FACT THAT PRO SE NOTICE OF CLAIM WAS NOT VERIFIED PROPERLY OVERLOOKED, FACTS IN NOTICE SUFFICIENT TO NOTIFY CITY OF MALICIOUS PROSECUTION CLAIM (THIRD DEPT).
The Third Department determined the fact that the pro se notice of claim was not verified was properly overlooked by Supreme Court and, although the notice did not explicitly describe a cause of action for malicious prosecution, the allegations were sufficient to put the municipality on notice that a malicious prosecution cause of action was contemplated. Only a mailcious prosecution claim was timely (the false arrest and false imprisonment claims were untimely):
Plaintiff's notice of claim does not specifically refer to the fact that he was charged with harassment in the second degree or to the dismissal of those charges. Nonetheless, plaintiff's assertions that he was falsely arrested without legitimate cause, that no crime took place and that City employees acted maliciously provided sufficient notice to defendants that plaintiff potentially had a claim for malicious prosecution. Although they protect different personal interests and are composed of different elements, claims for “false arrest and malicious prosecution are kindred actions insofar as they often aim to provide recompense for illegal law enforcement activities” … . Causes of action for false arrest and malicious prosecution are related closely enough that, in a trial of both, the court must instruct the jury not to make a duplicate award of damages… . Moreover, actual malice is an element of a cause of action for malicious prosecution, but not of a cause of action for false arrest … . Thus, receipt of a notice of claim alleging that its agents acted maliciously in executing a false arrest when no crime had occurred provided the City with the opportunity to investigate all circumstances related to plaintiff's arrest, including whether he had been arrested pursuant to a warrant — which would have insulated defendants from liability for false arrest … — and whether plaintiff's arrest had resulted in him being charged with, or prosecuted for, a crime. Hone v City of Oneonta, 2018 NY Slip Op 00055, Third Dept 1-4-18
MUNICIPAL LAW (NOTICE OF CLAIM, FACT THAT PRO SE NOTICE OF CLAIM WAS NOT VERIFIED PROPERLY OVERLOOKED, FACTS IN NOTICE SUFFICIENT TO NOTIFY CITY OF MALICIOUS PROSECUTION CLAIM (THIRD DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (MUNICIPAL LAW, NOTICE OF CLAIM, FACT THAT PRO SE NOTICE OF CLAIM WAS NOT VERIFIED PROPERLY OVERLOOKED, FACTS IN NOTICE SUFFICIENT TO NOTIFY CITY OF MALICIOUS PROSECUTION CLAIM (THIRD DEPT))/NOTICE OF CLAIM (MUNICIPAL LAW, FACT THAT PRO SE NOTICE OF CLAIM WAS NOT VERIFIED PROPERLY OVERLOOKED, FACTS IN NOTICE SUFFICIENT TO NOTIFY CITY OF MALICIOUS PROSECUTION CLAIM (THIRD DEPT))/MALICIOUS PROSECUTION (MUNICIPAL LAW, NOTICE OF CLAIM, FACT THAT PRO SE NOTICE OF CLAIM WAS NOT VERIFIED PROPERLY OVERLOOKED, FACTS IN NOTICE SUFFICIENT TO NOTIFY CITY OF MALICIOUS PROSECUTION CLAIM (THIRD DEPT))