X

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

Elizabeth S. Fortino, Director, Mental Hygiene Legal Service, Utica (Patrick T. Chamberlain of Counsel), for Petitioner-Appellant. Letitia James, Attorney General, Albany (Kathleen M. Treasure of Counsel), for Respondent-Respondent. Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Oneida County (Gerard J. Neri, J.), entered December 7, 2022, in a proceeding pursuant to Mental Hygiene Law article 10. The order, insofar as appealed from, denied the motion of petitioner to vacate an order directing an evidentiary hearing. It is hereby ORDERED that the order insofar as appealed from is unanimously reversed on the law without costs, the motion insofar as it seeks to vacate the order dated September 12, 2022, is granted, that order is vacated, and the matter is remitted to Supreme Court, Oneida County, for further proceedings in accordance with the following memorandum: Petitioner, who was previously determined to be a dangerous sex offender requiring confinement and committed to a secure treatment facility (see Mental Hygiene Law § 10.01 et seq.), appeals in appeal No. 1 from an order (letter order) directing, sua sponte, that his annual review hearing pursuant to Mental Hygiene Law § 10.09 (d) be conducted by the submission of documentary evidence only. In appeal No. 2, he appeals from a subsequent order insofar as it denied that part of his motion seeking to vacate the letter order. Petitioner contends with respect to both appeals that Supreme Court violated, inter alia, his statutory rights under article 10 of the Mental Hygiene Law by not scheduling an evidentiary hearing with live witness testimony. Initially, we conclude that appeal No. 1 should be dismissed. The letter order is not appealable as of right inasmuch as it was entered sua sponte and did not decide a “motion . . . made upon notice” (CPLR 5701 [a] [2]; see Mosley v. Parnell, 211 AD3d 1530, 1531 [4th Dept 2022]). We decline to treat the notice of appeal as an application for leave to appeal because all of petitioner’s contentions are before us in appeal No. 2. With respect to appeal No. 2, Mental Hygiene Law § 10.09 (d) requires the court to “hold an evidentiary hearing as to retention of [an offender] . . . if it appears from one of the annual submissions to the court under [§ 10.09 (c)] . . . that the [offender] has petitioned, or has not affirmatively waived the right to petition, for discharge.” Petitioner here has petitioned for annual review, and he is therefore entitled to an evidentiary hearing with live witness testimony where he “may, as a matter of right, testify in his . . . own behalf, call and examine other witnesses, and produce other evidence in his . . . behalf” (Mental Hygiene Law § 10.08 [g]; see Matter of State of New York v. Enrique D., 22 NY3d 941, 944 [2013]; see also Matter of Charada T. v. State of New York, 149 AD3d 1588, 1589 [4th Dept 2017]). We therefore reverse the order insofar as appealed from, and we remit the matter to Supreme Court to hold such a hearing. We have considered petitioner’s remaining contentions and conclude that, under the circumstances of this case, none warrants further relief. We note that we have not considered arguments and documents submitted to this Court for the first time in a postargument submission in this appeal (see Matter of Fichera v. New York State Dept. of Envtl. Conservation, 159 AD3d 1493, 1495-1496 [4th Dept 2018]; see generally Tanksley v. LCO Bldg. LLC, 196 AD3d 1037, 1039 [4th Dept 2021]).

 
Reprints & Licensing
Mentioned in a Law.com story?

License our industry-leading legal content to extend your thought leadership and build your brand.

More From ALM

With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.
View Now
Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.
View Now
Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both options are priced the same.
View Now
December 02, 2024 - December 03, 2024
Scottsdale, AZ

Join the industry's top owners, investors, developers, brokers and financiers for the real estate healthcare event of the year!


Learn More
December 11, 2024
Las Vegas, NV

This event shines a spotlight on how individuals and firms are changing the investment advisory industry where it matters most.


Learn More
February 24, 2025 - February 26, 2025
Las Vegas, NV

This conference aims to help insurers and litigators better manage complex claims and litigation.


Learn More

Our client, a boutique litigation firm established by former BigLaw partners, is seeking to hire a junior-mid level associate their rapidly ...


Apply Now ›

Shipman & Goodwin LLP is seeking an associate to join our corporate and transactional practice. Candidates must have four to eight years...


Apply Now ›

SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, BOUTIQUE LAW FIRM, CORPORATE LAW We provide strategic advisory and legal services to the world's leading archite...


Apply Now ›