Case Name: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Harry H. Dorsen, Benjamin Shepard and Harold Spielberg, Appellants
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1935-11-15
Citations: 245 A.D. 511
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Harry H. Dorsen, Benjamin Shepard and Harold Spielberg, Appellants.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 245
Pages: 511–515

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York, Respondent, v. Harry H. Dorsen, Benjamin Shepard and Harold Spielberg, Appellants.
First Department,
November 15, 1935.
Morton Milman of counsel [Charles Eno with him on the brief; Markewich & Null, attorneys], for the appellant Harry H. Dorsen.
Benjamin Shepard, appellant in person.
Charles H. Tuttle of counsel [ Thomas E. Kerwin with him on the brief; Israel Spielberg, attorney], for the appellant Harold Spielberg.
Erwin N. Schapira, Deputy Assistant District Attorney, of counsel [William Copeland Dodge, District Attorney], for the respondent.

Opinion:
O'Malley, J.
I am of the opinion that the judgment of conviction of the defendant Spielberg must be reversed and the indictment dismissed. Concededly there is no evidence tending to show that he participated in the preparation of the false affidavit upon which the indictment is predicated or that he had any knowledge of any of its contents or that it was to be presented. There was no statute or rule of the department given the force of statute, which required the submission of the affidavit. There was at most a mere custom of which the defendant Spielberg was not shown to have knowledge. As to the other defendants, however, I am of opinion that the evidence was sufficient to justify their conviction.
I, therefore, vote to reverse as to the defendant Spielberg and to dismiss the indictment, and to affirm the judgment of conviction as to the defendants Dorsen and Shepard.
McAvoy, J., concurs; Martin, P. J., and Merrell, J., dissent and vote to affirm as to all defendants; Untermyer, J., dissents as to the defendants Dorsen and Shepard, but concurs as to the defendant Spielberg.