NYU DID NOT ACT ARBITRARILY AND CAPRICIOUSLY WHEN IT SUSPENDED THREE STUDENTS FOR ATTENDING OFF-CAMPUS ROOFTOP PARTIES IN AUGUST 2020 WHERE THE ATTENDEES DID NOT WEAR MASKS AND DID NOT PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the school (New York University NYU) properly suspended three students for attending off-campus, rooftop parties in August 2020 where the attendees did not wear masks or practice social distancing. The First Department found that the general student conduct policies prohibiting behavior which endangers health and safety, the COVID-19 Executive Orders in effect at the time, and emails sent out by the school provided sufficient pre-conduct notice of the prohibited conduct:
… [W]e find that NYU’s determination to suspend petitioners was not arbitrary and capricious and was made in the exercise of honest discretion. Petitioners had notice that the gatherings they attended in August 2020 could result in disciplinary action by NYU. Matter of Storino v New York Univ., 2021 NY Slip Op 02087, First Dept 4-1-21