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Criteria for Property Owner’s Liability for an Assault by an Intoxicated Guest Explained

The Second Department noted that the owners of property were not liable for injuries stemming an assault by an intoxicated guest at a party hosted by the property owners’ daughter.  The property owners demonstrated they were out of town when the party was held and did not know their daughter held such parties:

Under a theory of common-law negligence, a landowner may have responsibility for injuries caused by an intoxicated guest …, although liability may be imposed only for injuries that occurred on a defendant’s property, or in an area under the defendant’s control, where the defendant had the opportunity to supervise the intoxicated guest and was reasonably aware of the need for such control … . “Without the requisite awareness [of the risk or threat], there is no duty” … .

Here, the appellants established their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the cause of action alleging common-law negligence insofar as asserted against them. The evidence submitted in support of the appellants’ motion demonstrated that they were out of town when the party took place at their home, that they had not authorized their daughter Monica to have a party, and that they were unaware of its occurrence. Moreover, the evidence demonstrated that they had no knowledge that, prior to the subject party, their daughter had thrown any parties while they were out of town at which individuals under the age of 21 were drinking alcohol. Thus, the appellants had no opportunity to control [the assailant’s] conduct, nor were they aware of the necessity therefor, both of which are prerequisites to imposing liability upon a landowner in these circumstances … . Heyman v Harooni, 2015 NY Slip Op 07818, 2nd Dept 10-28-15

 

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Plaintiff’s Own Negligence Broke Any Causal Chain Between Defendant’s Negligence and Plaintiff’s Injury

The Second Department determined that, under the facts, proximate cause could be determined as a matter of law and plaintiff’s negligence was the superseding cause of his injury. When plaintiff was unable to access second floor offices defendant suggested that plaintiff go to the third floor and drop down to the second floor balcony. Plaintiff was injured doing so. The court held that plaintiff’s own negligence broke any causal chain between the defendant’s negligence and the injury:

“Generally, it is for the trier of fact to determine the issue of proximate cause” … . “However, the issue of proximate cause may be decided as a matter of law where only one conclusion may be drawn from the established facts” … .

Here, the evidence submitted by the … defendants in support of their motion established, prima facie, that the sole proximate cause of the accident was the injured plaintiff’s negligence in dropping himself down from the third floor balcony to the terrace on the second floor. Even assuming the truth of the plaintiffs’ allegations that the … defendants were negligent and that [a defendant] suggested that the injured plaintiff try to gain entry to the second floor offices by climbing down from the third floor balcony, the injured plaintiff’s reckless act of dropping down from a balcony to a terrace on the floor below broke any causal chain stemming from the Han defendants’ alleged negligence, and was itself the superseding cause of the injured plaintiff’s harm … . Sang Woon Lee v Il Mook Choi, 2015 NY Slip Op 07829, 2nd Dept 10-28-15

 

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No Special Duty Owed by School District to Adult Employees

The Second Department affirmed the grant of summary judgment to defendant school district in a suit brought by a school bus driver injured by a student. Although the district owes a special duty to students, no such duty is owed to adult employees:

“Liability for a claim that a municipality negligently exercised a governmental function turns upon the existence of a special duty to the injured person, in contrast to a general duty owed to the public'” … . While a school district owes a special duty to its students to adequately supervise them to prevent foreseeable injuries to fellow students, that duty does not extend to adults … . Here, the defendant demonstrated its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by establishing that it did not owe the injured plaintiff a special duty … . Guerrieri v New York City Dept./Bd. of Educ., 2015 NY Slip Op 07816, 2nd Dept 10-28-15

 

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“Bad Faith Claims Handling” Cause of Action Properly Dismissed As Duplicative of Breach of Contract Cause of Action/Sanctions Appropriate for Inclusion of Dismissed Cause of Action in Amended Complaint

The First Department determined a purported cause of action for “bad faith claims handling” in an insurance-coverage dispute was duplicative of the breach of contract cause of action (and was therefore properly dismissed). The court further determined that attorney sanctions were appropriate for including a dismissed cause of action in an amended complaint. The First Department explained the (rare) circumstance when breach of contract will give rise to a distinct tort cause of action (not the case here):

In some circumstances “[t]he very nature of a contractual obligation, and the public interest in seeing it performed with reasonable care, may give rise to a duty of reasonable care in performance of the contract obligations, and the breach of that independent duty will give rise to a tort claim” …, in which the Court held that “a fire alarm company owed its customer a duty of reasonable care independent of its contractual obligations, and that notwithstanding a contractual provision exculpating the alarm company from damages flowing from its negligence, it could be held liable in tort for its gross failure to properly perform its contractual services” … . Further, “[w]here a party has fraudulently induced the plaintiff to enter into a contract, it may be liable in tort” … . However, “where a party is merely seeking to enforce its bargain, a tort claim will not lie” … . Orient Overseas Assoc. v XL Ins. Am., Inc., 2015 NY Slip Op 07788, 1st Dept 10-27-15

 

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The Unaccepted Offer of a Key to Defendant’s Apartment Made to the 10-Year-Old Victim Was Sufficient to Support the Attempted Kidnapping Charge/Twenty-Year-Old Child Molestation Conviction Properly Admitted to Show Defendant’s Intent Re: Kidnapping

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Fahey, over a cogent dissenting opinion by Judge Pigott, determined evidence of a prior sex crime against a child was admissible in an attempted kidnapping prosecution, and further determined the evidence of attempted kidnapping was sufficient. Twenty years earlier, the defendant had been convicted of molesting his step-daughter. Apparently there was a pattern of behavior with his step-daughter which included dressing up (costume) and inviting her to go places with him. That pattern was being repeated with the 10-year-old victim in the instant case. Defendant at one point showed up at the victim’s door dressed up in a costume. Defendant repeatedly asked the victim to go with him for ice cream or to a movie. Defendant offered the key to his apartment to the victim (which she refused). It was that offer (of a key) which formed the basis of the attempted kidnapping charge. The defendant’s conviction for molesting his step-daughter was allowed in evidence to show the defendant’s intent re: kidnapping. The People and the defendant presented expert testimony about defendant’s behavior pattern with his step-daughter and the current victim:

In its written decision and order, the trial court held that the evidence presented by the People demonstrated “more than criminal propensity, but . . . an actual link between the two offenses.” The court noted that the victims of the two offenses “so closely resemble[d] each other . . . as to be virtual twins,” and that “[c]ertain distinctive patterns of behavior employed by the Defendant on each occasion match to an extraordinary degree.” Moreover, the court concluded that the expert testimony at the Ventimiglia hearing demonstrated that “[d]efendant was not merely re-offending, but in fact suffered from a fixated fantasy” and had “transferred his fixation and fantasy from victim number one to victim number two and [was] now re-living the previous sexual encounter.” Based on that expert testimony, the court concluded that “the Defendant’s fixation with the first victim is proof of his intent with regard to the second.” The court stated that it was aware of the potential for prejudice, but was “satisfied that, with careful limitations and adequate caution to the jury, some facts from the earlier case can be utilized to show a unique connection between the two offenses” and that expert testimony would help a jury “to understand what factors should be considered, or discounted, in assessing those facts and that connection.” Under the circumstances presented here, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion as a matter of law in admitting evidence of defendant’s prior conviction. * * *

With respect to proof of defendant’s intent, as noted, the People were required to prove that defendant intended to prevent the victim’s liberation by secreting or holding her in a place where she was not likely to be found (see Penal Law §§ 135.00 [2] [a]; 135.20). Defendant’s intent may be inferred from his actions and the surrounding circumstances … . This Court has recognized that “circumstantial evidence of intent is often essential to prosecution for an attempted crime because . . . such evidence may be the only way of proving intent in the typical case of criminal attempt” … . People v Denson, 2015 NY Slip Op 07779, CtApp 10-27-15

 

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Failure to Read Jury Notes to Counsel Before Calling in the Jury Was Not a Mode of Proceedings Error—The Error, Therefore, Must Be Preserved by Objection

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Fahey, over a dissenting opinion by Judge Lippman in which Judge Rivera concurred, determined the trial judge’s failure to read jury notes to counsel and seek their input before calling in the jury was not a mode of proceedings error. Therefore, absent objection, the error was not preserved:

CPL 310.30 requires a trial court to provide “notice to both the people and counsel for the defendant” of a substantive jury inquiry. In O’Rama, we held that the statute requires the court’s notice to counsel to be “meaningful,” and we clarified that this “means notice of the actual specific content of the jurors’ request” (O’Rama, 78 NY2d at 277). This is because “counsel cannot participate effectively or adequately protect the defendant’s rights if this specific information is not given” (id.). We further held that, “in most cases,” meaningful notice is best satisfied by adhering to the procedure outlined in United States v Ronder (639 F2d 931, 934 [2d Cir 1981]), which procedure is now commonly known as the O’Rama procedure:

“Under this procedure, jurors’ inquiries must generally be submitted in writing, since . . . written communications are the surest method for affording the court and counsel an adequate opportunity to confer. Further, whenever a substantive written jury communication is received by the Judge, it should be marked as a court exhibit and, before the jury is recalled to the courtroom, read into the record in the presence of counsel. Such a step would ensure a clear and complete record, thereby facilitating adequate and fair appellate review. After the contents of the inquiry are placed on the record, counsel should be afforded a full opportunity to suggest appropriate responses. As the court noted in Ronder (supra, at 934), the trial court should ordinarily apprise counsel of the substance of the responsive instruction it intends to give so that counsel can seek whatever modifications are deemed appropriate before the jury is exposed to the potentially harmful information. Finally, when the jury is returned to the courtroom, the communication should be read in open court so that the individual jurors can correct any inaccuracies in the transcription of the inquiry and, in cases where the communication was sent by an individual juror, the rest of the jury panel can appreciate the purpose of the court’s response and the context in which it is being made” (O’Rama, 78 NY2d at 277-278). * * *

Where, as here, counsel has meaningful notice of a substantive jury note because the court has read the precise content of the note into the record in the presence of counsel, defendant, and the jury, the court’s failure to discuss the note with counsel before recalling the jury is not a mode of proceedings error. Counsel is required to object to the court’s procedure to preserve any such error for appellate review. …  “We have acknowledged that some departures from O’Rama procedures are subject to our rules of preservation, such as where the court reads the entire content of the note verbatim in open court prior to responding to the jury” (Walston, 23 NY3d at 989 [emphasis added] [internal quotation marks omitted]). People v Nealon, 2015 NY Slip Op 07781, CtApp 10-27-15

 

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Court’s Unjustifiably Narrow Interpretation of Jury’s Request for Evidence Required Reversal

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Abdus-Salaam, with a concurring memorandum by Judge Rivera, determined the trial judge’s narrow reading of a request for evidence of the benefits two prosecution witnesses received in return for their testimony required reversal. There was essentially no evidence other than the testimony of the two witnesses pointing to defendant as the shooter. A written cooperation agreement with one of the two witnesses outlined some of the benefits accorded him. However, there was also trial testimony in which both witnesses testified about other benefits received in exchange for testimony. The jury requested to “see” the evidence of the benefits. The court read the request narrowly to refer only to the written cooperation agreement and gave the jury the impression only the cooperation agreement was in evidence. The Court of Appeals held that the jury note should have been read as a request for all the evidence of benefits accorded the witnesses and the failure to provide all the requested evidence was reversible error:

CPL 310.30 provides that, “[u]pon such request” for evidence or legal instruction from a deliberating jury, “the court must direct that the jury be returned to the courtroom and, after notice to both the people and counsel for the defendant, and in the presence of the defendant, must give such requested information or instruction as the court deems proper” (CPL 310.30). Similarly, absent a withdrawal of the jury’s inquiry or similar circumstances, common-law principles of procedural fairness generally require the court to furnish the jury with information requested during its deliberations, and the court has significant discretion in determining the proper scope and nature of the response … . Thus, regardless of whether the issue is framed under CPL 310.30 or common-law rules governing jury deliberations, where, as here, the defendant has preserved for our review a specific objection to the contents of the trial court’s response to a jury note, we must determine whether the trial court acted within the bounds of its discretion in fashioning an answer to the jury’s inquiry … . In determining whether the trial court abused its discretion and committed reversible error, “[t]he factors to be evaluated are the form of the jury’s question, which may have to be clarified before it can be answered, the particular issue of which inquiry is made, the [information] actually given and the presence or absence of prejudice to the defendant” … .

In this case, an evaluation of those factors demonstrates that the trial court abused its discretion by declining to provide the jurors with information that they plainly wanted and incorrectly characterizing the state of the evidence on the subject of their inquiry.  People v Taylor, 2015 NY Slip Op 07782, CtApp 10-27-15

 

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Proper “Initial Aggressor” Jury Instruction Where Defendant Intervenes In an On-Going Fight Explained

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Stein, determined a flawed “initial aggressor” jury instruction (an exception to the justification defense) required reversal. The defendant alleged that he intervened in an on-going fight on behalf of his brother who was being beaten with a hammer by the victim. The court described how the “initial aggressor” exception to the justification defense should be explained to the jury where a defendant intervenes in an on-going fight. Essentially, if the intervenor knowingly intervenes on behalf of the initial aggressor, the defense is not available. However, if the intervenor had nothing to do with starting the fight and had no reason to know who started the fight, the justification defense is available:

… [T]he standard charge [initial aggressor jury instruction] is misleading unless a supplemental charge is given on the meaning of “initial aggressor” in the defense-of-another scenario … . Thus, the jury should have been charged that, in the context of this case, the initial aggressor rule means — in sum and substance — that if defendant, as “the intervenor[,] somehow initiated or participated in the initiation of the original struggle or reasonably should have known that [his brother, as] the person being defended[,] initiated the original conflict, then justification is not a defense . . . If [defendant] had nothing to do with [the] original conflict and had no reason to know who initiated the first conflict, then the defense is available” … People v Walker, 2015 NY Slip Op 07784, CtApp 10-27-15

 

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Misrepresentations, Distortions, Attacks on the Court, Etc., Included in Motion Papers Warranted Sanctions Against Attorney

The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Andrias, with two concurring memoranda, over a full-fledged dissenting opinion by Justice Saxe, determined Supreme Court properly sanctioned one of the two attorneys who represented a 94-year-old woman in guardianship proceedings. Supreme Court’s sanctioning of a second attorney and denial of all attorney’s fees were reversed. The sanctions stemmed from motion papers which, Supreme Court found, included misrepresentations, omissions, distortions, and attacks on the court and others which were wholly without merit and made in bad faith. The court explained the applicable law:

Pursuant to 22 NYCRR 130-1.1(a) and (b), the court, “in its discretion,” may award costs, including attorney’s fees, as well as impose financial sanctions against an attorney or firm that engages in “frivolous conduct.” When determining whether the conduct undertaken was frivolous, the court must consider the circumstances under which the conduct took place and whether or not the conduct was continued when its lack of legal or factual basis was apparent or should have been apparent (22 NYCRR 130—1.1[c]). Furthermore, “[t]rial judges should be accorded wide latitude to determine the appropriate sanctions for dilatory and improper attorney conduct and we will defer to a trial court regarding sanctions determinations unless there is a clear abuse of discretion” … .

22 NYCRR 130-1.1(c) sets forth three categories of “frivolous conduct”: “(1) [conduct which] is completely without merit in law and cannot be supported by a reasonable argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law”; “(2) [conduct which] is undertaken primarily to delay or prolong the resolution of the litigation, or to harass or maliciously injure another”; or “(3) [conduct which] asserts material factual statements that are false.” “Conduct which violates any of the three subdivisions [of Section 130-1.1(c)] is grounds for the imposition of sanctions” … . Thus, sanctions and costs have been imposed for insulting behavior to opposing counsel, baseless ad hominem attacks against the court and opposing party, and mischaracterization of the record … .

Upon our review of the record, we hold that the court’s finding that the orders to show cause submitted in Motion Seq. Nos. 2 & 4 were based on material false statements, which constituted frivolous conduct within the meaning of 22 NYCRR § 130-1.1(c)(3) warranting the imposition of costs, including attorneys’ fees, and a monetary sanction, was not a clear abuse of discretion … . Matter of Kover, 2015 NY Slip Op 07802, 1st Dept 10-27-15

 

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The Court’s Failure to Respond to Jury Note Requesting Transcripts of Recorded Phone Calls, Portions of Which Were Translated from Spanish to English, Mandated Reversal

The Court of Appeals reversed the appellate division and held that the court’s failure to respond to the jury’s request for transcripts of recorded phone calls, portions of which were translated from Spanish to English, was reversible error. The request, under the facts, was substantive, not ministerial. Therefore, the court was required to inform counsel of the request and to respond to it:

For reasons stated in People v Silva (24 NY3d 294 [2014] …, the Appellate Division erred in holding that reversal was not required. Contrary to the Appellate Division’s determination, the jury’s request to see the transcripts did not merely require “the ministerial actions of informing the jury that none of the items they requested were in evidence” … . Inasmuch as a significant portion of defendant’s conversations were conducted in Spanish, the jury could not be expected to understand the recordings without the aid of the transcripts … . Moreover, the trial court expressly invited the jurors to ask for the transcripts during deliberations and told them the procedure by which they could see the transcripts, which involved reassembling the jury in the courtroom. Thus, the jury’s requests for the transcripts required a substantive response, and reversal is required because these “substantive jury notes, marked as court exhibits, were neither revealed to the attorneys nor addressed by the court[]” (Silva, 24 NY3d at 300). People v Mendez, 2015 NY Slip Op 07786, CtApp 10-27-15

 

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