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Judge Grants Motion to Vacate Reckless‑driving Conviction for Nikhil Patri
Summary
On July 21, 2025, County Court Judge Stu Grant granted a defense motion to vacate a 2015 reckless‑driving conviction (originally a DUI amended to reckless) for defendant Nikhil Patri, withdrawing the guilty finding and entering a not‑guilty disposition under the applicable statute and related legislation discussed in court.
Judge Stu Grant granted a motion to vacate a reckless‑driving conviction for defendant Nikhil Patri on July 21, 2025, after reviewing statutory eligibility and out‑of‑state records. The court withdrew the guilty finding and ordered that a not‑guilty entry and dismissal be recorded.
The motion was filed by defense counsel (Mister Milios). Judge Grant said he had reviewed the statute, consulted colleagues, and ‘‘I am going to grant the motion. I will withdraw the guilty finding. Not guilty will be entered, and the case will be vacated.’’
Defense counsel told the court Patri ‘‘has no other criminal history at all’’ and that Patri complied with all court conditions following the January 2015 incident. Counsel said a Triple I background check had been obtained to confirm there were no out‑of‑state violations.
The city prosecutor urged the court to exercise discretion and not vacate the conviction, arguing the underlying charge began as a DUI amended to reckless and that the conviction should remain on the defendant’s record so future courts can consider it when imposing conditions. The prosecutor stated the city’s ‘‘position that that should remain, on the defendant’s record in the event there are any future, violations that are similar in nature so that the court has that information to draw back on in setting conditions of release and or, sentence.’’
Judge Grant explained that although he had ‘‘a bit of pause’’ because the matter was a prior offense, his statutory review and cautionary checks supported granting the motion. The judge directed that the signed order be entered into the court record management system.
The court record will reflect the vacatur; defense counsel stated they will check with the clerk for a signed copy of the order.
Why it matters: vacatur changes the criminal disposition so the defendant may lawfully state he was not convicted for this charge while the underlying driving record entry may remain for administrative purposes. The city’s stated concern highlights how vacatur can affect future sentencing information available to courts.
