A man who was convicted of selling drugs after his lawyer falsely told a jury that bags of drugs found on his person did not match bags bought by an undercover police officer has won a new trial from a state appeals court, which ruled that the defendant had received ineffective assistance of counsel.

A unanimous Appellate Division, First Department, panel ruled in People v. Barnes, 1793/09, that Roland Barnes, had been denied his right to a fair trial by his attorney’s error.