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New Factual Claim Made for the First Time at Trial by Defendant Triggered “Inconsistent Statements” Jury Charge; Prior Injuries to Child Admissible under Molineux

In this case the defendant was convicted of manslaughter in the death of a three-year-old child.  In his statement to the police, the defendant said the child fell while she was in the shower. At trial the defendant testified the child also fell on the stairs.  The trial court gave an “inconsistent statements” charge to the jury, finding it would have been reasonable and logical for the defendant to have mentioned the fall on the stairs in his statement to police.  In upholding the trial court, the Third Department wrote:

In its general instructions to the jury, County Court included a charge regarding a witness testifying to a fact that the witness omitted at a prior time when it would have been reasonable and logical to have stated the fact (see CJI2d[NY] Credibility of Witnesses  [Inconsistent Statements]).Defendant contends that this constituted error. Defendant had given a detailed voluntary statement to police regarding the pertinent events surrounding the victim’s death. He did not include in that statement an account of the victim purportedly falling on the stairs while coming to eat lunch, but he testified regarding such event at trial. Since it would be reasonable to expect defendant to mention all potential injuries sustained by the victim while in his care that day, including this charge did not constitute reversible error.

In addition, the Third Department found no error in the trial court’s allowing evidence of prior injuries revealed by the autopsy and two injuries incurred by the child when she was in defendant’s care.  This evidence of “similar uncharged crimes” was deemed admissible under Molineux to demonstrate “the absence of an accident” as the cause of the child’s injuries.  People v Tinkler, 103766, 3rd Dept 4-11-13

 

 

 

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Only (No-Fault) “N-F 5” Form Triggers 30-Day Period to Deny or Pay a Claim

The Second Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Austin, determined that the UB-04 (no-fault form) was not the functional equivalent of the N-F 5 (no-fault form).  Therefore, receipt by the no-fault carrier of the UB-04 form from the heath care provider did not trigger the 30-day period in which a no-fault insurer is required to pay or deny a claim.  Sound Shore Med Ctr v Ne York Cent Mut Fire Ins Co, 2013 NY Slip Op 02390, 2011-04975, Index No 7148/09, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

 

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General Contractor’s Liability for Ice and Snow at Work Site/Criteria for Indemnification of General Contractor

In a common law negligence and Labor Law 200 action, the Second Department explained when a general contractor can be held liable for a dangerous condition.  Here the plaintiff was injured when he slipped on ice and snow at the work site.  The general contractor was seeking indemnification under a contract:

“[A] party seeking contractual indemnification must prove itself free from negligence, because to the extent its negligence contributed to the accident, it cannot be indemnified therefor” …. ” Where, as . . . here, a plaintiff’s injuries stem not from the manner in which the work was being performed, but, rather, from a dangerous condition on the premises, a general contractor may be liable in common-law negligence and under Labor Law § 200 if it has control over the work site and actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition'” …. [The general contractor] failed to establish, prima facie, that it lacked control over the work site or notice of the allegedly dangerous condition, thus precluding a finding, as a matter of law, that it was not negligent ….  Mikelatos v Theofilaktidis, 2013 NY Slip Op 02382, 2012-00163, Index No 19488/05, 2nd Dept 4-10-13

 

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Failure to Allege Negligent Provision of Medical Care in Notice of Claim Required Dismissal of Negligence Cause of Action; Failure to Allege Facts Demonstrating a Custom or Practice of Providing Inadequate Medical Care Required Dismissal of 1983 Causes of Action 

After a trial awarded the plaintiff over $17,000,000, the Second Department reversed determining (1) the negligent provision of medical care cause of action should have been dismissed because it was not included in the notice of claim, and (2) the 1983 causes of action should have been dismissed because they were not adequately pled in the complaint:

Here, the notice of claim failed to set forth any allegations of negligence on the part of the defendants regarding the deprivation of medical treatment to the plaintiff when he was in police custody. Therefore, the Supreme Court should have directed dismissal of so much of the complaint as alleged negligence, due to the plaintiff’s failure to file a proper notice of claim (see General Municipal Law § 50-e[2] … .  * * *

To hold a municipality liable under § 1983 for the conduct of employees below the policymaking level, a plaintiff must show that the violation of his or her constitutional rights resulted from a municipal custom or policy …. Similarly, where claims are asserted against individual municipal employees in their official capacities, there must be proof of a municipal custom or policy in order to permit recovery, since such claims are tantamount to claims against the municipality itself …. Here, the complaint failed to allege any facts from which it could be reasonably inferred that the defendants had a policy or custom of depriving medical treatment to persons in police custody ….  Vargas v City of New York, 2013 NY Slip Op 02391, 2011-02266, 2011-08980, 2011-09609, Index No 33215/07, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

 

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Notice of Claim Deemed Insufficient to Allege Negligent Design or Construction of Road

The Second Department dismissed a complaint against a town because the notice of claim alleged “damages for negligence arising out of the use, operation, ownership, maintenance, custody, and control of Hynes Road” but did not allege defective design or negligent construction of a road, the specific theories alleged in the complaint:

A notice of claim which, inter alia, sufficiently identifies the claimant, states the nature of the claim and describes the time when, the place where, and the manner in which the claim arose, is a condition precedent to asserting a tort claim against a municipality … . While a claimant need not state “a precise cause of action in haec verba in a notice of claim” …, “a party may not add a new theory of liability which was not included in the notice of claim”… .

Here, the Town established its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the complaint insofar as asserted against it by submitting proof that the notice of claim made no allegations that the Town defectively designed or negligently constructed the roadway where the accident occurred … .  Crew v Town of Beekman, 2013 NY Slip Op 02370, 2011-10932, Index No 7540/07, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

HIGHWAYS AND ROADS

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Statute of Limitations Where Continuing Duty Allegedly Breached

The Second Department explained the application of the six-year “contract” statute of limitations where the duty alleged to have been breached is a continuing one:

“[W]here a duty imposed prior to a limitations period is a continuing one, the statute of limitations is not a defense to actions based on breaches of that duty occurring within the limitations period” …. Here, the alleged breach is of the defendant’s obligation to pay annual assessments to the plaintiff. Thus, a new breach occurred for statute of limitations purposes each year the defendant failed to make an allegedly required payment to the plaintiff …. Meadowbrook Farms Homeowners Assn, Inc v JZG Resources Inc, 2013 NY Slip Op 02381, 2011-089/10, Index No 839/10, 2nd Dept 4-10-13

 

 

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Statute of Frauds Precluded Recovery for Both Contract and Quantum Meruit Causes of Action

The Second Department ruled that an oral contract, as well as a related quantum meruit claim, were not enforceable under the statute of frauds (General Obligations Law):

A party’s admission of the existence and essential terms of an oral agreement is sufficient to take the agreement out of the statute of frauds… . However, if the parties dispute “the very terms and conditions of the alleged oral” agreement, the statute of frauds applies … . In the instant case, the defendants deny that they agreed to pay the plaintiff compensation based upon a percentage of any particular number. Thus, the Supreme Court correctly determined that there was no admission by the defendants as to the essential terms of the alleged contract.

With respect to the second cause of action, which sought compensation in quantum meruit, General Obligations Law § 5-701(a)(10) specifically recites that the requirement of a writing executed by the party to be charged applies to bar enforcement not only of an oral agreement to pay compensation for services rendered in negotiating the sale or leasing of real estate or an interest in a business, but also of “a contract implied in fact or in law” covering the same subject matter.  Camhi v Tedesco Realty, LLC, 2013 NY Slip Op 02368, 2011-08356, 2012-02256, Index No 14472/10, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

 

 

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Hearing Required to Determine If Complaint Properly Served

In remitting the case for a hearing to determine whether defendant was properly served with the complaint, the Second Department wrote:

Here, the affidavit of service of the plaintiff’s process server describing service of process on the defendant NES Medical Services of New York, P.C. (hereinafter NES), constituted prima facie evidence of proper service on NES … . In support of that branch of their motion which was pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(8) to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against NES on the ground of lack of personal jurisdiction, the appellants submitted an affidavit stating that the person served was neither employed by, nor authorized to accept service for, NES. Where, as here, “there is a sworn denial of service by the defendant, the affidavit of service is rebutted and the plaintiff must establish jurisdiction by a preponderance of the evidence at a hearing” …. Accordingly, the matter must be remitted to the Supreme Court, Kings County, for a hearing on, and a new determination of, that branch of the appellants’ motion which was pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(8) to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against NES on the ground of lack of personal jurisdiction. Rosario v NES Med Srvs of NY, PC, 2013 NY Slip Op 02388, 2011-10662, Index No 4465/11, 2nd Dept 4-10-13

 

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Unpleaded Cause of Action Can Be Raised in Opposition to Summary Judgment—Must Be Supported by Proof in Admissible Form

The Second Department noted that, in opposition to a motion for summary judgment, an unpleaded cause of action (which must be supported by proof in admissible form) may be raised:

The plaintiff, in opposition, …raised a new theory of liability …. A plaintiff may successfully oppose a motion for summary judgment by relying on an unpleaded cause of action which is supported by the plaintiff’s proof …. However, in the instant case, the plaintiff’s submission in support of the unpleaded cause of action was an affirmation of an attorney with no personal knowledge of the facts. That affirmation was not sufficient to raise a triable issue of fact to defeat the defendant’s prima facie showing of entitlement to judgment as a matter of law with respect to the allegations in the plaintiff’s pleadings …. Since the plaintiff submitted no evidence in admissible form in support of the unpleaded cause of action, she failed to raise a triable issue of fact. McCovey v Williams, 2013 NY Slip Op 02380, 2012-01315, Index No 38525/06, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

 

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Requirements for Motion to Dismiss on Documentary Evidence

In this case, the Second Department addressed the proof requirements for a CPLR 3211(a)(1) motion (motion to dismiss on documentary evidence), the potential validity of an unsigned agreement in the context of such a motion, and the proper remedy when a referee exceeds his or her authority:

A motion pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1) may be granted “only where the documentary evidence utterly refutes plaintiff’s factual allegations, conclusively establishing a defense as a matter of law” … . Here, although [defendant] offered documentary proof that the loan reinstatement agreement was not signed…, this proof does not conclusively dispose of the plaintiff’s specific performance or breach of contract claims since an unsigned agreement may constitute an enforceable contract where there is objective evidence establishing that the parties intended to be bound …. We further note that since [defendant] sought dismissal of the specific performance and breach of contract causes of action pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1) on the ground that it had a defense founded on documentary evidence, the motion should have been decided solely on the documentary evidence proffered in support of the motion. …. Furman v Wells Fargo Home Mtge Inc, 2013 NY Slip Op 02374, 2011-10281, 2011-10284, Index No 25616/09, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

 

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