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WHERE THERE IS NO PREJUDICE TO A DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR A VOLUNTARY DISCONTINUANCE WITHOUT PREJUDICE SHOULD BE GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that plaintiff’s motion for a voluntary discontinuance without prejudice should have been granted:

CPLR 3217(b) permits a voluntary discontinuance of a claim by court order “upon terms and conditions, as the court deems proper” (CPLR 3217[b]…). In general, absent a showing of special circumstances, including prejudice to a substantial right of the defendant or other improper consequences, a motion for a voluntary discontinuance should be granted without prejudice … .

Here, there was no evidence that the defendant would be prejudiced by a discontinuance without prejudice … . Kondaur Capital Corp. v Reilly, 2018 NY Slip Op 04707, Second Dept 6-27-18

​CIVIL PROCEDURE (DISCONTINUANCE, WHERE THERE IS NO PREJUDICE TO A DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR A VOLUNTARY DISCONTINUANCE WITHOUT PREJUDICE SHOULD BE GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/DISCONTINUANCE (WHERE THERE IS NO PREJUDICE TO A DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR A VOLUNTARY DISCONTINUANCE WITHOUT PREJUDICE SHOULD BE GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/VOLUNTARY DISCONTINUANCE (WHERE THERE IS NO PREJUDICE TO A DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR A VOLUNTARY DISCONTINUANCE WITHOUT PREJUDICE SHOULD BE GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/CPLR 3217 (DISCONTINUANCE, WHERE THERE IS NO PREJUDICE TO A DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR A VOLUNTARY DISCONTINUANCE WITHOUT PREJUDICE SHOULD BE GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))

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UTILITY BOX RECESSED IN CITY SIDEWALK WAS OPEN AND OBVIOUS AND NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the utility box recessed into a city sidewalk was open and obvious and was not inherently dangerous. Defendants were therefore entitled to summary judgment in this slip and fall case:

There is ” no duty to protect against an open and obvious condition provided that, as a matter of law, the condition is not inherently dangerous'” … . “While the issue of whether a hazard is latent or open and obvious is generally fact-specific and thus usually a jury question, a court may determine that a risk was open and obvious as a matter of law when the established facts compel that conclusion, and may do so on the basis of clear and undisputed evidence” … . “Whether a hazard is open and obvious cannot be divorced from the surrounding circumstances” … .Similarly, the determination of whether “a condition is not inherently dangerous . . . depends on the totality of the specific facts of each case”… .

Here, contrary to the plaintiff’s contention, each of the defendants established, prima facie, that the complained-of condition “was open and obvious, as it was not only readily observable by those employing the reasonable use of their senses, but was known to [the decedent] prior to the accident and, as a matter of law, was not inherently dangerous” … . Graffino v City of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 04702, Second Dept 6-27-18

​NEGLIGENCE (UTILITY BOX RECESSED IN CITY SIDEWALK WAS OPEN AND OBVIOUS AND NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/MUNICIPAL LAW (NEGLIGENCE, UTILITY BOX RECESSED IN CITY SIDEWALK WAS OPEN AND OBVIOUS AND NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL UTILITY BOX RECESSED IN CITY SIDEWALK WAS OPEN AND OBVIOUS AND NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/SIDEWALKS (SLIP AND FALL, UTILITY BOX RECESSED IN CITY SIDEWALK WAS OPEN AND OBVIOUS AND NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/OPEN AND OBVIOUS (SLIP AND FALL, (UTILITY BOX RECESSED IN CITY SIDEWALK WAS OPEN AND OBVIOUS AND NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))

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QUALIFIED, NOT ABSOLUTE, PRIVILEGE APPLIES WHEN THE SUBJECT OF THE ALLEGED DEFAMATION HAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO REBUT THE ALLEGEDLY DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Fahey, over a two-judge dissent, determined that qualified privilege, rather than absolute privilege, applied to allegations made to a Federal Drug Administration (FDA) investigator about plaintiff doctor’s involvement in a cancer-drug trial. The controlling issue was whether the statements were made in a proceeding which would allow the plaintiff to counter them:

Was plaintiff entitled to participate, by way of a hearing or otherwise, in the FDA’s review of the IRB [Institutional Review Board] and thereby challenge the accusations against her …? On this point, there is little disagreement. She was not. Plaintiff insists that she did not receive notice of any stage in the FDA’s investigation of the IRB. Nothing in the FDA regulations gives a third party, even one “with a direct interest” … in the matter, the right to notice of an FDA report concerning IRB noncompliance…  or the right to attend a “regulatory hearing” at which the IRB, as the subject of the investigation, would challenge disqualification by the FDA … . Moreover, while the regulatory scheme provides for judicial review… , defendants do not dispute plaintiff’s contention that she lacks standing to seek such review ,,, because the proceeding was not adversarial to her. Nor do defendants allege any alternative avenues available to plaintiff to contest, before the FDA, the alleged harm to her reputation. …

[Defendants’] theory … flies in the face of the policy rationale for insisting on an adversarial procedure, namely to prevent the absolute privilege from shielding statements published in a setting in which the defamed party may never know of the statements and, even if he or she did, would have no way to rebut them … . Stega v New York Downtown Hosp., 2018 NY Slip Op 04687, CtApp 6-27-18

​DEFAMATION (QUALIFIED, NOT ABSOLUTE, PRIVILEGE APPLIES WHEN THE SUBJECT OF THE ALLEGED DEFAMATION HAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO REBUT THE ALLEGEDLY DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS (CT APP))/PRIVILEGE (DEFAMATION, QUALIFIED, NOT ABSOLUTE, PRIVILEGE APPLIES WHEN THE SUBJECT OF THE ALLEGED DEFAMATION HAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO REBUT THE ALLEGEDLY DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS (CT APP))/ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE (DEFAMATION, QUALIFIED, NOT ABSOLUTE, PRIVILEGE APPLIES WHEN THE SUBJECT OF THE ALLEGED DEFAMATION HAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO REBUT THE ALLEGEDLY DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS (CT APP))/QUALIFIED PRIVILEGE (DEFAMATION, QUALIFIED, NOT ABSOLUTE, PRIVILEGE APPLIES WHEN THE SUBJECT OF THE ALLEGED DEFAMATION HAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO REBUT THE ALLEGEDLY DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS (CT APP))

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IN THIS ACTION STEMMING FROM PLAINTIFF’S INSURING OF RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES ISSUED BY DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW JUSTIFIABLE RELIANCE AND LOSS CAUSATION FOR ITS FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT CAUSE OF ACTION, PLAINTIFF’S RECOVERY WAS LIMITED TO THAT DESCRIBED IN THE SOLE REMEDY PROVISION, AND PLAINTIFF WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ATTORNEY’S FEES (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Garcia, over a partial dissent, determined certain aspects of defendant Countrywide’s motion for summary judgment against plaintiff insurer, Ambac, stemming from residential mortgage backed securities issued by Countrywide, were properly granted. Ambac’s argument that it need not demonstrate justifiable reliance or loss causation in support of its fraudulent inducement cause of action was rejected, as was Ambac’s argument that it was entitled to relief over and above that specified in the sole remedy clause, as well as attorney’s fees:

Public policy reasons support the justifiable reliance requirement. Where a “sophisticated business person or entity . . . claims to have been taken in,” the justifiable reliance rule “serves to rid the court of cases in which the claim of reliance is likely to be hypocritical” … . Excusing a sophisticated party such as a monoline financial guaranty insurer from demonstrating justifiable reliance would not further the policy underlying this “venerable rule.”

Likewise, there is no merit to Ambac’s argument that it need not show loss causation. Loss causation is a well-established requirement of a common law fraudulent inducement claim for damages. * * *

Ambac’s complaint fails to include breach of contract allegations beyond those that fall under the sole remedy provision … , and accordingly Ambac is limited to the repurchase protocol as the potential remedy for those claims. * * *

In New York, “the prevailing litigant ordinarily cannot collect . . . attorneys’ fees from its unsuccessful opponents. . . . Attorneys’ fees are treated as incidents of litigation, rather than damages. . . . The exception is when an award is authorized by agreement between the parties or by statute or court rule” … . … [T]his Court [has] held that a court “should not infer a party’s intention to waive the benefit of the rule unless the intention to do so is unmistakably clear from the language of the promise … . Ambac Assur. Corp. v Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 2018 NY Slip Op 04686, CtApp 6-27-18

​INSURANCE LAW (IN THIS ACTION STEMMING FROM PLAINTIFF’S INSURING OF RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES ISSUED BY DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW JUSTIFIABLE RELIANCE AND LOSS CAUSATION FOR ITS FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT CAUSE OF ACTION, PLAINTIFF’S RECOVERY WAS LIMITED TO THAT DESCRIBED IN THE SOLE REMEDY PROVISION, AND PLAINTIFF WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ATTORNEY’S FEES (CT APP))/FRAUD  (IN THIS ACTION STEMMING FROM PLAINTIFF’S INSURING OF RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES ISSUED BY DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW JUSTIFIABLE RELIANCE AND LOSS CAUSATION FOR ITS FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT CAUSE OF ACTION, PLAINTIFF’S RECOVERY WAS LIMITED TO THAT DESCRIBED IN THE SOLE REMEDY PROVISION, AND PLAINTIFF WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ATTORNEY’S FEES (CT APP))/CONTRACT LAW  (IN THIS ACTION STEMMING FROM PLAINTIFF’S INSURING OF RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES ISSUED BY DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW JUSTIFIABLE RELIANCE AND LOSS CAUSATION FOR ITS FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT CAUSE OF ACTION, PLAINTIFF’S RECOVERY WAS LIMITED TO THAT DESCRIBED IN THE SOLE REMEDY PROVISION, AND PLAINTIFF WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ATTORNEY’S FEES (CT APP))/SECURITIES  (IN THIS ACTION STEMMING FROM PLAINTIFF’S INSURING OF RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES ISSUED BY DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW JUSTIFIABLE RELIANCE AND LOSS CAUSATION FOR ITS FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT CAUSE OF ACTION, PLAINTIFF’S RECOVERY WAS LIMITED TO THAT DESCRIBED IN THE SOLE REMEDY PROVISION, AND PLAINTIFF WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ATTORNEY’S FEES (CT APP))/RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES  (IN THIS ACTION STEMMING FROM PLAINTIFF’S INSURING OF RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES ISSUED BY DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW JUSTIFIABLE RELIANCE AND LOSS CAUSATION FOR ITS FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT CAUSE OF ACTION, PLAINTIFF’S RECOVERY WAS LIMITED TO THAT DESCRIBED IN THE SOLE REMEDY PROVISION, AND PLAINTIFF WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ATTORNEY’S FEES (CT APP))/ATTORNEY’S FEES (IN THIS ACTION STEMMING FROM PLAINTIFF’S INSURING OF RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE BACKED SECURITIES ISSUED BY DEFENDANT, PLAINTIFF WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW JUSTIFIABLE RELIANCE AND LOSS CAUSATION FOR ITS FRAUDULENT INDUCEMENT CAUSE OF ACTION, PLAINTIFF’S RECOVERY WAS LIMITED TO THAT DESCRIBED IN THE SOLE REMEDY PROVISION, AND PLAINTIFF WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ATTORNEY’S FEES (CT APP))

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DEFENDANT’S SIGNING A WRITTEN WAIVER OF THE RIGHT TO AN INDICTMENT BY GRAND JURY MET CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS, ALTHOUGH BETTER PRACTICE WOULD INCLUDE ELICITING DEFENDANT’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE RIGHT BEING WAIVED (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, over a two-judge dissent, determined that the defendant’s waiver of his right to indictment by grand jury followed proper procedure and was therefore valid. However the court noted that it would be better practice to elicit defendant’s understanding of the right being waived in accordance with a model colloquy (see Waiver of Indictment; Superior Court Information Procedure & Colloquy, https://www.nycourts.gov/judges/cji/8-Colloquies/ [accessed June 22, 2018]):

Mr. Myers [the defendant] signed a waiver, under oath, in open court, after consulting counsel, and with counsel present at the signing. In that statement, Mr. Myers affirmed that he was aware our Constitution guaranteed him the right to be prosecuted by a grand jury indictment and that he would have the right to testify before that grand jury; that he waived those rights in favor of prosecution by Superior Court Information, and that he did so voluntarily after discussing the facts of his case “as well as the meaning of this waiver” with his attorney. The waiver also set forth the offense with which the Superior Court information would charge him. In addition, Mr. Myers’ counsel signed an affirmation that he had discussed the case and the meaning of the waiver with Mr. Myers, and that counsel was satisfied that Mr. Myers understood “the waiver and its consequences.” Those steps satisfied the constitutional requirements. People v Myers, 2018 NY Slip Op 04685, CtApp 6-27-18

CRIMINAL LAW (WAIVER OF INDICTMENT, DEFENDANT’S SIGNING A WRITTEN WAIVER OF THE RIGHT TO AN INDICTMENT BY GRAND JURY MET CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS, ALTHOUGH BETTER PRACTICE WOULD INCLUDE ELICITING DEFENDANT’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE RIGHT BEING WAIVED (CT APP))/INDICTMENT, WAIVER OF (DEFENDANT’S SIGNING A WRITTEN WAIVER OF THE RIGHT TO AN INDICTMENT BY GRAND JURY MET CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS, ALTHOUGH BETTER PRACTICE WOULD INCLUDE ELICITING DEFENDANT’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE RIGHT BEING WAIVED (CT APP))/WAIVER OF INDICTMENT (DEFENDANT’S SIGNING A WRITTEN WAIVER OF THE RIGHT TO AN INDICTMENT BY GRAND JURY MET CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS, ALTHOUGH BETTER PRACTICE WOULD INCLUDE ELICITING DEFENDANT’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE RIGHT BEING WAIVED (CT APP))

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NO APPEAL LIES FROM THE DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH SUBPOENAS ISSUED IN A CRIMINAL ACTION BECAUSE THERE IS NO STATUTORY AUTHORITY IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW FOR SUCH AN APPEAL, THE SUBPOENAS SOUGHT THE REPORTER’S APPEARANCE AT TRIAL AND NOTES OF THE REPORTER’S POST-ARREST INTERVIEW WITH THE DEFENDANT, IN CONTRAST, HAD THE SUBPOENAS BEEN ISSUED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, THE MOTION TO QUASH WOULD HAVE BEEN CIVIL IN NATURE AND THE DENIAL APPEALABLE (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a memorandum decision which sparked two dissenting opinions involving three judges, determined no appeal lies from the denial of a nonparty’s motion to quash a subpoena issued in a criminal action because there is no statutory authority for such an appeal. In contrast, the same motion brought prior to the commencement of a criminal action is civil in nature and is appealable. Here a reporter interviewed the defendant who had confessed in 2013 to the murder of a four-year-old girl in 1991. The reporter wrote a story stating that the defendant alleged his confession was not truthful. The subpoenas sought the appearance of the reporter at trial and the notes of the interview.  The trial court for the most part denied the motions to quash. The Appellate Division reversed without addressing the jurisdictional issue:

The critical distinction between orders addressing subpoenas that precede, as opposed to follow, the commencement of a criminal action is grounded in the plain language of the CPL, which governs “[a]ll criminal actions and proceedings” … . Specifically, a “criminal action commences . . . with the filing of an accusatory instrument against a defendant in a criminal court” … , and a “criminal proceeding” includes “any proceeding which (a) constitutes a part of a criminal action or (b) occurs in a criminal court and is related to a . . . criminal action . . . or involves a criminal investigation” … . Definitionally, an order resolving a motion to quash a subpoena that is issued prior to the filing of an accusatory instrument does not arise within the context of a “criminal action.” Moreover, while such an order may relate to a criminal investigation, when issued in a court of general jurisdiction prior to the commencement of a criminal action, it “arises . . . on the civil side of the court”… . Therefore, an order resolving a motion to quash a subpoena falls outside of the ambit of the CPL—and its concomitant limitations upon appellate review—when the order is issued before a criminal action begins. Review of an order issued in the investigatory stage does not undermine the legislative aim of “limit[ing] appellate proliferation in criminal matters”… insofar as appellate practice at this stage cannot be said to intrude significantly upon a criminal action that may never be commenced. The order here, however, issued after the accusatory instrument was filed, plainly arose in a “criminal action” within the meaning of that term as prescribed by the CPL. Matter of People v Juarez, 2018 NY Slip Op 04684, CtApp 6-27-18

​CRIMINAL LAW (NO APPEAL LIES FROM THE DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH SUBPOENAS ISSUED IN A CRIMINAL ACTION BECAUSE THERE IS NO STATUTORY AUTHORITY IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW FOR SUCH AN APPEAL, THE SUBPOENAS SOUGHT THE REPORTER’S APPEARANCE AT TRIAL AND NOTES OF THE REPORTER’S POST-ARREST INTERVIEW WITH THE DEFENDANT, IN CONTRAST, HAD THE SUBPOENAS BEEN ISSUED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, THE MOTION TO QUASH WOULD HAVE BEEN CIVIL IN NATURE AND THE DENIAL APPEALABLE (CT APP))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, SUBPOENAS, NO APPEAL LIES FROM THE DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH SUBPOENAS ISSUED IN A CRIMINAL ACTION BECAUSE THERE IS NO STATUTORY AUTHORITY IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW FOR SUCH AN APPEAL, THE SUBPOENAS SOUGHT THE REPORTER’S APPEARANCE AT TRIAL AND NOTES OF THE REPORTER’S POST-ARREST INTERVIEW WITH THE DEFENDANT, IN CONTRAST, HAD THE SUBPOENAS BEEN ISSUED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, THE MOTION TO QUASH WOULD HAVE BEEN CIVIL IN NATURE AND THE DENIAL APPEALABLE (CT APP))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (APPEALS, SUBPOENAS, NO APPEAL LIES FROM THE DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH SUBPOENAS ISSUED IN A CRIMINAL ACTION BECAUSE THERE IS NO STATUTORY AUTHORITY IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW FOR SUCH AN APPEAL, THE SUBPOENAS SOUGHT THE REPORTER’S APPEARANCE AT TRIAL AND NOTES OF THE REPORTER’S POST-ARREST INTERVIEW WITH THE DEFENDANT, IN CONTRAST, HAD THE SUBPOENAS BEEN ISSUED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, THE MOTION TO QUASH WOULD HAVE BEEN CIVIL IN NATURE AND THE DENIAL APPEALABLE (CT APP))/SUBPOENAS, MOTION TO QUASH (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEALS, NO APPEAL LIES FROM THE DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH SUBPOENAS ISSUED IN A CRIMINAL ACTION BECAUSE THERE IS NO STATUTORY AUTHORITY IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW FOR SUCH AN APPEAL, THE SUBPOENAS SOUGHT THE REPORTER’S APPEARANCE AT TRIAL AND NOTES OF THE REPORTER’S POST-ARREST INTERVIEW WITH THE DEFENDANT, IN CONTRAST, HAD THE SUBPOENAS BEEN ISSUED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, THE MOTION TO QUASH WOULD HAVE BEEN CIVIL IN NATURE AND THE DENIAL APPEALABLE (CT APP))/QUASH SUBPOENAS, MOTION TO (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEALS, NO APPEAL LIES FROM THE DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH SUBPOENAS ISSUED IN A CRIMINAL ACTION BECAUSE THERE IS NO STATUTORY AUTHORITY IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW FOR SUCH AN APPEAL, THE SUBPOENAS SOUGHT THE REPORTER’S APPEARANCE AT TRIAL AND NOTES OF THE REPORTER’S POST-ARREST INTERVIEW WITH THE DEFENDANT, IN CONTRAST, HAD THE SUBPOENAS BEEN ISSUED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, THE MOTION TO QUASH WOULD HAVE BEEN CIVIL IN NATURE AND THE DENIAL APPEALABLE (CT APP))

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PLAINTIFFS’ CONCLUSORY ALLEGATION OF FRAUD DID NOT DEFEAT THE AGREEMENT TO ARBITRATE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the arbitration clause of the contract between plaintiffs and defendant was enforceable, despite the plaintiffs’ allegation of fraud in connection with the contract:

A party may not be compelled to arbitrate a dispute unless there is evidence which affirmatively establishes that the parties clearly, explicitly, and unequivocally agreed to arbitrate the dispute… . Under both federal and New York law, unless it can be established that there was a grand scheme to defraud which permeated the entire agreement, including the arbitration provision, a broadly worded arbitration provision will be deemed separate from the substantive contractual provisions, and the agreement to arbitrate may be valid despite the underlying allegation of fraud … .

The broad arbitration clause in the 2014 agreement, together with the other provisions of the 2014 agreement, demonstrate that the plaintiffs explicitly and unequivocally agreed to arbitrate the matters that are the subject of this action. In addition, the plaintiffs’ bare conclusory assertions of fraud failed to establish that any alleged fraud was part of a grand scheme that permeated the entire agreement, including the arbitration clause … . Zafar v Fast Track Leasing, LLC, 2018 NY Slip Op 04774, Second Dept 6-27-18

ARBITRATION (CONTRACT LAW, FRAUD, PLAINTIFFS’ CONCLUSORY ALLEGATION OF FRAUD DID NOT DEFEAT THE AGREEMENT TO ARBITRATE (SECOND DEPT))/CONTRACT LAW (ARBITRATION, PLAINTIFFS’ CONCLUSORY ALLEGATION OF FRAUD DID NOT DEFEAT THE AGREEMENT TO ARBITRATE (SECOND DEPT))/FRAUD (ARBITRATION, CONTRACT LAW, PLAINTIFFS’ CONCLUSORY ALLEGATION OF FRAUD DID NOT DEFEAT THE AGREEMENT TO ARBITRATE (SECOND DEPT))

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FAILURE TO PLEAD A JURISDICTIONAL DEFECT AS A DEFENSE WAIVED THE DEFECT; WITHOUT EXPERT OPINION EVIDENCE, THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSE OF ACTION WAS NOT PROVED (SECOND DEPT)

The Second Department noted that the defendant’s (NYS’s) failure to plead a jurisdictional defect as a defense (defendant had not timely filed and served notice of claim) waived the defect. The claimant did not present expert evidence to support the medical malpractice claim and therefore did not demonstrate that any alleged deviation from the accepted standard of care was the proximate case of his injury. The claimant alleged a negligent failure to diagnose a urinary tract infection (UTI):

“To establish a prima facie case of medical malpractice, a plaintiff must set forth (1) the standard of care in the locality where the treatment occurred, (2) that the defendant breached that standard of care, and (3) that the breach was the proximate cause of his or her injuries”… . Further, where, as here, the subject matter (UTIs) and treatment thereof are “not within the ordinary experience and knowledge of laypersons”… , the claimant must establish a prima facie case of medical malpractice through expert medical opinion … . Whitfield v State of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 04773, Second Dept 6-27-18

COURT OF CLAIMS (FAILURE TO PLEAD A JURISDICTIONAL DEFECT AS A DEFENSE WAIVED THE DEFECT; WITHOUT EXPERT OPINION EVIDENCE, THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSE OF ACTION WAS NOT PROVED (SECOND DEPT))/NOTICE OF CLAIM (COURT OF CLAIMS, FAILURE TO PLEAD A JURISDICTIONAL DEFECT AS A DEFENSE WAIVED THE DEFECT; WITHOUT EXPERT OPINION EVIDENCE, THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSE OF ACTION WAS NOT PROVED (SECOND DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, WITHOUT EXPERT OPINION THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSE OF ACTION WAS NOT PROVED (SECOND DEPT))/MEDICAL MALPRACTICE (EXPERT OPINION, WITHOUT EXPERT OPINION EVIDENCE, THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSE OF ACTION WAS NOT PROVED (SECOND DEPT))/EVIDENCE (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, WITHOUT EXPERT OPINION THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSE OF ACTION WAS NOT PROVED (SECOND DEPT))/EXPERT OPINION (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, WITHOUT EXPERT OPINION EVIDENCE, THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CAUSE OF ACTION WAS NOT PROVED (SECOND DEPT))

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SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, modifying Supreme Court, determined (1) the court should not have searched the record and awarded summary judgment to the plaintiff in this sidewalk slip and fall case based upon a theory raised for the first time in reply papers, (2) the city defendants did not demonstrate that they did not have written notice of the condition or that they did not create the condition, and (3) evidence submitted by the city defendants for the first time in reply papers could not be considered with respect to a prima facie showing of entitlement to summary judgment:

The plaintiff alleged, for the first time in opposition to the motion and cross motion for summary judgment, that the defendants were strictly liable under an absolute nuisance theory. However, a plaintiff cannot defeat an otherwise proper motion for summary judgment by asserting, for the first time in opposition to the motion, a new theory of liability that was not pleaded in the complaint or bill of particulars … . …

… [T]he City defendants’ … “failed to demonstrate their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law on the ground that they had no prior written notice as they failed to submit proof of such lack of notice from the proper municipal official”…, or that they did not create the alleged dangerous condition through an affirmative act of negligence… . The evidence submitted by the City defendants for the first time in their reply papers cannot be considered for the purpose of determining whether they met their prima facie burden … . Troia v City of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 04770, Second Dept 6-27-18

NEGLIGENCE (SLIP AND FALL, MUNICIPAL LAW, SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT))/MUNICIPAL LAW (SLIP AND FALL, SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT))/REPLY PAPERS (SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT))/SUMMARY JUDGMENT (REPLY PAPERS, SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL (SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT))/SIDEWALKS (SLIP AND FALL, MUNICIPAL LAW, SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO PLAINTIFF IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE ON A THEORY RAISED IN REPLY PAPERS, CITY DEFENDANTS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF THE CONDITION OR DID NOT CREATE THE CONDITION, EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY THE CITY DEFENDANTS IN REPLY PAPERS COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED (SECOND DEPT))

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CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing defendant’s child pornography convictions and dismissing the indictment, determined the convictions were against the weight of the evidence. The defendant, who speaks Spanish, gave a written statement in English acknowledging he had downloaded child pornography. However, it was revealed at trial that the police provided information that was in the statement and made changes to the statement without defendant’s permission. The defendant had waived a pre-trial Huntley hearing on the voluntariness of the statement, informing the judge he intended to challenge the voluntariness of the statement at trial. The judge, in this bench trial, erroneously ruled defendant had waived his right to challenge the statement a trial. The defendant testified that he did not download the child pornography and that he gave the statement to protect a family member. A family member testified and admitted “unintentionally” downloading the files. Defendant produced evidence he was at work when at least two of the files were downloaded:

The convictions were based on the defendant’s alleged acts of downloading and/or sharing 15 video files and 2 still images, on multiple dates. The People introduced into evidence, inter alia, a written statement in English that the defendant made to law enforcement officials. In that statement, the defendant acknowledged having downloaded approximately 5 videos containing child pornography; he did not specify the names or descriptions of the materials, or the dates of the actions. The defendant’s written statement included the name of the program used to download contraband materials to this computer, as well as a term allegedly used in titles of child pornography files, but a police investigator acknowledged that he had supplied those terms. Apart from the defendant’s statement to the police, the prosecution adduced no other evidence showing that it was the defendant who had downloaded and/or shared the subject materials, consisting of 15 video files and 2 still photographs, on specific dates and times. …

Although we ordinarily accord great deference to the factfinder’s opportunity to view the witnesses, hear the testimony, and observe demeanor…, under the circumstances of this case, we give no deference to the County Court’s assessment of the defendant’s credibility on the issue of the voluntariness of his statements to law enforcement officials, as the court erroneously precluded the defendant from contesting the voluntariness of the written statement during the trial, contrary to his statutory and constitutional right to do so … . People v Vasquez, 2018 NY Slip Op 04761, Second Dept 6-27-18

CRIMINAL LAW (CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT))/WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT))/CHILD PORNOGRAPHY (CRIMINAL LAW, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT))/VOLUNTARINESS OF STATEMENT (CRIMINAL LAW, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT))/HUNTLEY HEARING LAW (CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT))/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, (CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CONVICTIONS REVERSED AS AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE, DEFENDANT DID NOT WAIVE HIS RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THE VOLUNTARINESS OF THE STATEMENT AT TRIAL BY WAIVING A PRE-TRIAL HUNTLEY HEARING (SECOND DEPT))

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