You are here: / THE QUESTION WHETHER THE SEXUAL ASSAULT OF PLAINTIFF IN DEFENDANT GYM’S...

Search Results

/ , ,

THE QUESTION WHETHER THE SEXUAL ASSAULT OF PLAINTIFF IN DEFENDANT GYM’S STEAM ROOM WAS FORESEEABLE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DECIDED AGAINST THE PLAINTIFF AS A MATTER OF LAW; THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF PRIOR SIMILAR ASSAULTS (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined there were questions of fact about the foreseeability of the underlying incident, an alleged sexual assault in the steam room at defendant Equinox’s gym, which precluded summary judgment. Although Equinox had no prior notice with respect to the person who allegedly assaulted plaintiff, there was evidence Equinox was aware of other similar incidents in the steam room:

The Court of Appeals has “repeatedly emphasized” that “[o]nly in rare cases” can questions concerning foreseeability be decided as a matter of law … . * * *

Here, the motion court determined that plaintiff’s alleged attack was not foreseeable because “the ‘notice’ plaintiff relies upon concerns other alleged incidents in the steam room, none of which involved plaintiff’s assailant” and that “some of the other incidents]appear to involve consensual behavior.” New York courts, however, have never required prior incidents to have been committed by the same assailant or even be of the same type of conduct to which the plaintiff was subjected … . … [A]t least three of the other gym members reported that they had been sexually harassed, including the member who complained mere weeks before the assault on plaintiff … .

The motion court additionally found that, even if defendants did have a duty to plaintiff to prevent his alleged assault, “they met their duty to implement reasonable policies to decrease the likelihood of such an incident” and plaintiff failed to present a material issue of fact “with respect to these policies and procedures.”  * * *

We find that whether plaintiff’s alleged assault was foreseeable to Equinox and whether Equinox implemented adequate security measures to decrease the likelihood of such incidents are questions of fact and plaintiff’s negligence claim should advance to a jury trial. We cannot say, as a matter of law, that another gym member allegedly assaulting plaintiff against the backdrop of multiple complaints of inappropriate sexual conduct inside the steam room was “extraordinary under the circumstances or not foreseeable in the normal course of events” … . Crandall v Equinox Holdings, Inc., 2024 NY Slip Op 04902, First Dept 10-8-24

Practice Point: Whether an injury to plaintiff was foreseeable from defendant’s perspective can rarely be decided as a matter of law.

 

/ , ,

THE CONTRACT PROVISIONS MANDATING ARBITRATION WERE PROPERLY ENFORCED BY SUPREME COURT (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Oing, affirming Supreme Court, determined the contract provisions compelling arbitration should be enforced in this complex dispute among the owners and operators of nursing homes in Arizona. The terms of the contracts and the history of the litigation are far too detailed to fairly summarize here. Matter of Fein v Langer, 2024 NY Slip Op 04906, First Dept 10-8-24

Practice Point: In this case, the proverb cited in the opinion—“be careful what you wish for”—-means the contract provisions compelling arbitration controlled and the court litigation which had been commenced was precluded.

 

/ , , , ,

THE IDENTITIES OF THE SUBJECTS OF TWO SCHOLARLY ARTICLES LINKING TALCUM-POWDER PRODUCTS WITH MESOTHELIOMA SHOULD BE RELEASED; THE INFORMATION IS NOT PROTECTED BY HIPAA OR THE FEDERAL COMMON RULE; PRODUCTION OF THE INFORMATION WOULD NOT BE UNDULY BURDENSOME AND WOULD NOT DETER FUTURE RESEARCH (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court’s denial of a petition to enforce an out-of-state subpoena, determined the identities of the subjects of two scholarly articles linking cosmetic talcum powder products with mesothelioma were not protected by HIPAA’s privacy rule or the federal Common Rule:

The information sought by the subpoenas … is clearly relevant to the underlying New Jersey personal injury action. It goes directly to the credibility of these articles, which speak to the central issues in dispute and are relied on by three testifying experts, and whose author was to testify as an expert until she voluntarily withdrew … .

The information sought by the subpoenas is not protected from disclosure by HIPAA’s privacy rule, which does not apply where, as here, the health care providers did not provide physician services in connection with the articles and the subjects were never their patients … .

The information sought by the subpoenas is also not protected from disclosure by the federal Common Rule because the articles to which they relate fall within the exemption for secondary research based on publicly available identifiable private information or biospecimens … .The burden was on the party opposing the subpoenas to prove that this information was produced in the underlying litigations subject to a protective order … . Neither party opposing disclosure of the information has offered any such proof.

Production of the information sought by the subpoenas would not be unduly burdensome, nor is it likely to have a chilling effect on future medical research. The subject information consists of just a few pages, is easily located, does not concern ongoing research, and does not reveal the unpublished thought processes of the researchers. Moreover, the subjects never actually agreed to participate in any research, having released their information in connection with public litigation, and so it is unclear how allowing disclosure of their identities might deter future research participation … . Matter of Johnson & Johnson v Northwell Health Inc., 2024 NY Slip Op 04909, First Dept 10-8-24

Practice Point: The decision outlines the issues involved in seeking the identities of the subjects of two scholarly articles linking talcum-powder products with mesothelioma.

 

/ , , , ,

FAILURE TO PRESERVE VIDEO SHOWING THE AREA WHERE PLAINTIFF SLIPPED AND FELL PRIOR TO THE FALL WARRANTED AN ADVERSE INFERENCE CHARGE; UNDER THE FACTS, STRIKING DEFENDANT’S ANSWER WAS TOO SEVERE A SANCTION (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined striking defendant’s answer for destruction of video evidence in this slip and fall case was not warranted, an adverse inference jury instruction was a sufficient sanction. Defendant provided video of plaintiff’s fall in compliance with plaintiff’s attorney’s request. Nine months later plaintiff’s attorney requested video showing the area prior to the fall, but it had been overwritten by then:

Plaintiffs’ counsel sent defendants a preservation letter approximately seven days following the accident. Defendants responded by producing several minutes of video of the accident itself, which was reasonably compliant with plaintiffs’ request for video surveillance of “the incident.” However, there was no pre-fall video footage provided to aid plaintiffs in establishing defendants’ actual or constructive notice of the alleged hazardous condition on the floor. Defendants’ employee, who culled the video footage provided, was no longer in defendants’ employ and was not available to be deposed as to his or her reasons for selecting particular video footage. Plaintiff’s counsel did not alert defendants of a need for additional video footage depicting the pre-fall circumstances at the accident site until nine months after receipt of the initial video clip, which was well after the software that operated defendants’ surveillance cameras had overwritten the video surveillance from plaintiff’s accident date.

Plaintiff’s proof established that defendants had control over the relevant surveillance and preserved it to the extent requested, but absent deposition testimony from defendant’s former employee who prepared the video clip as to his reasons for selecting the footage he or she did, the culpability issue cannot be definitively resolved. Nevertheless, the destroyed evidence video compromised the fairness of the litigation so as to warrant an adverse inference sanction … . Lev v Eataly USA LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 04910, First Dept 10-8-24

Practice Point: Plaintiff’s counsel requested video of “the incident” in this slip and fall case, which was provided. Nine months later plaintiff’s counsel requested video showing the area prior to the fall re: the issue of defendant’s notice of the condition. By that time the video had been overwritten. Plaintiff was entitled to an adverse inference jury instruction. Striking the defendant’s answer was deemed too severe a sanction.

 

/ ,

ALTHOUGH DEFENDANT DID NOT PRODUCE AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT WITH PLAINTIFF, DEFENDANT DEMONSTRATED IT WAS PLAINTIFF’S SPECIAL EMPLOYER; THEREFORE PLAINTIFF’S PERSONAL INJURY ACTION WAS PRECLUDED BY HIS ELECTION OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant was plaintiff’s special employer and plaintiff’s action for personal injury was precluded by his election of workers’ compensation benefits:

Plaintiff testified that he received all his work instructions from an employee of defendant, the building’s manager … . Both plaintiff and the building’s manager testified that they considered the building manager to be plaintiff’s boss or supervisor … .

The evidence thus showed that defendant “supervised, directed and controlled plaintiff’s work” … . Although defendant has produced no contract between itself and the building owner, such a contract is not a prerequisite for special employment status … . Therefore, defendant has established its prima facie case that it was plaintiff’s special employer, which plaintiff has failed to rebut with any issue of fact…. . Payano v Proto Prop. Servs. LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 04915, First Dept 10-8-2024

Practice Point: Here defendant was deemed plaintiff’s special employer, despite the absence of an employment contract. Therefore plaintiff’s election to receive workers’ compensation benefits precluded his personal injury action against defendant.

 

/ , ,

DEFENSE COUNSEL WAS DEEMED INEFFECTIVE FOR FAILING TO OBJECT TO THE PROSECUTOR’S REPEATED PREJUDICIAL REMARKS MADE TO PROSPECTIVE JURORS (TO THE EFFECT “I CAN SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE I AM NO LONGER A DEFENSE ATTORNEY”), AND FOR AGREEING TO THE JUDGE’S REQUEST TO HAVE THE TWO SIDES ALTERNATE GOING FIRST IN EXERCISING PEREMPTORY JUROR CHALLENGES (IN VIOLATION OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW) (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, over a two-justice dissent, reversed defendant’s conviction on ineffective-assistance grounds. Defense counsel did not object to the prosecutor’s repeated statements to prospective jurors that he can sleep at night because he is a prosecutor and no longer a defense attorney. Defense counsel agreed to alter the statutory peremptory juror-challenge procedure, which requires that the People must exercise their peremptory challenges first. Defense counsel agreed to alternate which side went first:

The first error occurred during voir dire when defense counsel failed to object to patently improper comments from the prosecutor regarding his ability to sleep at night now that he is a prosecutor and no longer a defense attorney. Perhaps it was a legitimate strategy for defense counsel not to object to the first improper comment of that nature given that defense counsel may not have wanted to draw more attention to the prejudicial comment. For the same reason, defense counsel might be excused for not objecting when the prosecutor repeated the comment to the same group of prospective jurors. We can discern no legitimate strategy, however, for defense counsel to remain quiet when the prosecutor made the same comment for the third, fourth and fifth times during voir dire. At some point, defense counsel was obligated to protect defendant from the prejudice arising from the repeated acts of prosecutorial misconduct and, at the very least, request a curative instruction from the court.

Defense counsel also erred in not objecting—and, indeed, consenting—to the court’s unlawful procedure of having the parties alternate which side went first in declaring whether they wished to exercise a peremptory challenge to a particular prospective juror. CPL 270.15 (2) provides that the People “must exercise their peremptory challenges first and may not, after the defendant has exercised [the defendant’s] peremptory challenges, make such a challenge to any remaining prospective juror who is then in the jury box.” After the court stated that its practice was to have parties alternate their exercise of peremptory challenges, defense counsel, evidently unaware of the statute’s mandate, said, “I’ll go first. He can go first. I don’t care.” As a result, on numerous occasions during voir dire defense counsel stated whether or not she was peremptorily challenging a prospective juror before the prosecutor was required to state his position.

Although the court’s violation of CPL 270.15 (2) does not constitute a mode of proceedings error, it was certainly prejudicial to defendant and we can conceive of no legitimate strategy for defense counsel’s acquiescence to the unlawful procedure. Viewing the evidence, the law and the circumstances of this case in totality and as of the time of the representation, “[o]ur review of this record indicates that defendant was not afforded meaningful representation and was therefore deprived of a fair trial” … . People v Stewart, 2024 NY Slip Op 04863, Fourth Dept 10-4-24

Practice Point: Although it is not a mode of proceedings error to alternate which side goes first in exercising peremptory challenges to prospective jurors in violation of the criminal procedure law, here defense counsel’s agreement to the procedure was deemed ineffective assistance of counsel and a new trial was ordered.

 

/

CRITERIA FOR AN EASEMENT BY NECESSITY EXPLAINED, NOT MET HERE; THE NECESSITY MUST EXIST AT THE TIME THE LANDLOCKED PARCEL WAS SEVERED; PROOF OF A FUTURE INTENT TO USE THE PARCEL FOR PERSONAL PARKING WAS DEEMED INSUFFICIENT (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff did not satisfy the criteria for an easement by necessity for access to a landlocked parcel:

“[T]he party asserting an easement by necessity bears the burden of establishing by clear and convincing evidence . . . that there was a unity and subsequent separation of title, and . . . that at the time of severance an easement over [the servient estate’s] property was absolutely necessary” … .

… [P]laintiff established that he had common ownership of the subject parcels at the time of severance. We agree with defendant, however, that, “inasmuch as the existence and extent of an easement by necessity is determined based on the circumstances as they existed at the time of severance” … , plaintiff failed to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the use and extent of a right-of-way he now seeks was “absolutely necessary” upon separation of title … . While plaintiff generally averred in his affidavit in support of his motion that he retained his landlocked parcel “for purposes of utilizing [the] space for personal parking needs,” any such statement of future intentions failed to establish the nature and extent of the access over the conveyed property that was “indispensable to the reasonable use for the [retained] property” upon severance of title … . Trusso v Brev519, LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 04880, Fourth Dept 10-4-24

Practice Point: The “necessity” for an easement by necessity must be demonstrated to have existed at the time the landlocked parcel was severed. Proof of a future intent to use the parcel for personal parking was therefore deemed insufficient to support an easement by necessity.

 

/ , , , ,

THE ARBITRATOR’S INTERPRETATION OF THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WAS NOT IRRATIONAL; THE AWARD MUST BE CONFIRMED EVEN WHERE THE COURT DISAGREES WITH THE INTERPRETATION (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the arbitrator’s ruling that petitioner firefighters were entitled to paid emergency leave should have been confirmed. In recent weeks, the appellate courts across the state have been emphasizing the finality of an arbitrator’s award, even where the court might have decided the matter differently:

“[J]udicial review of arbitration awards is extremely limited” … . “The court must vacate an arbitration award where the arbitrator exceeds a limitation on his or her power as set forth in the CBA [collective bargaining agreement]” … . The court, however, lacks the authority to “examine the merits of an arbitration award and substitute its judgment for that of the arbitrator simply because it believes its interpretation would be the better one” … .

Here, the arbitrator merely interpreted and applied the provisions of the relevant CBA, as he had the authority to do … . We are powerless to set aside that interpretation even if we disagree with it … . Contrary to respondent’s urging, the arbitrator’s determination was not irrational; nothing in the CBA suggests that a request for emergency leave may not be made prior to the start of a tour of duty, and the arbitrator provided a justification for his determination … . Matter of Local 32, Intl. Assn. of Fire Fighters, A.F.L.-C.I.O.-C.L.C. (City of Utica), 2024 NY Slip Op 04878, Fourth Dept 10-4-24

Practice Point: The appellate courts are making it clear that an arbitrator’s award should not be tampered with by the courts as long as the arbitrator has not exceeded his or her powers.

 

/ , ,

INFANT PLAINTIFFS ALLEGED MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT BY A MALE STUDENT ON THE SCHOOL BUS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE; THE FOURTH DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THE DEFENDANT SCHOOL’S EVIDENCE DID NOT CONCLUSIVELY ESTABLISH A LACK OF ACTUAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the negligent supervision causes of action against the defendant school, school district, board of education and department of transportation should not have been dismissed. Infant plaintiffs alleged they were subjected to sexual misconduct on a school bus by a male student from kindergarten through second grade. The Fourth Department found that the evidence submitted by the defendants did not demonstrate a lack of notice:

Defendants, as parties moving for summary judgment, had the initial burden of establishing as a matter of law that they lacked actual or constructive notice of “the dangerous conduct which caused injury” … . Here, we conclude that defendants did not meet that burden. In support of their motion, defendants submitted, inter alia, the deposition testimony of the principal of the school at the time of the alleged misconduct. The principal, when asked at his deposition whether he had been aware of any prior “incidents of student sexual assaults” on the bus and whether he had ever had to deal with any student at the school who had been characterized as “sexually violent,” answered both questions in the negative … . That testimony was insufficient to meet defendants’ burden because it failed to address whether the principal knew of incidents within the broader category of sexual misconduct alleged by plaintiffs in their complaints. Plaintiffs alleged that the perpetrator engaged in a wide range of sexual misconduct—some of which was not equivalent to “sexual assault [ ]” and was not “sexually violent.” In short, the principal’s testimony failed to establish that defendants had no actual or constructive notice of any sexual misconduct of the types alleged by plaintiffs … .

Additionally, to the extent that defendants submitted deposition testimony of various other witnesses—including the infant plaintiffs and the bus driver—we conclude that it was insufficient to satisfy defendants’ initial burden with respect to actual or constructive notice. In particular, although the infant plaintiffs and the bus driver testified that they did not report instances of the alleged misconduct to defendants, they were not in a position to know whether there had been prior incidents of sexual misconduct involving the perpetrator and, if so, whether defendants had actual or constructive notice of any of those incidents prior to the sexual misconduct alleged in the complaint … . Their testimony could not establish whether defendants obtained notice by other means … . Porschia C. v Sodus Cent. Sch. Dist., 2024 NY Slip Op 04885, Fourth Dept 10-4-24

Practice Point: Here, on defendant school’s motion for summary judgment in this negligent supervision case, the Fourth Department looked carefully at the school’s evidence of a lack of notice of a student’s sexual misconduct and found the evidence did not address all the possible scenarios which could demonstrate liability and therefore did not support summary judgment.

 

/

DEFENDANT WAS CHARGED WITH PREDATORY SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST A CHILD, A CLASS A-II FELONY PUNISHABLE BY A MANDATORY MAXIMUM TERM OF LIFE IMPRISONMENT; PURSUANT TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW 195.10[1][B] DEFENDANT CANNOT WAIVE INDICTMENT AND PLEAD TO A SUPERIOR COURT INFORMATION (SCI) (THIRD DEPT). ​

The Third Department, reversing defendant’s conviction by guilty plea to a superior court information (SCI), determined defendant could not waive indictment to an A felony for which a life sentence is available:

CPL 195.10 provides, in relevant part, that a defendant may waive indictment and consent to be prosecuted pursuant to an SCI where “the defendant is not charged with a class A felony punishable by death or life imprisonment” (CPL 195.10 [1] [b] …). Predatory sexual assault against a child is a class A-II felony and “is punishable by an indeterminate sentence with a mandatory maximum term of life imprisonment” (… Penal Law §§ 70.00 [2] [a]; 130.96). Hence, consistent with both CPL 195.10 and prevailing case law, a waiver of indictment “is not available where the defendant is charged with a class A felony” … . Defendant’s waiver of indictment was therefore “expressly prohibited under CPL 195.10 and . . . invalid, rendering the resulting procedure employed to procure defendant’s guilty plea unauthorized” … .  Accordingly, defendant’s guilty plea must be vacated and the SCI dismissed … . People v White, 2024 NY Slip Op 04850, Third Dept 10-3-24

Practice Point: A defendant cannot waive indictment and plead to a superior court information (SCI) when charged with an A-II felony punishable by an indeterminate sentence with a mandatory maximum term of life imprisonment.

 

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy