New York Criminal Lawyer BlogIf fighting City Hall is difficult, battling the District Attorney’s Office is arguably harder when your arguments and evidence falls on deaf ears and your client’s exposure is not measured in money but a permanent criminal record and the duration of incarceration. Fortunately, however, when your client is left standing and walks away exonerated, there are few greater victories worthy of battle scars. For a recent Saland Law PC client arrested for Second Degree Burglary and other crimes, and subsequently charged with Third Degree Assault and Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation, leaving the justice system unscathed other than by a undeserved and miserable experience could not be more rewarding. The following is lesson of how prosecutorial inexperience coupled with expansive power can result in potentially grave miscarriages of justice. Simply, no matter the allegation, it is incumbent upon any criminal defense attorney to question and challenge law enforcement to protect your rights.
Articles Posted in Assault
Third Degree Assault Case Dismissed After Client Allegedly Punched Cabbie Twice Sending Him to the Ground with Injuries
If being arrested for a crime you did not commit isn’t bad enough, when you don’t live in New York City and your witnesses aren’t fluent in the English language and are returning to their homes in Europe that same day, its reasonable to assume that things are about to go from bad to terribly worse. While it is a legitimate thought to have as you are hauled away in handcuffs, charged with crimes including Assault in the Third Degree, New York Penal Law 120.00, and tossed into Manhattan’s Central Booking to wait and meet a criminal lawyer your friends or family retained, your initial pain need not foretell the ultimate outcome. As experienced by a recent Saland Law PC client, the trauma of being accused of Assault by a cab driver and the anxiety of being 1000s of miles from home was fortunately (if one can use that term when falsely accused of a crime) the worst part of a roller coaster ride that ended in a meritorious dismissal.
Harassment Offenses in New York: Quoting Movie Lines as Potentially Criminal
When it comes to Harassment in the Second Degree, New York L 240.26, one of the most frequently charged offenses in New York City and likely throughout the State, one issue that criminal attorneys and prosecutors litigate time and time again is what constitutes a meaningful and real threat of harm. Wherever mere words are punishable by law, either civilly or criminally, vagaries and inconsistencies of law inevitably follow. Not only that, but the interaction of such criminal statutes or common law bases for civil liability inevitably run up against the very important and foundational First Amendment protection of free speech.
What is the Penalty for Assault in New York: Frequently Asked Questions You Were Afraid to Ask
What is the penalty for Assault? How much jail time can you get for Assault? For that matter, what is an Assault charge? Whether you are arrested for violating New York Penal Law section 120.00, 120.05 or 120.10, every conviction will leave you permanently tarnished with a misdemeanor or felony criminal record. Make no mistake. When you find yourself before a Manhattan Criminal Court Judge, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge, a White Plains City Court Judge or a Justice Court Judge in North Castle, Scarsdale, Nyack, Brewster or anywhere in the Hudson Valley, there is much on the line. The following answers to some fairly basic questions can provide you with the foundation you need to work with your criminal attorney and best ensure your defense is the right one to minimize your exposure.
LeSean McCoy Allegedly Beat Ex-Girlfriend, Son and Henry the Dog: Potential Crimes if Accusations by Friend of Ex-Girlfriend Valid and Occurred in New York State
A friend of LeSean McCoy’s ex-girlfriend, Delicia Cordon, accused the Buffalo Bills’ running back of a horrifically violent attack that allegedly left Cordon hospitalized and bloodied. Beyond the claimed domestic violence she suffered at his hands, further assertions, by way of Instagram, lobbed at the athlete included the beating of his son, the pummeling of a pet dog and steroid use. Hours after the social media post, McCoy assertively denied the accusation and went as far as denying any physical, aka, “direct.” contact with Cordon for months prior. The question remains, however, if McCoy’s response that he had no contact with his ex doesn’t hold water, or corroboration exists as to these serious allegations, what charges could he face if he intentionally inflicted what appear to be quite frightening injuries on Cordon’s face? Even assuming probable cause does not exist to arrest McCoy or proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict him of any crime as to Cordon, what is his exposure to crimes involving his son and animal cruelty?
Prosecuting the Prosecutor: Possible Criminal Charges Against Former NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
By no means are multiple allegations proof of criminal conduct nor any wrongdoing whatsoever, but the claims against Eric Schneiderman, who only about an hour prior to drafting this blog served as the New York State Attorney General and chief law enforcement officer of the Empire State, are quite serious. Deserving of the same due process and presumption of innocence, what, if any crimes could Mr. Schneiderman face if prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office should any of the four woman, and claimed victims of his alleged aggression, pursue criminal charges? Putting aside the conflict that might arise due to the fact that Governor Andrew Cuomo recently tasked former Attorney General Schneiderman with investigating District Attorney’s Vance’s handling of the Harvey Weinstein predation, there are definitely potential violations of the New York Penal Law that Gotham’s District Attorney could pursue against the former NYS Attorney General and NYS Senator.
Burglary and Attempted Assault Charges Dismissed: Felony Arrest Results in Disorderly Conduct
You’re were drunk at a bar. Maybe it was just a bit more than one bourbon, on scotch and one beer. What spirits you imbibed and the exact amount is fairly irrelevant. What matters, however, is that after your were told to leave you did so, but came back angry, red faced and as violent as were sloppy. Instead of holding your liquor like a man or woman, you behaved as if it was your first rodeo and whatever muscles and fighting experience you had (or didn’t have), you morphed into a half 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger and half modern day UFC brawler. There is little doubt your hangover was epic, but not necessarily from the actual alcohol. When your dry mouth and throbbing head gave way to the realization you had marks on your wrists from being handcuffed and the floor you slept on was not in fact your bed, the reality of what occurred the night before began to set. Unfortunately for a Saland Law PC client, while the reality of the circumstances and arrest were far less graceful than the poetic story line shared here, the substance of the incident was quite similar. Initially charged with Third Degree Burglary, New York Penal Law 140.20, and Attempted Third Degree Assault, New York Penal Law 110/120.00(1), a bad night at a bar became a dark future of uncertainty in the New York criminal justice system.
Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation: New York Penal Law 121.11
One of the more serious misdemeanor crimes you can be arrested for in New York, Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation, New York Penal Law 121.11(a) and New York Penal Law 121.11(b), is often charged in the context of a New York Domestic Violence arrest. Although a prosecution for PL 121.11 need not be domestic and familial in nature, regardless of whomever the alleged victim is if you are convicted in a New York City Criminal Court or a Justice Court somewhere in a municipality in Westchester, Rockland or any other county, the potential sentence is the same. That is, not only can you face up to one year in a county jail, but there are other penalties ranging from probation, anger management programs, community service and even fines. This blog entry will address the crime of Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation not in terms of how courts interpret the law, but in the event you faced a jury or bench trial accused of PL 121.11, the jury instructions that will be read to the jury or followed by a judge in rendering a decision.
Physical Injury Requirement for Misdemeanor Assault in New York: Substantial Pain and PL 120.00
There are countless arrests for Assault in the Third Degree, New York Penal Law 120.00, Assault in the Second Degree, New York Penal Law 120.05, and Assault in the First Degree, New York Penal Law 120.10, charges every year in New York City. An issue that arises incredibly frequently, and one that many criminal lawyers must contend, involves the misdemeanor crime of Assault in the Third Degree prosecutions. That question, a genuine legal one, is what amounts to “substantial pain” in the eyes of the New York criminal code? The reason that this is such a common issue is that one requirement for Assault in the Third Degree under the New York State Penal Law is that the victim suffered a “physical injury.” The law in New York is that, in addition to more obvious injuries like broken bones, only requires that an alleged victim suffer “substantial pain” as one kind of “physical injury.” Interesting for many reasons, not least of which is that pain is such a subjective thing, there is a legal threshold that the prosecution must meet. If your bone is broken, it’s either broken or it isn’t – it’s an objective standard. Pain is far more nebulous, and leaves a lot of room for interpretation both in terms of the person allegedly suffering as well as a judge who will review a criminal complaint for legal sufficiency.
What is a “Dangerous Instrument” for the Purpose of Weapon Possession, Assault and other Crimes in New York
The term “dangerous instrument” is used throughout the New York State Penal Law as an elements of certain criminal charges, typically violent felonies such as Assault in the Second Degree, New York Penal Law 120.05(2), but for other misdemeanor crimes such as Fourth Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, New York Penal Law 265.01(2). From the context of the criminal statutes in which the term is used, it is easy to understand that the term “dangerous instrument” is basically referring to the use of a weapon. But what qualifies as a weapon and how is it different from a “dangerous instrument?” Not a complete analysis of the law nor a substitute for a consultation with your criminal lawyer, the following helps answers this question.