ALTHOUGH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONTENTS OF A CLAIM AGAINST THE STATE IN COURT OF CLAIMS ACT SECTION 11 ARE STRICT AND JURISDICTIONAL, THE CLAIMANT IS NOT REQUIRED TO ALLEGE EVIDENTIARY FACTS (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing the Court of Claims, determined the claim in this Child Victims Act proceeding sufficiently stated the nature of the claim. The claimant alleged he was sexually abused in state-run foster homes every week for two years (1994 – 1996}. The claim alleged negligent hiring, retention or supervision:
The only reason identified by the Court of Claims in the order appealed from, and by the defendant on appeal, for concluding that the claim failed to state the nature of the claim is that, while the claim included an allegation that the defendant had actual or constructive notice of the alleged sexual abuse, it did not supply any “details” as to how the defendant received notice of the alleged abuse. Although the requirements of Court of Claims Act § 11(b) are strict, and jurisdictional in nature, the fact remains that the claim is a pleading, the contents of which are merely allegations. As the defendant correctly contends, “[a] necessary element of a cause of action to recover damages for negligent hiring, retention, or supervision is that the employer knew or should have known of the employee’s propensity for the conduct which caused the injury” … . Nonetheless, “[c]auses of action alleging negligence based upon negligent hiring, retention, or supervision are not statutorily required to be pleaded with specificity” ,,, . The manner in which the defendant acquired actual or constructive notice of the alleged abuse is an evidentiary fact, to be proved by the claimant at trial. In a pleading, “the plaintiff need not allege his [or her] evidence” … . Martinez v State of New York, 2023 NY Slip Op 01990, Second Dept 4-19-23
Practice Point: A claim (i.e., the pleading) against the state must meet the strict, jurisdictional “contents” requirements in Court of Claims Act section 11. But the claim is merely a pleading and need not allege evidentiary facts to survive a motion to dismiss.