| People v Gonzalez |
| 2011 NY Slip Op 09607 [90 AD3d 1005] |
| December 27, 2011 |
| Appellate Division, Second Department |
| The People of State of New York, Respondent, v JuanGonzalez, Appellant. |
—[*1] Charles J. Hynes, District Attorney, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Leonard Joblove, Anthea H. Bruffee,and Adam M. Koelsch of counsel), for respondent.
Appeal by the defendant from an order of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Brennan, J.),dated June 28, 2010, which, after a hearing, designated him a level two sex offender and asexually violent offender pursuant to Correction Law article 6-C.
Ordered that the order is reversed, on the law, without costs or disbursements, and the matteris remitted to the Supreme Court, Kings County, for a new risk level assessment hearing and anew determination thereafter, to be preceded by notice to the defendant in accordance withCorrection Law § 168-d (3).
A sex offender facing risk level classification under the Sex Offender Registration Act(Correction Law art 6-C; hereinafter SORA) has a due process right to be present at the hearing(see People v David W., 95 NY2d 130, 133 [2000]; People v Arrahman, 83 AD3d 680 [2011]; People v Gonzalez, 69 AD3d 819[2010]). " 'To establish whether a defendant, by failing to appear at a SORA hearing, has waivedthe right to be present, evidence must be shown that the defendant was advised of the hearingdate, of the right to be present at the hearing, and that the hearing would be conducted in his orher absence' " (People v Arrahman, 83 AD3d at 680, quoting People v Porter, 37 AD3d 797[2007]).
Here, the record contains no evidence that the defendant received notice of the hearing date.Thus, as the People correctly concede, the defendant's due process rights were violated, and thematter must be remitted to the Supreme Court, Kings County, for a new risk level assessmenthearing and a new determination thereafter, to be preceded by notice to the defendant inaccordance with Correction Law § 168-d (3) (see People v Arrahman, 83 AD3d at680; People v Distaffen, 71 AD3d1597, 1598 [2010]; People vGonzalez, 69 AD3d 819 [2010]).
The defendant's remaining contention is not properly before this Court, since he failed toraise it before the Supreme Court. Angiolillo, J.P., Lott, Austin and Cohen, JJ., concur.