Case Name: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. William Lawson, Appellant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 2002-04-16
Citations: 293 A.D.2d 338
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v William Lawson, Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 293
Pages: 338–339

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v William Lawson, Appellant.
[740 NYS2d 199]

Opinion:
—Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (John Stackhouse, J.), rendered December 10, 1999, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony offender, to a term of 4V2 to 9 years, unanimously affirmed.
Defendant's testimony regarding the drug-free nature of his building opened the door to a modification of the court's Sandoval ruling. Even were we to find it to have been error to permit the People's expanded cross-examination of defendant concerning his prior record, we would find the error to be harmless in view of the overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt (see, People v Crimmins, 36 NY2d 230). Concur—Williams, P.J., Nardelli, Andrias, Sullivan and Friedman, JJ.