People v. Cooper

OPINION OF THE COURT

Memorandum.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.

Defendant opened the door to cross-examination regarding his motivation for prior guilty pleas and was subject to impeachment by the People’s use of the otherwise precluded evidence (People v Fardan, 82 NY2d 638, 646). We note that in this case — unlike in People v Moore (92 NY2d 823) where the defendant’s statements were vague and equivocal — defendant’s testimony was meant to elicit an incorrect jury inference that he had pleaded guilty and served prison terms in prior cases, but that he would not plead…