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Entries by Bruce Freeman

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HERE THE APPELLATE DIVISION, IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE, ADJUDICATED DEFENDANT A YOUTHFUL OFFENDER (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing County Court, over a two-justice dissent, determined defendant should have been sentenced as a youthful offender for his role in a robbery:: … [T]he factors weighing against affording defendant youthful offender treatment are the seriousness of the offense, defendant’s alleged gang affiliation, and defendant’s failure to complete interim probation … . […]

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A MUNICIPALITY CANNOT BE SUED FOR NEGLIGENT HIRING, RETENTION, TRAINING AND SUPERVISION BASED UPON EMPLOYEES’ ACTIONS ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT; THE PROPER THEORY IS RESPONDEAT SUPERIOR (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined that a municipality cannot be sued for negligent hiring, retention, training and supervision based upon actions taken by employees within the scope of their employment. In that case, the municipality can only be sued under a respondeat superior theory. Here plaintiff sued the City of Buffalo and […]

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THE COURT’S PRIOR ORDER STATED FATHER’S COMPLIANCE FOR SIX MONTHS WOULD CONSTITUTE A CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES AND FATHER DEMONSTRATED SUCH COMPLIANCE; IN ADDITION MOTHER’S RELOCATION TO ARIZONA WITHOUT PERMISSION CONSTITUTED A CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES; IN-PERSON VISITATION ORDERED (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, reversing Family Court, determined father demonstrated a change in circumstances warranting in-person visitation with the children. The prior order of the court stated that father’s compliance for six months would constitute a change in circumstances and father demonstrated such compliance. In addition, mother’s relocation to Arizona without permission also constituted an actionable […]

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THE WARRANT AUTHORIZING THE SEARCH OF THE CONTENTS OF DEFENDANT’S CELL PHONE DID NOT RESTRICT THE SEARCH TO EVIDENCE OF ANY PARTICULAR CRIME AND DID NOT INCORPORATE THE POLICE INVESTIGATOR’S AFFIDAVIT WHICH PURPORTEDLY LAID OUT THE BASIS FOR FINDING PROBABLE CAUSE; THE WARRANT DID NOT MEET THE “PARTICULARITY REQUIREMENT” (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing defendant’s conviction by guilty plea, determined the motion to suppress evidence seized from defendant’s cell phone should have been granted because the search warrant lacked particularity: A search warrant must be “specific enough to leave no discretion to the executing officer” … . To meet the particularity requirement, a search warrant […]

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HERE THE PLEA ALLOCUTION DID NOT INDICATE TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT ACTS WERE ENCOMPASSED BY COUNTS 2 AND 3; THEREFORE CONSECUTIVE SENTENCES FOR THOSE COUNTS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IMPOSED (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, vacating defendant’s consecutive sentences, determined there was no evidence the counts to which defendant pled guilty involved two separate and distinct acts: Sentences imposed for two or more offenses may not run consecutively where, inter alia, “a single act constitutes two offenses” … . Thus, in order for a consecutive sentence to […]

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A TEACHER’S ALLEGED STATEMENT TO THE PLAINTIFF THAT HE WAS AWARE OF THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF THE PLAINTIFF BY ANOTHER TEACHER OCCURRING REPEATEDLY AT SCHOOL WAS DEEMED AN ADMISSION ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT RAISING A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER THE SEXUAL ABUSE WAS FORESEEABLE BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, over a concurrence disagreeing with the majority ruling that a teacher’s alleged statement was admissible against the school district as an admission, affirmed the denial of the school district’s motion for summary judgment in this Child Victims Act negligent supervision case. Plaintiff, who was a student in the late 60’s, alleged repeated […]

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​ THE DOCTRINE OF MERGER REQUIRED REVERSAL OF THE KIDNAPPING CONVICTION AND THE INCLUSORY-CONCURRENT-COUNT DOCTRINE REQUIRED REVERSAL OF THE FORCIBLE TOUCHING CONVICTION (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing the kidnapping and forcible touching convictions determined the doctrine of merger precluded the kidnapping conviction and the forcible touching count was in inclusory concurrent count re: stalking: Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him, upon a jury verdict, of attempted kidnapping in the second degree as a sexually motivated felony … […]

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BECAUSE DEFENDANT’S 20-YEAR-OLD OUT-OF-STATE CONVICTION DID NOT INVOLVE A SEXUALLY VIOLENT OFFENSE, THE CORRECTION LAW WHICH REQUIRES THAT HE BE DESIGNATED A SEXUALLY VIOLENT OFFENDER IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AS APPLIED TO HIM (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing County Court, determined defendant should not have been designated a sexually violent offender based upon a 20-year-old out-of-state conviction of an offense which would not qualify as a sexually violent offense in New York: There is no dispute that the crime of which defendant was convicted, sexual assault in violation of […]

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THE JUDGMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATION COURT FOR A VIOLATION OF A CAYUGA NATION ORDINANCE CONSTITUTED FINES; A FOREIGN COUNTRY’S JUDGMENTS FOR FINES ARE NOT RECOGNIZED OR ENFORCEABLE IN NEW YORK STATE COURTS (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the judgments granted by the Nation Court for violation of a Cayuga Nation ordinance constituted fines. Under the CPLR, a foreign -country judgment for a fine is not recognized or enforceable in New York State: “Under CPLR article 53, a judgment issued by a foreign country is recognized […]

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CIVIL CONTEMPT AIMS TO COMPENSATE THE OTHER PARTY FOR ANY LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONTEMPT (FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH A COURT ORDER); CRIMINAL CONTEMPT AIMS TO PUNISH; THEREFORE A $250 A DAY FINE, ALTHOUGH APPROPRIATE FOR CRIMINAL CONTEMPT, WAS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THE CIVL CONTEMPT AT ISSUE HERE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined fining defendants $250 a day for civil contempt was not appropriate. Civil contempt, unlike criminal contempt, is designed to compensate the other party for any loss, not to punish. The matter was remitted for a determination of any losses to plaintiffs associated with defendants’ contempt. Defendants had ignored […]

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