Donna Aldea and Matthew Keller Vindicate Client’s Fundamental Right to a Fair Trial, Reversing Unconstitutional Sex Abuse Conviction
Moshe Neustadt was released from a 10-year prison sentence following a decisive victory by Appellate Litigation Partner Donna Aldea and Associate Attorney Matthew Keller, who convinced a four-judge panel of the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division that our client’s constitutional rights had been violated, thereby securing a unanimous vote from all four judges to overturn his sex abuse conviction.
Among other issues, the appeal successfully argued that the trial judge’s preclusion of a defense rebuttal witness amounted to an unconstitutional deprivation of our client’s right to a fair trial. The unanimous decision from the Appellate Division, Second Department – which encompasses 10 counties in its jurisdiction -- Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, and Dutchess – not only had a profound impact on Mr. Neustadt but is also published appellate precedent that could influence countless future criminal cases throughout the state.
