant pled guilty to possession of Molly with intent to distribute,
reserving the right to appeal the denial of his motions.

       The Appellate Division reversed the denial of defendant’s motion to compel
discovery and remanded for further proceedings.  461 N.J. Super. 185, 187 (App. Div.
2019). The court permitted defendant, after receiving discovery, “either to withdraw his
plea and proceed to trial . . . or to accept his earlier conviction and sentence.” Id. at 194.
Even though the indictment did not charge defendant with the sale of narcotics to the CI,
the Appellate Division found that, under provisions of Rule 3:13-3(b)(1), the State should
have automatically given defendant the laboratory report -- along with any police reports
and video and sound recordings -- once the indictment was filed. Id. at 193.

       The Court granted certification.  240 N.J. 553 (2020).

HELD: A defendant seeking discovery in connection with a Franks hearing may -- in
the trial court’s discretion and on showing a plausible justification that casts reasonable
doubt on the veracity of the affidavit -- be entitled to limited discovery described with
particularity that is material to the determination of probable cause. The Court affirms
and modifies the Appellate Division’s judgment and remands to the trial court for
consideration under the standard adopted in this decision.

1. Rule 3:13-3(b)(1) codifies the criminal defendant’s right to automatic post-indictment
discovery of the evidence the State has gathered in support of its charges, including
“exculpatory information or material” and a list of other “relevant material[s].” To
qualify as “relevant material,” the evidence must have a tendency in reason to prove or
disprove a fact of consequence to the determination of the action. Courts have the
inherent power to order discovery beyond the automatic discovery provisions of Rule
3:13-3(b) when justice so requires. But the discovery process is not a fishing expedition
or an unfocused, haphazard search for evidence. One significant limit on defendants’
discovery rights is the chilling and inhibiting effect that discovery can have on material
witnesses. Recognizing that CIs play an indispensable role in police work, New Jersey
has a privilege against disclosing the identity of the informant. (pp. 12-14)

2. Defendants seeking to challenge the basis of a search warrant must make an
evidentiary showing before a hearing will be granted: they must first establish by a
preponderance of the evidence that the allegedly false statement in the affidavit was made
either deliberately or in reckless disregard of the truth. See Franks v. Delaware,