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AVILA WAS INJURED WHEN HER SPOUSE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND STRUCK A PARKED CAR; THE POLICY EXPRESSLY STATED COVERAGE DID NOT EXTEND TO THE INSURED’S SPOUSE; IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EXPRESS PROVISION THE INSURER IS NOT REQUIRED TO COVER THE INSURED’S SPOUSE (SECOND DEPT).

he Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the uninsured motorist claim by the driver’s spouse was precluded based on the policy. Avila was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her spouse who lost control of the car:

Pursuant to Insurance Law § 3420(g)(1), “no policy or contract shall be deemed to insure against any liability of an insured because of death of or injuries to his or her spouse or because of injury to, or destruction of property of his or her spouse unless express provision relating specifically thereto is included in the policy.” “‘[I]n the absence of an express provision in an insured’s policy, a carrier is not required to provide insurance coverage for injuries sustained by an insured’s spouse'” … . This provision creates “a statutory presumption that interspousal liability is excluded from coverage unless an express provision relating specifically thereto is included in the policy” … . Moreover, here, the language of GEICO’s policy provides that its liability coverage does not apply “[t]o any insured for bodily injury to the spouse of that insured.” Thus, Avila’s uninsured motorist claim was precluded … . Matter of Government Employees Ins. Co. v Avila, 2024 NY Slip Op 03481, Second Dept 6-26-24

Practice Point: Here the insured, Avila’s spouse, lost control of the car and hit a parked car. Avila was a passenger and was injured. The policy did not include a provision expressly covering the insured’s spouse. In addition, the policy expressly stated the insured’s spouse was not covered. Avila’s uninsured motorist claim was precluded.

 

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IN THIS LABOR LAW 240(1) ACTION, PLAINTIFF STEPPED ON A SMALL WOODEN “PATCH” COVERING A HOLE IN THE FLOOR AND HIS LEG WENT THROUGH THE HOLE; DEFENDANT’S ARGUMENT THE ACCIDENT WAS NOT FORESEEABLE WAS REJECTED; THE PRECISE NATURE OF THE ACCIDENT NEED NOT BE FORESEEN; IT IS ENOUGH PLAINTIFF WAS SUBJECTED TO AN ELEVATION-RELATION RISK AND NO SAFETY EQUIPMENT WAS PROVIDED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law 240(1) cause of action. Plaintiff was walking on a floor which had holes in it where mechanical equipment had been removed. When plaintiff stepped on a 12-inch by 12-inch “patch” which had been placed over a hole his leg went through and he was injured. The First Department rejected defendant’s argument that the incident was not foreseeable:

Plaintiff was working in the interstitial space, approximately eight feet from the 11th floor below, and was thus exposed to the effects of gravity. … [T]he affixing of “harnesses and safety lines attached to a safe structure” are the type of safety devices envisioned by § 240(1) to prevent a worker from falling through a collapsing floor … , which plaintiff was not provided.

… “A plaintiff in a case involving the collapse of a permanent structure must establish that the collapse was ‘foreseeable,’ not in a strict negligence sense, but in the sense of foreseeability of plaintiff’s exposure to an elevation-related risk”… . To establish foreseeability, “[a] plaintiff need not demonstrate that the precise manner in which the accident happened, or the injuries occurred was foreseeable; it is sufficient that [plaintiff] demonstrate that the risk of some injury from defendant’s conduct was foreseeable” … . This foreseeability analysis … applies to the partial collapse of a permanent structure … . Ciaurella v Trustees of Columbia Univ. in the City of N.Y., 2024 NY Slip Op 03455, First Dept 6-25-24

Practice Point; This is the second Labor Law 240(1) case in recent weeks involving the collapse of a permanent structure (a roof in the prior case and here a floor). In both cases the Appellate Division rejected the argument the accident was not foreseeable.

 

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PLAINTIFF’S FAILURE TO MEET THE COURT’S FILING DEADLINE WAS NOT A SUFFICIENT REASON FOR SUA SPONTE DISMISSAL OF THE COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the judge in this foreclosure case did not have sufficient cause to dismiss the complaint sua sponte (another reminder that sua sponte dismissals of complaints rarely survive appeal);

“‘A court’s power to dismiss a complaint, sua sponte, is to be used sparingly and only when extraordinary circumstances exist to warrant dismissal'” … . “[A] court may not sua sponte dismiss a complaint for failure to move for a judgment of foreclosure and sale by an arbitrary date set by the court” … . “To obtain appellate review of an order or portion of an order issued sua sponte, a party may move to vacate the order or portion of the order and appeal as of right to the Appellate Division if that motion to vacate is denied” … .

Here, the Supreme Court erred in denying the plaintiff’s motion to vacate the … order and to restore the action to the court’s active calendar, as the plaintiff’s failure to comply with the directive to file an application for a judgment of foreclosure and sale by July 26, 2017, was not a sufficient ground upon which to sua sponte direct dismissal of the complaint … . James B. Nutter & Co. v Heirs & distributees of the estate of Rose Middleton, 2024 NY Slip Op 03472, Second Dept 6-26-24

Practice Point; Failure to meet a filing deadline set by the court was not an adequate reason for the judge’s sua sponte dismissal of the foreclosure complaint.

 

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LEVEL ONE SEX OFFENDERS MUST REGISTER UNDER SORA FOR 20 YEARS; LOW RISK-LEVEL SEX OFFENDERS WHO WERE REGISTERED IN ANOTHER STATE AND WHO RELOCATE TO NEW YORK ARE NOT ENTITLED TO CREDIT FOR THE TIME THEY WERE REGISTERED OUT-OF-STATE (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Troutman, over two dissenting opinions (three judges), determined sex offenders registered in other states who are designated level-one risks upon relocating to New York are not entitled to credit for the time they were registered in another state:

Generally, those convicted of sex offenses in other states must register under the Sex Offender Registration Act ([SORA] …) upon relocating to New York … . While the statute requires some sex offenders to register for life … , those in the lowest risk category register for a term of 20 years … . The issue here is whether the statute entitles sex offenders who are classified in that lowest risk category upon relocating to New York to credit for their time registered as sex offenders under the laws of other states. We hold that it does not … .

Defendant in each of these appeals was convicted in another state of an offense that required him to register as a sex offender under the laws of that state. Some years later, each defendant relocated to New York and was required to register as a level-one risk under SORA. Neither is designated a sexual predator, sexually violent offender, or predicate sex offender. During the risk level determination hearings under Correction Law § 168-k (2), each defendant requested that Supreme Court order him registered nunc pro tunc to the date when he registered as a sex offender in the state where he was convicted of his sex offense, in effect giving him credit for the time registered in the foreign jurisdiction against the 20-year registration period. * * *

We recognize that the statute, as written, may lead to unfair results in some circumstances. For example, an offender with a minimal risk of reoffense who has spent substantial time compliant with an effectively administered out-of-state registry scheme without having reoffended would seem to deserve credit for that time as a matter of policy. Moreover, the diversion of public resources and attention towards offenders such as these arguably undermines the state’s effort to protect the public against genuinely dangerous offenders. On the other hand, not all state registry schemes are necessarily created equal, for example, in terms of supervision and registration requirements, and there is no specific mechanism under SORA for a court to determine whether a foreign state’s administration of its registry is as exacting as New York’s or the extent to which a particular offender complied with his obligations under that state’s statute and remained free of reoffense. People v Corr, 2024 NY Slip Op 03379, CtApp 6-20-24

Practice Point: Low risk-level sex offenders who relocate to New York are not entitled to credit for the time they were registered out-of-state. They must remain registered in New York for twenty years.

 

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HERE A STIPULATION BETWEEN LANDLORD AND TENANT SETTING THE RENT FOR A RENT STABILIZED LEASE VIOLATED THE RENT STABILIZATION LAW (RSL) RENDERING THE STIPULATION VOID (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, reversing the Appellate Division, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Halligan, determined “an agreement waiving a benefit of the Rent Stabilization Laws is void as against public policy. This rule is not altered by the tenant’s status. Accordingly, the stipulation at issue here, which required the tenant to waive his right to file a Fair Market Rent Appeal (FMRA), is void and did not provide a path to deregulation of the subject apartment:”

The Stipulation between McKinney [the tenant] and the landlord provided that McKinney “agrees to accept and the landlord agrees to offer a rent stabilized lease” in McKinney’s name at a rate of “$650 per month.” It also stated that “$1,650 per month is a fair rent for [the] apartment being removed from Rent Control,” a proviso apparently intended to set the initial legal regulated rent under the Rent Stabilization Laws (RSL). The Stipulation further provided that “[f]or as long as Ed McKinney is the tenant, his rent shall be $650 per month plus allowable rental increases.” The effect of that provision, which neither party disputes, was to ensure that McKinney would pay a preferential rate of $650, with subsequent increases tied to this number for the duration of his tenancy. McKinney also agreed “not to challenge the rent,” thereby waiving his right to challenge the amount of the initial rent through a Fair Market Rent Appeal (FMRA) proceeding. * * *

By securing McKinney’s explicit agreement “not to challenge the rent,” the Stipulation waived his right to file an FMRA. That bargain circumvented the statutory process, and consequently the Stipulation is void in its entirety as a matter of law … . Because the Stipulation is void, [the landlord’s] registration statement based on the Stipulation is as well, and therefore “neither party is entitled to rely on it” … and it cannot serve as the basis for deregulation. It remains to be determined whether the apartment was properly deregulated on some other ground. Liggett v Lew Realty LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 03378, CtApp 6-30-24

Practice Point: Re: rent stabilized leases, a stipulation which sets the rent but provides that the tenant will not challenge the rent violates the Rent Stabilization Law rendering the stipulation void.

 

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SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO TRANSPORT CHILDREN TO THEIR PRIVATE SCHOOLS WHEN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Garcia, determined a school district is not required to transport children to their private schools when the public schools are closed:

Education Law § 3635 (1) (a) provides: “Sufficient transportation facilities (including the operation and maintenance of motor vehicles) shall be provided by the school district for all the children residing within the school district to and from the school they legally attend, who are in need of such transportation because of the remoteness of the school to the child or for the promotion of the best interest of such children.”

The issue on appeal is whether by requiring that school districts provide “sufficient” transportation, the statute obligates school districts to afford nonpublic students transportation on days their schools are in session, including days when public schools are closed. We conclude it does not. Matter of United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove, Inc. v Washingtonville Cent. Sch. Dist., 2024 NY Slip Op 03377, CtApp 6-20-24

Practice Point: The Education Law does not require school districts to transport students to their private schools when the public schools are closed.

 

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THE “ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS” TEST SHOULD BE USED TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN OUT-OF-STATE NON-SEXUAL CONVICTION CAN BE USED TO ASSESS RISK-LEVEL POINTS UNDER SORA (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Clark, determined the “essential elements” test must be used to determine whether a defendant should be assessed risk-level points for non-sexual offenses committed out-of-state. Defendant relocated to New York and was subject to a SORA risk-level assessment based upon a Washington child molestation conviction. Defendant had been convicted of driving while intoxicated in Texas for driving in circles in a grassy area in a park. New York’s DWI statutes do not criminalize such off-road driving. Therefore the Texas conviction should not have been used to assess risk-level points under SORA: In addition the commission of the Washington child molestation offense predated a Washington DWI conviction. Therefore the Washington DWI should not have been used to calculate the risk-level because it was not part of defendant’s “prior criminal history:”

Pursuant to the essential elements test, a court must “compare the elements of the foreign offense with the analogous New York offense to identify points of overlap” and, “where the offenses overlap but the foreign offense also criminalizes conduct not covered under the New York offense, the [court] must review the conduct underlying the foreign conviction to determine if that conduct is, in fact, within the scope of the New York offense” … . … This Court and the other Departments previously have deemed it appropriate to utilize the essential elements test to determine whether a foreign conviction falls within the scope of a New York offense to assess points under any category of risk factor 9 … .. Such application ensures that courts properly assess “prior crimes” and accurately determine a sex offender’s risk level in accordance with acts that the Legislature has deemed apt to criminalize (Sex Offender Registration Act: Risk Assessment Guidelines and Commentary at 6 [2006]). Consequently, to the extent that we have not expressly held that the essential elements test should be utilized to determine whether a foreign conviction supports the assessment of any points under risk factor 9, we hold so now. People v Pardee, 2024 NY Slip Op 03360, Third Dept 6-20-24

Practice Point: Here the Third Department expressly adopted the “essential elements” test for determining whether an out-of-state DWI can be used to assess risk-level points under SORA. The elements of the Texas DWI statute are different from the elements of New York’s DWI statutes. Defendant’s driving in circles on a grassy area of a park would not constitute DWI in New York. Therefore the Texas conviction should not have been used to assess points.

 

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THE COURT OF APPEALS MAJORITY HELD THE APPELLATE DIVISION AND THE DISSENT WENT TOO FAR BY INTERPRETING A SHORT PHRASE WITH GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING ERRORS TO HAVE AMENDED THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT, WHICH WAS UNAMBIGUOUS (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Cannataro, reversing the Appellate Division, over a three-judge dissenting opinion, determined a short unintelligible phrase in the contract did not render the contract ambiguous and therefore did not allow the interpretation applied by the Appellate Division. The central issue was the term of the contract. The expiration date of the term of the contract was unambiguous. The term had expired by the time the transaction for which plaintiff sought a fee of $1.25 million was consummated:​

The muddled phrase “the with affect as of the date hereof” … does not create a factual issue with respect to the length of the Term, because that language is susceptible to only one reasonable interpretation … . … “[T]he with affect as of the date hereof” can easily be understood to mean “with effect as of the date hereof.” To reach that interpretation, one need only set aside a plainly extraneous article, the word “the,” and correct a common, one-letter spelling error (“effect” versus “affect”) … .. Employing this common-sense reading, [the phrase] has no impact on the length of the Term. …

The Appellate Division held that an ambiguity exists because, in its view, ” ‘the with affect as of the date hereof’ . . . could also be corrected to state ‘with the Effective Date as the date hereof’ ” … . The dissent similarly posits that the errors could be corrected to state “with the Effective Date hereof.” These strained readings treat [the phrase] as designed to amend the Effective Date of the original agreement, the primary but unstated effect of which would be to restart its three-year Term. MAK Tech. Holdings Inc. v Anyvision Interactive Tech. Ltd., 2024 NY Slip Op 03376, CtApp 6-20-24

Practice Point: Here the majority concluded a short phrase with grammatical and spelling errors did not render the contract ambiguous.

 

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THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW REGULATIONS CONTROLLING HOW NURSING HOMES MUST ALLOCATE THEIR INCOME AND HOW MUCH PROFIT THEY CAN MAKE WERE DEEMED CONSTITUTIONAL TO THE EXTENT THEY WERE RIPE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, in a comprehensive full-fledged opinion by Justice Mackey too detailed to fairly summarize here, determined the Public Health Law regulations controlling how nursing homes must allocate their income and how much profit they can make are constitutional to the extent they are ripe for constitutional review:

On November 17, 2022, the [Public Health] Commissioner adopted a regulation, 10 NYCRR 415.34, to implement the provisions of Public Health Law § 2828, including the spending mandate and the excess-revenue cap, which applied retroactively to April 1, 2022. The regulation provides:

“By January 1, 2022, residential health care facilities shall comply with the following minimum expenditures:

(1) 70[%] of revenue shall be spent on direct resident care; and

(2) 40[%] of revenue shall be spent on resident-facing staffing.

(i) All amounts spent on resident-facing staffing shall be included as a part of amounts spent on direct resident care;

(ii) 15[%] of costs associated with resident-facing staffing that are contracted out by a facility for services provided by registered professional nurses, licensed practical nurses, or certified nurse aides shall be deducted from the calculation of the amount spent on resident-facing staffing and direct resident care” … .

The regulation further provides for recoupment by the Commissioner of “excessive total operating revenue” where “the facility’s total operating revenue exceeds total operating and non-operating expenses by more than five percent of total operating revenue” … . Grand S. Point, LLC v Bassett, 2024 NY Slip Op 03364, Third Dept 6-20-24

Practice Point: The Public Health Law regulations controlling how nursing homes must allocate their income and how much profit they can make were deemed constitutional or unripe for constitutional review.

 

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IT WAS FORSEEABLE THAT A LEAKY ROOF NEEDING REPAIR WOULD COLLAPSE WHEN PLAINTIFF WAS STANDING ON IT; PLAINTIFF WAS ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE LABOR LAW 240(1) CAUSE OF ACTION (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff, who fell when the roof he was working on collapsed, was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law 240(1) cause of action. The court noted the accident was foreseeable and no protective device was provided:

“‘In order for liability to be imposed under Labor Law § 240(1), there must be a foreseeable risk of injury from an elevation-related hazard . . . as defendants are liable for all normal and foreseeable consequences of their acts'” … . “Thus, to establish a prima facie case pursuant to Labor Law § 240(1), a plaintiff must demonstrate that the risk of injury from an elevation-related hazard was foreseeable, and that an absent or defective protective device of the type enumerated in the statute was a proximate cause of the injuries alleged” … .

Here, the plaintiffs demonstrated, prima facie, that the need for safety devices to protect the injured plaintiff from an elevation-related hazard was foreseeable, as the injured plaintiff was replacing wood decking on a pitched, elevated roof that had sustained water leaks, and that his injuries were proximately caused by the lack of adequate safety devices … . Sanchez v Congregation of Emanuel of Westchester, 2024 NY Slip Op 03446, Second Dept 6-20-24

Practice Point: An accident must be foreseeable to trigger liability under Labor Law 240(1). Here the court deemed it foreseeable that a roof which leaked and needed repair would collapse when plaintiff was standing on it.

 

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