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PLAINTIFF ALLEGED THE DRIVER WORKING FOR A LIVERY CAB COMPANY (CURB) AND THE NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY (NYCTA) DROPPED HIM OFF NEAR A HOLE IN THE ROAD WHICH CAUSED HIM TO FALL; THE RESPONDEAT SUPERIOR (AGENCY) CAUSE OF ACTION SURVIVED; BUT THE COMPLAINT DID NOT SUPPORT THE NEGLIGENT HIRING, RETENTION AND SUPERVISION CAUSE OF ACTION (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined the complaint did not state a cause of action for negligent hiring, retention and supervision. Plaintiff alleged the driver of car which provided a service to the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) through a livery cab company called Curb was negligent in dropping plaintiff off near a hole in the road. Although the negligence action against the NYCTA and Curb survived under an agency (respondeat superior) theory, there were no factual allegations in the complaint which supported the negligent hiring, retention and supervision cause of action:

“An employer can be held liable under theories of negligent hiring, retention, and supervision where it is shown that the employer knew or should have known of the employee’s propensity for the conduct which caused the injury” … . “[A] necessary element of such causes of action is that the employer knew or should have known of the employee’s propensity for the conduct which caused the injury” … . Although such causes of action need not be pleaded with specificity … , the complaint must contain more than bare legal conclusions unsupported by factual allegations … . Here, the complaint did not allege that Curb or the NYCTA knew or should have known of the driver’s propensity for the conduct which caused the injury, nor contain any factual allegations to support such an inference. The bare legal conclusions were insufficient to state a cause of action alleging negligent hiring, training, and retention … . Bailey v City of New York, 2024 NY Slip Op 03156, Second Dept 6-12-24

Practice Point: Conclusory, as opposed to fact-based, allegations of negligent hiring, retention and supervision will not survive a pre-discovery motion to dismiss.

 

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