SYLLABUS
(This syllabus is not part of the opinion of the Court. It has
been prepared by the Office of the Clerk for the convenience of the
reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the Supreme Court. Please
note that, in the interests of brevity, portions of any opinion may not
have been summarized).
(NOTE: The Court wrote no full opinion in this case. Rather, the Court’s reversal of the judgment of the Appellate Division is based substantially on the reasons expressed in Judge Wecker’s dissent below.)
Argued November 7, 2005 -- Decided December 29, 2005
PER CURIAM
The issue in this appeal is whether defendant’s failure to annually verify his address under Megan’s Law, N.J.S.A. 2C:7-1 to -19, constitutes a fourth-degree crime. The appeal arises from the denial of defendant’s motion to dismiss the indictment.
In 1994 a judgment was entered adjudicating defendant delinquent for an aggravated sexual
assault. He was placed on probation and thereafter registered under Megan’s Law with
the Washington Township Police Department. He moved and later returned to Washington Township,
re-registering and signing a form indicating that he understood that his failure to
register, re-register, verify his address, or provide correct information constituted a fourth-degree crime.
Defendant failed to verify his address and was indicted by the Morris County
Grand Jury for failure to register under N.J.S.A. 2C:7-2a, a fourth-degree crime.
Defendant moved for dismissal, arguing that his failure to verify his address was
not a failure to register under Megan’s Law. The trial court denied the
motion to dismiss. Defendant filed a motion for leave to appeal with the
Appellate Division.
On December 22, 2004, the Appellate Division affirmed the trial court’s decision, concluding
that Megan’s Law gives fair notice that a failure to verify annually is
a crime. State v. Gyori,
373 N.J. Super. 559 (App. Div. 2004). The
court concluded that registration includes verification under N.J.S.A. 2C:7-2e and that the “overarching
purpose” of the legislation left no room for any other interpretation.
Judge Wecker, dissenting, concluded that failure to verify one’s address is not itself
a separate fourth-degree crime, as is the failure to register, re-register, or the
failure to notify the appropriate law enforcement agency of a change of address.
Judge Wecker emphasized that the burden is on the Legislature to provide proper
notice of a penalty as it did in subsections a (2) and d,
but that it failed to do so. Judge Wecker further concluded that defendant’s
execution of a form acknowledging that he could be charged with a fourth-degree
crime for failure to verify his address at a later date is not
a substitute for legislative action.
The Supreme Court granted defendant’s petition for certification.
HELD: The judgment of the Appellate Division is REVERSED substantially for the reasons
expressed in Judge Wecker’s dissent. The indictment is dismissed.
JUSTICES LONG, LaVECCHIA, ZAZZALI, ALBIN, WALLACE and RIVERA-SOTO join in this opinion. CHIEF
JUSTICE PORITZ did not participate.
SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY
A-
109 September Term 2004
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
frank gyori, jr.
Defendant-Petitioner.
Argued November 7, 2005 – Decided December 29, 2005
On certification to the Superior Court, Appellate Division, whose opinion is reported at
373 N.J. Super. 559 (2004).
James H. Maynard argued the cause for appellant (Maynard & Truland, attorneys; Joe
B. Truland, Jr., on the brief).
Catherine M. Broderick, Assistant Prosecutor, argued the cause for respondent (Michael M. Rubbinaccio,
Morris County Prosecutor, attorney).
PER CURIAM.
The judgment of the Appellate Division is reversed and the cause remanded to
the Superior Court for entry of an order dismissing the indictment substantially for
the reasons expressed in the dissenting opinion of Judge Wecker reported at
373 N.J. Super. 559, 567-73 (App. Div. 2004).
See footnote 1
JUSTICES LONG, LaVECCHIA, ZAZZALI, ALBIN, WALLACE, and RIVERA-SOTO join in this opinion. CHIEF
JUSTICE PORITZ did not participate.
SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY
NO. A-109 SEPTEMBER TERM 2004
ON CERTIFICATION TO Appellate Division, Superior Court
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
FRANK GYORI, JR.,
Defendant-Petitioner.
DECIDED December 29, 2005
Justice Long PRESIDING
OPINION BY Per Curiam
CONCURRING/DISSENTING OPINIONS BY
DISSENTING OPINION BY
CHECKLIST
Footnote: 1
This appeal arises from the denial of defendant’s motion to dismiss the
indictment, not from a criminal conviction. Judge Wecker concluded that she would “reverse
defendant’s conviction,” State v. Gyori, 373 N.J. Super. at 567. Given the procedural
posture of this case, however, the proper relief is as ordered here: dismissal
of the indictment.