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THE HEARSAY MISBEHAVIOR REPORT, UNSUPPORTED BY ANY INVESTIGATION, DID NOT CONSTITUTE SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE OF PETITIONER’S GUILT; DETERMINATION ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT). ​

The Third Department, annulling the determination, held that the hearsay misbehavior report which was not substantiated by an investigation was insufficient to support guilty finding:

“[H]earsay misbehavior reports can constitute substantial evidence to support a determination of guilt so long as the evidence has sufficient relevance and probative value” … . Here, the correction officer who authored the misbehavior report testified at the hearing that no investigation into the allegation was conducted, explaining that the matter was reported toward the end of his shift and, therefore, there was no time for any investigation. Although the correction officer testified that the incarcerated individual who accused petitioner of making threats was “pretty convincing,” he offered no further basis or details as to why he found the report of the threat to be credible. Further, the incarcerated individual who made the allegations against petitioner, and who is identified in the misbehavior report, refused to testify at the hearing. As such, the only evidence to support the charge is the hearsay misbehavior report reciting nothing more than an unverified and uninvestigated accusation that petitioner threatened a fellow incarcerated individual. Under these circumstances, the misbehavior report does not constitute substantial evidence of petitioner’s guilt, and the determination must be annulled … . Matter of Alvarado v Annucci, 2024 NY Slip Op 01227, Third Dept 3-7-24

Practice Point: In inmate disciplinary hearings, a hearsay misbehavior report unsupported by any investigation does not constitute substantial evidence of guilt and will not support a guilty determination.

 

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