You are here: / / Court Should Have Taken Judicial Notice of Father’s False Allegations...
, ,

Court Should Have Taken Judicial Notice of Father’s False Allegations in Prior Proceedings in the Same Court/Court Should Not Have Drawn an Adverse Inference from Mother’s Failure to Call a Witness without Informing Mother of Its Intent to Do So

The Second Department, in reversing Family Court finding that mother committed the family offense of assault, determined Family Court should have taken judicial notice of father’s false allegations in custody proceedings in the same court and should not have drawn an adverse inference from the mother’s failure to call a witness without giving mother the opportunity to explain the witness’ absence:

The Family Court improperly rejected the mother’s request that it take judicial notice of the determination in the parties’ prior custody proceeding, in the same court, in which the father admittedly made false allegations. That proceeding, and the court’s findings therein regarding the father, were relevant to the court’s assessment of the father’s credibility in this matter. Accordingly, the court improvidently exercised its discretion in declining to take judicial notice of the prior custody proceeding … .

Additionally, the Family Court erred in drawing a negative inference based on the mother’s failure to call the child’s maternal grandmother as a witness. ” A party is entitled to a missing witness charge when the party establishes that an uncalled witness possessing information on a material issue would be expected to provide noncumulative testimony in favor of the opposing party and is under the control of and available to that party'” … . The court sua sponte drew a negative inference based on the mother’s failure to call the grandmother as a witness, and failed to advise the mother that it intended to do so … . Matter of Spooner-Boyke v Charles, 2015 NY Slip Op 02132, 2nd Dept 3-18-15

 

You might also like
DEFENDANTS’ VAN FAILED TO YIELD TO APPELLANT’S VEHICLE, WHICH HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY, WHEN DEFENDANTS’ VAN ATTEMPTED TO MERGE INTO APPELLANT’S LANE; THE DASH CAM VIDEO DEMONSTRATED DEFENDANT-DRIVER VIOLATED THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC LAW; APPELLANT WAS NOT NEGLIGENT AS A MATTER OF LAW (SECOND DEPT). ​
Criteria for Vacation of a Stipulation of Settlement Not Met
DEFENDANT PROPERTY OWNER DEMONSTRATED THERE HAD BEEN NO CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ON THE PROPERTY IN THE PAST AND PLAINTIFF FAILED TO RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER THE FAILURE TO SECURE THE ALLEYWAY WAS A PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THE THIRD-PARTY ASSAULT; DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).
Defendant’s Request for New Assigned Counsel Was Not Supported by Sufficient Facts to Warrant Inquiry by the Court
Failure to Affirmatively Demonstrate When the Area Where the Slip and Fall Occurred Was Last Inspected and Failure to Affirmatively Demonstrate the Condition Was a “Latent Defect” Precluded Summary Judgment—Defendants Failed to Affirmatively Demonstrate the Absence of Constructive Notice of the Condition
CONDOMINIUM BOARD STATED BREACH OF CONTRACT CAUSES OF ACTION AGAINST THE FIRM WHICH INSPECTED THE CONDOMINIUMS DURING CONSTRUCTION 2ND DEPT.
Newly Discovered Evidence Required Vacation of Murder Conviction
THE SIX-MONTH STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IN THE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT WITH PLAINTIFF WAS REASONABLE AND ENFORCEABLE; THEREFORE PLAINTIFF’S EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION ACTION, WHICH WAS COMMENCED SIX MONTHS AND ONE DAY AFTER PLAINTIFF’S EMPLOYMENT WAS TERMINATED, WAS TIME-BARRED (SECOND DEPT).

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy

Violation of Confrontation Clause Was Harmless Error When the One-Year Statute of Limitations Begins to Run for False Arrest, Malicious...