The “Latest Posts” Section (Below) Covers Significant Decisions and “Signed” Opinions Released by Our New York State Appellate Courts September 28 – October 2, 2026.

The Summaries of Decisions Released October 5 – 9, 2026, Will Be Added Over the Next Few Days (October 12 – 16, 2026)

NEW YORK STATE APPELLATE DECISIONS IN DIGEST

Summaries of over 18,000 Decisions Released Since January 2013 by All Four Departments of the Appellate Division and the Court of Appeals in an Organized, Searchable, Continuously Updated Database

Summaries Are Posted Weekly in the “Latest Posts” Section Below (Currently Covering September 28 – October 2, 2026—1st, 2nd & 4th Departments).

For the Latest Summaries in Any Legal Category and/or Court See the Search Instructions in the “Latest Posts” Section (Below) or on the “Just Released” Page (Top Menu)

Bruce Freeman, Esq.

New York Appellate Digest, Inc.

A SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF OVER 18,000 DECISION-SUMMARIES WITH A FOCUS ON REVERSALS

COVERING VIRTUALLY ALL THE LEGAL CATEGORIES ADDRESSED BY OUR NYS APPELLATE COURTS SINCE JANUARY 2013

[“ATTORNEY DISCIPLINE” AND NO-FAULT “SERIOUS INJURY” ARE THE ONLY CATEGORIES NOT COVERED]

SEE THE FOOTER FOR ALL THE LEGAL CATEGORIES IN THE DATABASE

CLICK ON ANY CATEGORY IN THE FOOTER FOR ALL THE SUMMARIES IN THAT CATEGORY, MOST RECENT FIRST

THE DECISIONS SUMMARIZED HERE ARE THE COURTS’ TEACHING TOOLS

ALL SUBSTANTIVE APPELLATE DIVISION REVERSALS

ALL COURT OF APPEALS “SIGNED” OPINIONS AND SUBSTANTIVE MEMORANDUM DECISIONS

ALL APPELLATE DIVISION “SIGNED” OPINIONS

SELECTED APPELLATE DIVISION MEMORANDUM AFFIRMANCES WITH DISSENTS

UPDATED EVERY WEEK SINCE JANUARY 1, 2013

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST SIGNIFICANT APPELLATE RULINGS AND GET CLE CREDIT FOR DOING IT.

CLE COURSE

NEW YORK APPELLATE DIGEST, INC. IS AN ACCREDITED NEW YORK STATE CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION PROVIDER

“CIVIL PROCEDURE UPDATE JANUARY THROUGH JUNE 2025,” A TWO CREDIT-HOUR CLE COURSE, IS NOW AVAILABLE

To Access the Course, Click on “CLE Courses” in the Top Menu

In Addition to the Two-Hour Recorded Lecture, the CLE Course-Page Has a Detailed Outline of the Contents of the Course and Links to the Written Materials (Six Monthly Reversal Reports), the Attorney Affirmation and the Evaluation Form

SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR WEEKLY SITE UPDATES

Searchable, Organized Database of Over 18,000 Decision-Summaries
“Latest Posts” Updated Weekly (September 28 – October 2, 2026)
Weekly Reversal Reports (January 2023 – August 2026)
Monthly Personal Injury Reversal Reports (January 2019 through January 2026)
Monthly Civil Procedure Reversal Reports (January 2019 through January 2026)
Monthly Criminal Law Reversal Reports (January 2019 through January 2026)
Civil Procedure Update CLE (January – June 2025)

September 2026 Weekly Reversal Reports

The January 2023 through August 2026 Weekly Reversal Reports Are Archived in the Update Service (Accessed in the Top Menu)

Use the Weekly Reversal Reports to Catch Up with the Most Significant 2023 – 2026 Decisions in All Legal Categories by Skimming Through the Tables of Contents

Weekly Reversal Report August 31 – September 11, 2026

Weekly Reversal Report September 14 – 18, 2026

Weekly Reversal Report September 21 – 25, 2026

January 2026 Personal Injury Reversal Report

An Organized Compilation of the Summaries of Personal-Injury-Related Decisions (All Substantive Reversals, Opinions and Decisions w/Dissents) Posted in January 2026

Click on the Link Below

For All Other Monthly Reversal Reports Since January 2019 (Formerly “Update Pamphlets”) Click on “Update Service” in the Top Menu

Personal Injury Reversal Report January 2026

January 2026 Civil Procedure Reversal Report

An Organized Compilation of the Summaries of the Civil-Procedure-Related Decisions (All Substantive Reversals, Opinions and Decisions w/Dissents) Posted in January 2026

Click on the Link Below

For All Other Monthly Reversal Reports Since January 2019 (Formerly “Update Pamphlets”) Click on “Update Service” in the Top Menu

Civil Procedure Reversal Report January 2026

January 2026 Criminal Law Reversal Report

An Organized Compilation of the Summaries of Criminal-Law-Related Decisions (All Substantive Reversals, Opinions and Decisions w/Dissents) Posted in January 2026

Click on the Link Below

For All Other Monthly Reversal Reports Since January 2019 (Formerly “Update Pamphlets”) Click on “Update Service” in the Top Menu

Criminal Law Reversal Report January 2026

How To Use the New York Appellate Digest

Checklists for Case Preparation

Note: Before Relying On Any Decision Summarized on this Site, Make Sure It Remains Good Law Using the Method You Trust for that Purpose. See the Discussion Under “Shepardize” Below.

Note: The Easiest Way to Save a Search Result Is to Highlight It and then Copy and Paste into a Word Document. All the Links Remain Functional in the Word Document.

The content of the smaller categories can serve as checklists for the preparation of a case. If you are bringing a Medical Malpractice case, for example, why not browse through all of the decision-summaries in that category before you interview your client? In a few minutes you can survey all the Medical Malpractice issues which have made it to the appellate courts since 2013. You may be able to avoid mistakes made by others. If you are bringing a construction-accident case, browse through the Labor Law-Construction Law category. The hidden pitfalls in that area of the law will surprise you. There are many smaller categories which can be used to jump-start the initial preparation of a case.

There are only three categories which are too large to browse: Negligence, Civil Procedure and Criminal Law. By getting comfortable with the Search function, even these larger categories can serve as “checklists” for case preparation.

To Keep Up With the Most Recent Decisions

Note: Before Relying On Any Decision Summarized on this Site, Make Sure It Remains Good Law Using the Method You Trust for that Purpose. See the Discussion Under “Shepardize” Below.

Note: The Easiest Way to Save a Search Result Is to Highlight It and then Copy and Paste into a Word Document. All the Links Remain Functional in the Word Document.

The summaries of the decisions released the week before are here on the Home Page, organized by release date (not legal category) with the most recent releases first. For readers who like to browse through all of last week’s decision-summaries in one place, the “Latest Posts” section (below) provides that service.

Each week’s “Latest Posts” are organized by legal category and compiled in a PDF document with a Table of Contents, the “Weekly Reversal Report.” The links to the most recent “Weekly Reversal Reports” are in the orange-brown panel on the Home Page. The past “Weekly Reversal Reports” are archived in “Update Service,” accessed in the Top Menu. Skimming through the Tables of Contents of the Weekly Reversal Reports is an easy way to quickly catch up with the issues our New York State appellate courts have been addressing since January 2023.

The Search Function allows the reader to zero in on the most recent decision-summaries in specific categories. Click on the “All Categories” line in the Search Panel (at the Top of the “Latest Posts” Section on the Home Page and on the right side all other website pages) to reveal the drop-down menu. Choose a category from the drop-down menu and click on “Search.” All the decision-summaries in that category will come up (going back to January 1, 2013), the most recent first.

Similarly, just clicking on any category in the Footer at the bottom of every page will bring up the all the decision-summaries in that category, the most recent first (an alternative to using the Search Panel for this purpose).

For the latest decision-summaries in all categories from a specific court, choose “All Categories” in the first line of the search panel, choose the court from the menu, and click on “Search.” To select multiple courts, hold the “Ctrl” key down and click on the courts. To de-select a selected court, hold the “Ctrl” key down and click on it.

For the latest decision-summaries in a specific legal category and from a specific court choose a category from the drop-down menu in the Search Panel, choose the court from the menu, and click on “Search.” To select multiple courts, hold the “Ctrl” key down and click on the courts. To de-select a selected court, hold the “Ctrl” key down and click on it.

Click on “Just Released” for more instructions on how to search for the most recent decisions.

Year in Review--Create Personalized Updates

Note: Before Relying On Any Decision Summarized on this Site, Make Sure It Remains Good Law Using the Method You Trust for that Purpose. See the Discussion Under “Shepardize” Below.

Note: The Easiest Way to Save a Search Result Is to Highlight It and then Copy and Paste into a Word Document. All the Links Remain Functional in the Word Document.

The search function can be used to get caught up on what all the courts have ruled on so far this year, or what any specific court has ruled on so far this year, or what any court has ruled on during any time period, going back weeks, months or years. Just add the “start” and “end” dates to your searches (the third and fourth lines in the search panel on the right side of the page).

In the posts “Just Released,” “Streamlined Research” and “Update Service,” how to do (1) searches in all legal categories, (2) searches in specific categories, (3) searches using keywords and phrases, and (4) searches confined to specific courts, is explained in some detail. Use the “start” and “end” date criteria to confine any of those types of searches to a specific time period.

If, for example, you want to see what the Fourth Department has addressed in the category “Criminal Law” in 2024, click on “Criminal Law” in the drop-down menu in the Search Panel (revealed when you click on “All Categories”), choose January 1, 2024, as the start date, choose today as the end date, click on “Fourth Department” in the Search Panel menu and click on “Search.”

If you want to see what the Court of Appeals ruled on this year in all categories, leave “All Categories” in the top line of the search panel, choose January 1, 2024, for the start date and today for the end date, click on “Court of Appeals” in the search panel menu and click on “Search.”

Any type of search can be confined to any specific time period between January 1, 2013, and today.

For more on this “personalized update service” capability, click on “Update Service.”

Streamlined Research---Decisions Already Analyzed, Issues Already Identified, Before You Search

Note: Before Relying On Any Decision Summarized on this Site, Make Sure It Remains Good Law Using the Method You Trust for that Purpose. See the Discussion Under “Shepardize” Below.

Note: The Easiest Way to Save a Search Result Is to Highlight It and then Copy and Paste into a Word Document. All the Links Remain Functional in the Word Document.

The New York Appellate Digest database is comprised of over 18,000 summaries of selected decisions released since January, 2013, by all four departments of the Appellate Division and the Court of Appeals. All areas of the law addressed by the courts (except no-fault “serious injury” and “attorney discipline”) are covered, from Administrative Law to Zoning. See the drop-down menu in the Search Panel at the top of the “Latest Posts” section on the Home Page and on the right side of every other website page (revealed by clicking on “All Categories”) or the Footer on every page for the complete list of covered legal categories.

The database is unique among case-law databases because the decisions have already been selected for their instructive value, studied and analyzed. The summaries of the decisions that make up this database have already been organized and placed in all relevant legal categories. The issues in each decision have already been identified and described in the headings of the summaries. The most instructive portions of the decisions have already been located and are directly quoted in the summaries. Much of the work that ordinarily goes into case-law research has been done before you click on the “Search” button.

Because all the decision-summaries have been organized by linking each one to all relevant legal categories, searches are focused, fast and efficient. Choosing the right category and/or searching for a single strong keyword or a strong phrase (in the “Search by Keywords” line of the search panel) is often enough to bring up most or all of the summaries on that specific topic.

The time it takes to sort through search results, eliminate the irrelevant, and collect the relevant, is drastically reduced because the concise summary-headings describe the issues addressed by each decision.

For instructions on how to use the site as an up-to-date research tool click on “Just Released,” “Update Service,” and “Streamlined Research.”

The Database at a Glance; Single Page Descriptions of the Covered Topics Help Focus Your Searches

Note: Before Relying On Any Decision Summarized on this Site, Make Sure It Remains Good Law Using the Method You Trust for that Purpose. See the Discussion Under “Shepardize” Below.

Note: The Easiest Way to Save a Search Result Is to Highlight It and then Copy and Paste into a Word Document. All the Links Remain Functional in the Word Document.

Since January, 2013, without interruption, I have been sifting through all the Appellate Division and Court of Appeals decisions released each week, choosing the most instructive for inclusion in the New York Appellate Digest database.

With only two narrow exceptions (attorney-grievance decisions, and no-fault serious-injury decisions) every area of the law addressed by our appellate courts over the past ten years or so is covered in the New York Appellate Digest database (see the footer for the list of covered categories). It is now rare for a completely new or novel legal issue to come up, an indication the 14,000 decision-summaries present a fairly complete picture of the law of New York.

The key to finding what you are looking for in the database is choosing the most relevant legal categories and the best keywords or phrases for database searches. For the basics on searches click on “Just Released,” “Update Service,” and “Streamlined Research.”

The pages linked to below are offered to provide some idea of the depth of coverage in the database of specific areas of the law and may therefore help in choosing the best categories and keywords for a database search.

BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS;

EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW;

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW (FOIL);

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE;

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION;

ZONING AND LAND USE.

Shepardize Before Relying On Any Summarized Decision

Note: The Easiest Way to Save a Search Result Is to Highlight It and then Copy and Paste into a Word Document. All the Links Remain Functional in the Word Document.

When a decision is reversed, modified, remitted, reargued, overruled, etc., the summary of any related decision already in the New York Appellate Digest database is NOT flagged.

I have made an effort to summarize every substantive Court of Appeals decision released since January 2013, and every reversal by the Court of Appeals, even if the reversal-decision is not substantive. So a “post-January, 2013” reversal of an Appellate Division decision should be in the “Court of Appeals” portion of the New York Appellate Digest database. Bear in mind, however, a single Court of Appeals decision may reverse more than one lower-court decision. Therefore a Court of Appeals citation in the New York Appellate Digest database may not include all parties affected by a reversal.

The database may not include every reversal by the Court of Appeals (I don’t think I missed any, but …). In addition, a reversal is not the only way a decision can be rendered obsolete. Court of Appeals and Appellate Division decisions may be overruled by the United States Supreme Court (i.e., the Supreme Court’s warrant-requirement for cell-phone-location records). Decisions at both the Court of Appeals and Appellate Division levels sometimes indicate prior contrary rulings should not be followed. One Appellate Division department may expressly disagree with rulings on the same issue made in other departments. Decisions may subsequently be reargued, or remitted before or after appeal, leading to a different result. It is certainly possible that not every decision stemming from the same proceeding has been included in the New York Appellate Digest database.

Therefore, before relying on any decision summarized here, make sure it is good law using the method you trust for that purpose.

Latest Posts

Posted Below Are Summaries of Selected Decisions Released September 28 – October 2, 2026, by the First, Second and Fourth Departments, Organized by Date Only (Not by Legal Category or Court).

Use the Search Panel (Immediately Below) to Pull Up the Latest Posts in a Specific Legal Category. Click on “All Categories,” Pick the Category from the Drop-Down Menu, and Click on “Search.” A Category Search Brings Up All the Posts in the Database Going Back to January 2013, Most Recent Posts First.

The Latest Posts in a Specific Legal Category Can Also Be Accessed Simply by Clicking on the Category in the Footer at the Bottom of All of the Website Pages.

For the Latest Posts from a Specific Court, Most Recent First, Use the Search Panel—Either Choose “All Categories” or a Specific Category in the Drop-Down Menu (Revealed by Clicking on “All Categories” at the Top of the Search Panel) and Choose the Desired Court by Clicking On It in the Menu, then Click on “Search”—To Choose Multiple Courts, Hold Down the “Ctrl” Key and Click on Them—To De-Select a Selected Court, Hold Down the “Ctrl” Key and Click on It.

Sign Up for the Mailing List in the Footer (below) to be Notified As Soon As the Latest Posts Are Online

SEARCH PANEL

Use the Search Panel to Access the More than 17,000 Decision-Summaries in the Database. Keyword Searches Are Easy Because the Decision-Summaries Are Organized by Legal Category. So, For Example, If You Click on “Negligence” and Use “Fall” as a Keyword, Only Slip and Fall Decision-Summaries Will Come Up. Or If You Click on “Labor Law-Construction Law” and Use “Ladder” as a Keyword, Only Ladder-Fall Decision-Summaries Will Come Up.

Before Relying On Any Decision Summarized on this Site, Make Sure It Remains Good Law Using the Method You Trust for that Purpose. See the Discussion Under “Shepardize” Above in the “How to Use the New York Appellate Digest” section.

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