Section 440.10. Motion to vacate judgment  


Latest version.
  • 1.    At any time after the entry of a judgment, the court in which it
      was entered may, upon motion of the defendant, vacate such judgment upon
      the ground that:
        (a)  The court did not have jurisdiction  of  the  action  or  of  the
      person of the defendant; or
        (b)    The judgment was procured by duress, misrepresentation or fraud
      on the part of the court or a prosecutor or a person acting  for  or  in
      behalf of a court or a prosecutor; or
        (c)    Material  evidence adduced at a trial resulting in the judgment
      was false and was, prior to the entry of  the  judgment,  known  by  the
      prosecutor or by the court to be false; or
        (d)    Material evidence adduced by the people at a trial resulting in
      the judgment was procured in violation of the defendant's  rights  under
      the constitution of this state or of the United States; or
        (e)   During the proceedings resulting in the judgment, the defendant,
      by reason of mental disease or defect, was incapable of understanding or
      participating in such proceedings; or
        (f)   Improper and prejudicial conduct not  appearing  in  the  record
      occurred  during  a trial resulting in the judgment which conduct, if it
      had appeared in the record,  would  have  required  a  reversal  of  the
      judgment upon an appeal therefrom; or
        (g)    New  evidence has been discovered since the entry of a judgment
      based upon a verdict of guilty after trial, which could  not  have  been
      produced  by  the  defendant at the trial even with due diligence on his
      part and which is of such character as to create a probability that  had
      such  evidence  been  received  at the trial the verdict would have been
      more favorable to the defendant; provided that a motion based upon  such
      ground  must  be  made  with  due  diligence after the discovery of such
      alleged new evidence; or
        (h)   The judgment was  obtained  in  violation  of  a  right  of  the
      defendant under the constitution of this state or of the United States.
        2.   Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one, the court must
      deny a motion to vacate a judgment when:
        (a)   The ground or  issue  raised  upon  the  motion  was  previously
      determined  on the merits upon an appeal from the judgment, unless since
      the time of such appellate determination there has been a  retroactively
      effective change in the law controlling such issue; or
        (b)  The judgment is, at the time of the motion, appealable or pending
      on appeal, and sufficient facts appear on the record with respect to the
      ground or issue raised upon the motion to permit adequate review thereof
      upon such an appeal; or
        (c)  Although sufficient facts appear on the record of the proceedings
      underlying  the  judgment  to  have  permitted,  upon  appeal  from such
      judgment, adequate review of the ground or issue raised upon the motion,
      no  such  appellate  review  or  determination  occurred  owing  to  the
      defendant's  unjustifiable  failure  to take or perfect an appeal during
      the prescribed period or to his  unjustifiable  failure  to  raise  such
      ground or issue upon an appeal actually perfected by him; or
        (d)   The ground or issue raised relates solely to the validity of the
      sentence and not to the validity of the conviction.
        3.  Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one, the  court  may
      deny a motion to vacate a judgment when:
        (a)   Although facts in support of the ground or issue raised upon the
      motion could with due diligence by the defendant have readily been  made
      to  appear on the record in a manner providing adequate basis for review
      of such ground or issue upon an appeal from the judgment, the  defendant
      unjustifiably  failed  to  adduce  such matter prior to sentence and the
    
      ground or issue in question was not subsequently determined upon appeal.
      This paragraph does not apply to a motion based upon deprivation of  the
      right  to  counsel  at  the  trial or upon failure of the trial court to
      advise the defendant of such right; or
        (b)    The  ground  or  issue  raised  upon  the motion was previously
      determined on the merits upon a prior motion or proceeding in a court of
      this state, other than an appeal from the judgment, or upon a motion  or
      proceeding   in   a  federal  court;  unless  since  the  time  of  such
      determination there has been a retroactively effective change in the law
      controlling such issue; or
        (c)   Upon a previous  motion  made  pursuant  to  this  section,  the
      defendant  was  in  a  position  adequately to raise the ground or issue
      underlying the present motion but did not do so.
        Although the court may deny the motion under any of the  circumstances
      specified  in  this subdivision, in the interest of justice and for good
      cause shown it may in its discretion grant the motion if it is otherwise
      meritorious and vacate the judgment.
        4.  If the court grants the motion, it must,  except  as  provided  in
      subdivision  five,  vacate the judgment, and must dismiss the accusatory
      instrument, or order a new trial,  or  take  such  other  action  as  is
      appropriate in the circumstances.
        5.    Upon  granting  the  motion  upon  the  ground, as prescribed in
      paragraph (g) of subdivision one, that newly discovered evidence creates
      a probability that had such evidence been  received  at  the  trial  the
      verdict  would  have  been  more  favorable to the defendant in that the
      conviction would have been for a lesser offense than the  one  contained
      in the verdict, the court may either:
        (a)  Vacate the judgment and order a new trial; or
        (b)    With the consent of the people, modify the judgment by reducing
      it to one of conviction for such lesser offense.    In  such  case,  the
      court must re-sentence the defendant accordingly.
        6.    Upon  a  new  trial  resulting from an order vacating a judgment
      pursuant to this section, the indictment is deemed to  contain  all  the
      counts  and to charge all the offenses which it contained and charged at
      the time the previous trial was commenced,  regardless  of  whether  any
      count was dismissed by the court in the course of such trial, except (a)
      those  upon  or  of  which the defendant was acquitted or deemed to have
      been acquitted, and (b)  those  dismissed  by  the  order  vacating  the
      judgment,  and (c) those previously dismissed by an appellate court upon
      an  appeal  from  the  judgment,  or  by  any  court  upon  a   previous
      post-judgment motion.
        7.  Upon an order which vacates a judgment based upon a plea of guilty
      to  an  accusatory  instrument  or  a  part  thereof, but which does not
      dismiss the entire accusatory instrument, the criminal action is, in the
      absence of an  express  direction  to  the  contrary,  restored  to  its
      prepleading  status  and  the accusatory instrument is deemed to contain
      all the counts and to charge all the offenses  which  it  contained  and
      charged  at the time of the entry of the plea, except those subsequently
      dismissed under circumstances specified in paragraphs  (b)  and  (c)  of
      subdivision  six.    Where  the plea of guilty was entered and accepted,
      pursuant to subdivision three of section 220.30, upon the condition that
      it constituted  a  complete  disposition  not  only  of  the  accusatory
      instrument underlying the judgment vacated but also of one or more other
      accusatory  instruments  against  the defendant then pending in the same
      court, the order of vacation completely restores such  other  accusatory
      instruments;  and  such is the case even though such order dismisses the
      main accusatory instrument underlying the judgment.