People v. Ellis

Judgment unanimously reversed, on the law and facts, and a new trial granted. Memorandum: Appellant was convicted of two counts of robbery in the second degree and one count of grand larceny in the third degree after a jury trial in which both he and a codefendant were represented by one attorney. The record does not reflect that the court made any inquiry concerning the possibility of a conflict of interest that might develop from this joint representation. Meaningful inquiry should have been made on the record by the trial court to ascertain whether defendant was aware of the risk inherent…