Court Opinion

ID: 9782585
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 18:59:12.649019+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:35:06.152963
License: Public Domain

Jones, J. (dissenting).
Criminal Procedure Law § 450.20 (1) authorizes the People to take an appeal as of right from “[a]n order dismissing an accusatory instrument . . . entered pursuant to section 170.30, 170.50 or 210.20.” Until now, this Court has consistently held that “[n]o appeal lies from a determination made in a criminal proceeding unless specifically provided for by statute” (People v Dunn, 4 NY3d 495, 497 [2005]; see also People v Hernandez, 98 NY2d 8, 10 [2002]; People v Stevens, 91 NY2d 270, 278 [1998]).
In Dunn, Supreme Court purported to dismiss an indictment under Judiciary Law § 2-b (3), a statute not mentioned in CPL 450.20’s grant of appellate jurisdiction. The court’s power to dismiss under that Judiciary Law section was questionable at best, and the People argued that the order “should be deemed to have been made pursuant to CPL 330.30,” and thus appeal-able (Dunn, 4 NY3d at 497). We affirmed the Appellate Division’s dismissal of the appeal, repeating declarations made in both Hernandez and People v Laing (79 NY2d 166, 170-171 [1992]): “we will not resort to interpretative contrivances to broaden the scope and application of CPL 450.20” (4 NY3d at 497 [internal quotation marks omitted]).
Notwithstanding the almost identical argument in Dunn, the majority now holds that Supreme Court did not have the power to dismiss an indictment under CPL 240.70, and therefore it must have dismissed under CPL 210.20, making the dismissal appealable. The majority does so without distinguishing Dunn or explaining why the Court does not follow that rule here. Despite this Court’s jurisprudence, the majority converts indictments dismissed under CPL 240.70 into indictments dismissed *588under CPL 210.20 so that an appeal may be taken by the People pursuant to CPL 450.20. As a result, rather than “construing the] clear and unambiguous statutes as enacted,” the majority’s interpretation clearly “broaden[s] the scope and application of’ CPL 450.20 (Laing, 79 NY2d at 170-171).
Here, Supreme Court dismissed the indictments pursuant to CPL 240.70, penalizing the People for a discovery violation. CPL 240.70 is not specifically enumerated in section 450.20. Because there is no express statutory authority for the People’s appeal from an order dismissing accusatory instruments pursuant to section 240.70, the People have no right to appeal under CPL 450.20 (see Hernandez, 98 NY2d at 10; Laing, 79 NY2d at 170).
Accordingly, I dissent and would vote to affirm the Appellate Division order.
Judges Ciparick, Graffeo, Read and Pigott concur with Chief Judge Lippman; Judge Jones dissents and votes to affirm in a separate opinion in which Judge Smith concurs.
Order reversed, etc.