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People v. Guagenti

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Aug 9, 1999
264 A.D.2d 427 (N.Y. App. Div. 1999)

Opinion

August 9, 1999.

Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Richmond County (Kuffner, J.).


Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

During the trial, the court denied the defendant's request for an adjournment to secure certain medical records of the complainant. In light of the collateral nature of the information sought, the court did not improvidently exercise its discretion in denying the defendant's request ( see, People v. Watson, 248 A.D.2d 737; People v. Chen Liu, 244 A.D.2d 352; cf., Matter of Lovick, 201 A.D.2d 736).

There is no merit to the defendant's contention that, despite its limiting instruction, the court erred in allowing testimony as to his violent acts against his father. While evidence of uncharged crimes is not admissible to show the defendant's criminal disposition ( see, People v. Allweiss, 48 N.Y.2d 40), such evidence is admissible to establish, as here, the complainant's state of mind, providing however, that the probative value of such evidence exceeds the potential for prejudice resulting to the defendant ( see, People v. Chase, 85 N.Y.2d 493; People v. Alvino, 71 N.Y.2d 233, 242; People v. Molineux, 168 N.Y. 264).

The defendant's claim that his conviction for kidnapping in the second degree should be barred by the judicially-created merger doctrine, which precludes a conviction for kidnapping based on acts which are integrally related but subordinate to another, substantive crime is without merit ( see, People v. Gonzalez, 80 N.Y.2d 146; People v. Salimi, 159 A.D.2d 658).

The defendant's sentence is not excessive ( see, People v. Suitte, 90 A.D.2d 80).

The defendant's remaining contention is without merit.

Bracken, J. P., O'Brien, Thompson and Sullivan, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Guagenti

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Aug 9, 1999
264 A.D.2d 427 (N.Y. App. Div. 1999)
Case details for

People v. Guagenti

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. GEORGE GUAGENTI…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Aug 9, 1999

Citations

264 A.D.2d 427 (N.Y. App. Div. 1999)
695 N.Y.S.2d 109

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