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Entries by Bruce Freeman

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A POLICE OFFICER DIRECTING TRAFFIC IS PERFORMING A GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTION REQUIRING THE EXERCISE OF DISCRETION; THE OFFICER AND THE CITY ARE THEREFORE IMMUNE FROM LIABLITY FOR A RELATED ACCIDENT (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the city defendants and defendant police officer (McMillan) were entitled to summary judgment in this traffic accident case. It was alleged that McMillan negligently directed the vehicle which struck plaintiff to enter the intersection. Because directing traffic is a governmental function requiring the exercise of discretion, the governmental […]

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ALTHOUGH THE ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER CAN BE LIABLE FOR A SLIP AND FALL CAUSED BY A SIDEWALK DEFECT CREATED BY THE PROPERTY OWNER’S SPECIAL USE, HERE A CURB CUT FOR A DRIVEWAY, A SUBSEQUENT PURCHASER OF THE PROPERTY WHO DOES NOT CONTINUE THE SPECIAL USE WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR THE DEFECT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court in this slip and fall case, determined defendant property owner was not liable for any sidewalk defects created by the prior owner’s special use (a driveway) because defendant did not continue with that special use: … [T]he defendants established, prima facie, that the property was a one-family residence that […]

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THE SCHOOL DISTRICT DID NOT ELIMINATE QUESTIONS OF FACT ABOUT WHETHER IT PROPERLY EVALUATED THE TEACHER’S BACKGROUND BEFORE HIRING HER AND WHETHER IT HAD CONSTRUCTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TEACHER’S ALLEGED ABUSE OF PLAINTIFF STUDENT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court in this Child Victims Act case, determined the defendant school district did not demonstrate it took adequate measures to the evaluate the teacher’s background and did not demonstrate it did not have constructive notice of the teacher’s alleged sexual abuse of plaintiff student: … [T]he defendants failed to establish, […]

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PURSUANT TO THE VILLAGE CODE, WRITTEN NOTICE BY MAIL AND PUBLICATION IS SUFFICIENT NOTICE OF A TAX LIEN AND SALE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, over a concurrence, determined defendant received adequate notice of the real property tax lien and sale: The defendant argues that the Village should have been required to commence an in rem tax lien foreclosure proceeding. However, she concedes that, pursuant to L 1993, ch 602, § 6, Code of Village of Hempstead […]

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THE INCLUSION OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN THE ENVELOPE CONTAINING THE RPAPL 1304 90-DAY NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE DID NOT VIOLATE THE “SEPARATE ENVELOPE” RULE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the inclusion of additional information the the envelope with the RPAPL 1304 90-day notice of foreclosure did not invalidate the notice (in light of a recent Court of Appeals decision): The Court of Appeals held that RPAPL 1304 does not prohibit the inclusion of additional information in the […]

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THE CITY DEMONSTRATED IT DID NOT HAVE WRITTEN NOTICE OF THE OPEN MANHOLE PLAINTIFF DROVE OVER; PLAINTIFF UNSUCCESSFULLY TRIED TO RAISE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, AN EXCEPTION TO THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIREMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE CITY’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the municipality proved it did not have written notice of the road defect and plaintiff’s attempt to raise for the first time an exception to the written notice requirement in response to the summary judgment motion was improper: The plaintiff allegedly was injured when she drove her vehicle […]

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EVIDENCE THAT THE AREA BELOW THE STAIRS WHERE PLAINTIFF SLIPPED AND FELL HAD BEEN RECENTLY MOPPED, TOGETHER WITH TESTIMONY THAT THE STAIRS WERE WET, WARRANTED SUMMARY JUDGMENT (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the evidence that the stairs had recently been mopped and were wet when plaintiff slipped and fell was sufficient to warrant summary judgment: … [T]he plaintiffs submitted a transcript of the injured plaintiff’s deposition testimony, wherein she noted that after she fell, her pants and the bottom of […]

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IN THIS STATUTORY RAPE CASE WHERE THE VICTIM WAS FIVE YEARS YOUNGER THAN DEFENDANT, DEFENDANT WAS ENTITLED TO A DOWNWARD DEPARTURE FROM LEVEL TWO TO LEVEL ONE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department reduced defendant’s SORA risk level from two to one. This was a statutory rape case in which the victim was five years younger than defendant: “In cases of statutory rape, the Board [of Examiners of Sex Offenders] has long recognized that strict application of the Guidelines may in some instances result in […]

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DURING SUMMATION THE PROSECUTOR REPEATEDLY ACCUSED DEFENDANT OF LYING, VOUCHED FOR THE CREDIBILITY OF THE COMPLAINANT AND MISSTATED CRITICAL EVIDENCE; NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing defendant’s convictions and ordering a new trial, determined the attempted murder and burglary convictions were against the weight of the evidence and prosecutorial misconduct deprived defendant of a fair trial: … [D]uring summation, the prosecutor, inter alia, repeatedly accused the defendant of lying, improperly vouched for the credibility of the complainant, […]

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IN THIS MENTAL HYGIENE LAW ARTICLE 10 TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE RESPONDENT, WHO HAD SERVED HIS SENTENCE FOR SEXUAL OFFENSES, REQUIRED CIVIL MANAGEMENT, HEARSAY BASED EXPERT EVIDENCE OFFERED BY THE STATE AND EVIDENCE FROM ONE OF RESPONDENT’S VICTIMS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED; NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing the jury’s finding that respondent did not suffer from a mental abnormality requiring civil management, determined that hearsay based expert evidence offered by the state, and evidence of violence and sexual offenses offered by one of respondent’s victims should not have been excluded: … [T]he State’s expert should have been permitted […]

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