People v. Goetz
American criminal case / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about People v. Goetz?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
SHOW ALL QUESTIONS
People v. Goetz, 68 N.Y.2d 96 (N.Y. 1986), was a court case chiefly concerning subjective and objective standards of reasonableness in using deadly force for self-defense; the New York Court of Appeals (the highest court in the state) held that a hybrid objective-subjective standard was mandated by New York law.[1][2]: 554–559
Quick Facts People v. Goetz, Court ...
People v. Goetz | |
---|---|
Court | New York Court of Appeals |
Full case name | The People of the State of New York v. Bernhard Goetz |
Decided | July 8 1986 |
Citation(s) | 68 N.Y.2d 96, 497 N.E.2d 41, 73 A.L.R.4th 971, 55 USLW 2107 |
Case history | |
Prior history | Defendant indicted (Jan. 25, 1985, Mar. 27, 1985); Supreme Court, Trial Term, New York County, dismissed indictment, 131 Misc. 2d 1, 502 N.Y.2d 577 (Jan. 21, 1986); Supreme Court, Appellate Division, affirmed, 116 A.D.2d 316, 501 N.Y.S.2d 326 (Apr. 17, 1986) |
Subsequent action(s) | Defendant criminally convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, upheld on appeal by New York Court of Appeals, 73 N.Y.2d 751 (Nov 22, 1988), and acquitted of attempted murder and assault charges. In a civil action filed by Cabey, Goetz is found responsible for Cabey's injuries and ordered to pay $43 million. |
Holding | |
1) The defense of justification which permits the use of deadly physical force is not a purely subjective standard; the actor's beliefs permitting deadly force must be subjectively held and objectively reasonable. 2) Hearsay statements casting doubt on some of the evidence presented to a grand jury do not warrant dismissal of an indictment. | |
Court membership | |
Chief judge | Sol Wachtler |
Associate judges | Bernard S. Meyer, Richard D. Simons, Judith S. Kaye, Fritz W. Alexander II, Vito J. Titone, Stewart F. Hancock, Jr. |
Case opinions | |
Majority | Wachtler, joined by Unanimous |
Laws applied | |
New York Penal Law Art. 35 |
Close
The underlying case, involving the shooting of four black teenagers on a New York subway, was "one of the most controversial cases in recent American history".[2]: 554–559 The shooting sparked a media frenzy, and Defendant Bernhard Goetz was both vilified and exalted in the press and in public opinion.[3]