Learn About the Law
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
IN RE: EDUARDO D.-B. (Anonymous), appellant.
In a juvenile delinquency proceeding pursuant to Family Court Act article 3, the appeal is from (1) an order of disposition of the Family Court, Orange County (Kiedaisch, J.), dated May 10, 2004, which, upon a fact-finding order of the same court dated March 17, 2004, made after a hearing, finding that the appellant had committed acts which, if committed by an adult, would have constituted the crimes of robbery in the second degree and robbery in the third degree, and upon a decision of the same court dated April 19, 2004, adjudged him to be a juvenile delinquent and placed him on probation for a period of two years, and (2) an order of protection of the same court dated April 19, 2004.
ORDERED that the notice of appeal from the decision is deemed to be a premature notice of appeal from the order of disposition (see CPLR 5520 [c] ); and it is further,
ORDERED that the appeal from the order of protection is dismissed as abandoned, without costs or disbursements; and it is further,
ORDERED that the order of disposition dated May 10, 2004, is modified, on the law, by deleting the provision thereof adjudicating the appellant a juvenile delinquent based upon the finding that he committed acts which, if committed by an adult, would have constituted the crime of robbery in the third degree, and substituting therefor a provision dismissing that count of the petition; as so modified, the order of disposition is affirmed, without costs or disbursements, and the fact-finding order is modified accordingly.
Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the presentment agency and according it the benefit of every reasonable inference (see Matter of Tonia B., 239 A.D.2d 572, 658 N.Y.S.2d 91), we find that it was legally sufficient to establish that the appellant committed acts which, if committed by an adult, would have constituted the charged offenses. Moreover, resolution of issues of credibility, as well as the weight to be accorded to the evidence presented, are primarily questions for the trier of fact, which saw and heard the witnesses (see Matter of Isiah S., 15 A.D.3d 587, 789 N.Y.S.2d 694 [2d Dept., 2005] ). Its determination should be accorded great weight on appeal and should not be disturbed unless clearly unsupported by the record (see Matter of Kyle O., 205 A.D.2d 541, 612 N.Y.S.2d 665). Upon the exercise of our factual review power, we are satisfied that the findings of fact were not against the weight of the evidence (cf. CPL 470.15 [5] ).
However, as the presentment agency correctly concedes, since the appellant was found to have committed acts which, if committed by an adult, would have constituted the crime of robbery in the second degree, the count of the petition charging robbery in the third degree should have been dismissed as a lesser-included offense (see CPL 1.20[37]; 300.40[3][b]; Matter of Stephan F., 274 A.D.2d 584, 712 N.Y.S.2d 49; Matter of Roderick J., 243 A.D.2d 713, 663 N.Y.S.2d 862; Matter of Tonia B., supra; Matter of Shaneeka M., 238 A.D.2d 594, 657 N.Y.S.2d 943; Matter of Charmaine J., 236 A.D.2d 474, 654 N.Y.S.2d 606; Matter of Jamal M., 187 A.D.2d 654, 590 N.Y.S.2d 265).
The appellant's remaining contentions are without merit.
Thank you for your feedback!
A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law.
Decided: May 02, 2005
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)
Harness the power of our directory with your own profile. Select the button below to sign up.
Learn more about FindLaw’s newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy.
Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
Search our directory by legal issue
Enter information in one or both fields (Required)