Constitutional Law – Page 36 – New York Appellate Digest

Constitutional Law, Land Use, Municipal Law, Zoning

TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER’S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER’S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Scheinkman, determined that the town's attempt to recover consulting fees and set up an escrow account in connection the petitioner's requests for a special use permit and a variance to construct an antenna for a ham radio exceeded the town's authority and was preempted by a federal regulation:

The petitioner is an amateur radio hobbyist who applied for a special use permit and an area variance that would allow him to construct a radio antenna structure on his property in the Town of LaGrange. The Town incurred more than $17,000 in legal consulting fees in connection with the applications, and informed the petitioner that he was required to reimburse the Town for these fees before any determination would be made with respect to the applications. The Town subsequently, as “an accommodation to the petitioner,” reduced the amount that it was demanding for previously incurred fees to the sum of $5,874, but also required the petitioner to maintain a minimum advance continuing escrow balance of at least $1,000 to cover the Town's future consulting costs in connection with the applications. We hold that, because the Town did not limit the consulting fees charged to the petitioner to those necessary to the decision-making function of the Town's Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, the Town exceeded its State-granted authority by requiring payment of the consulting fees and, moreover, violated a rule promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission. Matter of Landstein v Town of LaGrange, 2018 NY Slip Op 06741, Second Dept 10-10-18

MUNICIPAL LAW (TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER'S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER'S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT))/ZONING (TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER'S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER'S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (PREEMPTION, MUNICIPAL LAW, TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER'S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER'S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT))/SPECIAL USE PERMIT (TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER'S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER'S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT))/VARIANCE (TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER'S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER'S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT))/ANTENNA (TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER'S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER'S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT))/RADIO (HAM RADIO ANTENNA, TOWN EXCEEDED ITS AUTHORITY AND VIOLATED A FEDERAL REGULATION WHEN IT ASSESSED CONSULTING FEES IN CONNECTION WITH PETITIONER'S REQUESTS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND A VARIANCE TO CONSTRUCT A HAM RADIO ANTENNA ON PETITIONER'S PROPERTY (SECOND DEPT))

October 10, 2018

Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Insurance Law

INSURER OF NEW YORK DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING A U-HAUL VEHICLE IN NORTH CAROLINA DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTACTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO WARRANT THE IMPOSITION OF LONG-ARM JURISDICTION IN A NORTH CAROLINA ACTION, THE NEW YORK ACTION SEEKING DOMESTICATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA DEFAULT JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Singh, in a matter of first impression, determined that the insurer of a New York State driver (Country-Wide) did not have sufficient contacts with North Carolina, where a U-Haul vehicle driven by the New York driver rear-ended the injured parties, to provide New York with jurisdiction. The insurer of the U-Haul vehicle (Repwest) sought to recover, in New York, the amount of the settlement after Country-Wide failed to appear in North Carolina:

On this appeal we are asked to consider an issue that we have never directly addressed: whether an automobile liability policy's territory of coverage clause that covers any accident within the United States and the occurrence of the accident in the forum state are sufficient to confer personal jurisdiction over the primary insurer of the offending vehicle. We find that the connection is not sufficient to comport with federal due process, and that this renders the foreign judgment unenforceable. * * *

We find that minimum contacts has not been established on this record. Countrywide did not purposefully avail itself of conducting activities within North Carolina. It is undisputed that Countrywide has never been licensed or authorized to do business in any capacity in North Carolina. At all times relevant to this suit, Countrywide has only been licensed to issue insurance policies within New York State. Countrywide has never maintained an office or employees in North Carolina. It is a company incorporated under the laws of Delaware, with its principal place of business in New York. Countrywide has never conducted or solicited business in or from North Carolina. There is a qualitative distinction between contracting to cover an insured under a territory of coverage clause and the insurer of the policy being amenable to being haled into court anywhere in the United States in a dispute with another insurer. Countrywide cannot reasonably foresee being haled into court in a state where it did not purposefully direct its activities … . Repwest Ins. Co. v Country-Wide Ins. Co., 2018 NY Slip Op 06505, First Dept 10-2-18

INSURANCE LAW (INSURER OF NEW YORK DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING A U-HAUL VEHICLE IN NORTH CAROLINA DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTACTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO WARRANT THE IMPOSITION OF LONG-ARM JURISDICTION IN A NORTH CAROLINA ACTION, THE NEW YORK ACTION SEEKING DOMESTICATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA DEFAULT JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (INSURANCE LAW, LONG-ARM JURISDICTION, INSURER OF NEW YORK DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING A U-HAUL VEHICLE IN NORTH CAROLINA DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTACTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO WARRANT THE IMPOSITION OF LONG-ARM JURISDICTION IN A NORTH CAROLINA ACTION, THE NEW YORK ACTION SEEKING DOMESTICATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA DEFAULT JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT))/LONG-ARM JURISDICTION (INSURER OF NEW YORK DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING A U-HAUL VEHICLE IN NORTH CAROLINA DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTACTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO WARRANT THE IMPOSITION OF LONG-ARM JURISDICTION IN A NORTH CAROLINA ACTION, THE NEW YORK ACTION SEEKING DOMESTICATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA DEFAULT JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (CIVIL PROCEDURE, LONG-ARM JURISDICTION, INSURANCE LAW, (INSURER OF NEW YORK DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING A U-HAUL VEHICLE IN NORTH CAROLINA DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTACTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO WARRANT THE IMPOSITION OF LONG-ARM JURISDICTION IN A NORTH CAROLINA ACTION, THE NEW YORK ACTION SEEKING DOMESTICATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA DEFAULT JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT))/TERRITORY OF COVERAGE CLAUSE (INSURER OF NEW YORK DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING A U-HAUL VEHICLE IN NORTH CAROLINA DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTACTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO WARRANT THE IMPOSITION OF LONG-ARM JURISDICTION IN A NORTH CAROLINA ACTION, THE NEW YORK ACTION SEEKING DOMESTICATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA DEFAULT JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT))/TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS (INSURER OF NEW YORK DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING A U-HAUL VEHICLE IN NORTH CAROLINA DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTACTS WITH NORTH CAROLINA TO WARRANT THE IMPOSITION OF LONG-ARM JURISDICTION IN A NORTH CAROLINA ACTION, THE NEW YORK ACTION SEEKING DOMESTICATION OF A NORTH CAROLINA DEFAULT JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FIRST DEPT))

October 2, 2018

Constitutional Law, Election Law, Employment Law, Municipal Law

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE’S RULE PROHIBITING DEPARTMENT INSPECTORS FROM RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTION OF FREE SPEECH (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a one-sentence memorandum, over a two-judge dissent, determined that the Department of Agriculture's regulation which prohibits employees responsible for inspecting agricultural facilities (like milk plants) from seeking public office (i.e., a county legislator) was not an unconstitutional restriction of free speech. Matter of Spence v New York State Dept. of Agric. & Mkts., 2018 NY Slip Op 06071, CtApp 9-18-18

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S RULE PROHIBITING DEPARTMENT INSPECTORS FROM RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTION OF FREE SPEECH (CT APP))/ELECTION LAW (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S RULE PROHIBITING DEPARTMENT INSPECTORS FROM RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTION OF FREE SPEECH (CT APP))/MUNICIPAL LAW (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S RULE PROHIBITING DEPARTMENT INSPECTORS FROM RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTION OF FREE SPEECH (CT APP))/EMPLOYMENT LAW (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S RULE PROHIBITING DEPARTMENT INSPECTORS FROM RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTION OF FREE SPEECH (CT APP))/AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OF (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S RULE PROHIBITING DEPARTMENT INSPECTORS FROM RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IS NOT AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTION OF FREE SPEECH (CT APP))

September 18, 2018

Appeals, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Evidence

DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH A SUBPOENA FOR EVIDENCE OF HER JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW OF THE DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING IS NOT APPEALABLE (CT APP).

The First Department, upon remittitur from the Ct. of Appeals, held that the denial of a reporter’s motion to quash a subpoena for evidence of her jailhouse interview of the defendant is not appealable:

“[N]o appeal lies from an order arising out of a criminal proceeding absent specific statutory authorization” (Matter of People v Juarez , _NY3d_, 2018 NY Slip Op 04684 [2018]), quoting People v Santos , 64 NY2d 702, 704 [1984]). As pertinent to the issue in this case, “an order determining a motion to quash a subpoena . . . issued in the course of prosecution of a criminal action, arises out of a criminal proceeding for which no direct appellate review is authorized” (id.; see CPL art 450). People v Juarez, 2018 NY Slip Op 05969, First Dept 9-6-18

CRIMINAL LAW (DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH A SUBPOENA FOR EVIDENCE OF HER JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW OF THE DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING IS NOT APPEALABLE (CT APP))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH A SUBPOENA FOR EVIDENCE OF HER JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW OF THE DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING IS NOT APPEALABLE (CT APP))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH A SUBPOENA FOR EVIDENCE OF HER JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW OF THE DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING IS NOT APPEALABLE (CT APP))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH A SUBPOENA FOR EVIDENCE OF HER JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW OF THE DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING IS NOT APPEALABLE (CT APP))/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, DENIAL OF A REPORTER’S MOTION TO QUASH A SUBPOENA FOR EVIDENCE OF HER JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW OF THE DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL PROCEEDING IS NOT APPEALABLE (CT APP))

September 6, 2018

Appeals, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

CPL 450.10 (1), WHICH PURPORTS TO PROHIBIT AN ‘EXCESSIVE SENTENCE’ APPEAL AFTER A GUILTY PLEA, IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, DEFENDANT’S WAIVER OF APPEAL, HOWEVER, WAS VALID (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department noted that Criminal Procedure Law 450.10(1), which purports to prohibit an “excessive sentence” appeal after a guilty plea, is unconstitutional in that it limits the jurisdiction of the Appellate Division, in violation of the NYS Constitution. But the court went on to find that defendant's waiver of appeal was valid and precluded contesting his sentence:

CPL 450.10(1) provides a criminal defendant with the right to appeal a judgment “unless the appeal is based solely upon the ground that a sentence was harsh or excessive when such sentence was predicated upon entry of a plea of guilty and the sentence imposed did not exceed that which was agreed to by the defendant as a condition of the plea.” As the People acknowledge, the Court of Appeals has held that this provision is unconstitutional because “it imposes a limitation or condition on the jurisdiction of the Appellate Division of Supreme Court in contravention of NY Constitution, article VI, § 4(k)” … . * * *

Here, the record of the plea proceeding demonstrates that the defendant understood that the appeal waiver was separate and distinct from those rights automatically forfeited upon a plea of guilty and that the defendant was voluntarily relinquishing that right in consideration for the promised sentence … . Furthermore, the record of the plea proceeding demonstrates that the defendant received an explanation of the nature of the right to appeal and the consequences of waiving that right … . People v Swen, 2018 NY Slip Op 05949, Second Dept 8-29-18

CRIMINAL LAW (CPL 450.10 (1), WHICH PURPORTS TO PROHIBIT AN 'EXCESSIVE SENTENCE' APPEAL AFTER A GUILTY PLEA, IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, DEFENDANT'S WAIVER OF APPEAL, HOWEVER, WAS VALID (SECOND DEPT))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (CRIMINAL LAW, CPL 450.10 (1), WHICH PURPORTS TO PROHIBIT AN 'EXCESSIVE SENTENCE' APPEAL AFTER A GUILTY PLEA, IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, DEFENDANT'S WAIVER OF APPEAL, HOWEVER, WAS VALID (SECOND DEPT))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, CPL 450.10 (1), WHICH PURPORTS TO PROHIBIT AN 'EXCESSIVE SENTENCE' APPEAL AFTER A GUILTY PLEA, IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, DEFENDANT'S WAIVER OF APPEAL, HOWEVER, WAS VALID (SECOND DEPT))/WAIVER OF APPEAL (CRIMINAL LAW, CPL 450.10 (1), WHICH PURPORTS TO PROHIBIT AN 'EXCESSIVE SENTENCE' APPEAL AFTER A GUILTY PLEA, IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, DEFENDANT'S WAIVER OF APPEAL, HOWEVER, WAS VALID (SECOND DEPT))/SENTENCING (APPEALS, CPL 450.10 (1), WHICH PURPORTS TO PROHIBIT AN 'EXCESSIVE SENTENCE' APPEAL AFTER A GUILTY PLEA, IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, DEFENDANT'S WAIVER OF APPEAL, HOWEVER, WAS VALID (SECOND DEPT))

August 29, 2018

Constitutional Law, Mental Hygiene Law, Public Health Law, Trusts and Estates

DECISION TO WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT FROM A DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED MAN IN A VEGETATIVE STATE PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA IN SURROGATE’S COURT PROCEDURE ACT 1750-b DID NOT VIOLATE HIS RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Renwick, over a concurring opinion, determined that the decision to allow the withdrawal of life support from an 80-year-old developmentally disabled person (M.G.), who was in a vegetative state, did not violate M.G.'s right to equal protection under the law. Although M.G. had died, the appeal was considered as an exception to the mootness doctrine:

This is an appeal from an order that authorized petitioner physician, after a hearing pursuant to the Surrogate's Court Procedure Act (SCPA-1750-b), to withdraw life-sustaining treatment from a developmentally disabled person (M.G.), in accordance with the decision of his guardian. Applying SCPA 1750-b's best interests standard, Supreme Court granted the order over the objection of Mental Hygiene Legal Service (MHLS) that a meaningful inquiry into M.G.'s end-of-life wishes should have been conducted because M.G. had some prior capacity to make health care decisions … . This case presents a similar equal protection claim to the one this Court rejected in [Matter of Chantel Nicole R. (Pamela R.) 34 AD3d 99]: whether treating an intellectually and developmentally disabled person who had some prior capacity to make health care decisions differently from a previously competent, non-disabled person violates the equal protection rights of the intellectually and developmentally disabled person. In Chantel, we concluded that there was no violation of the Equal Protection Clause, because intellectually and developmentally disabled persons are not similarly situated to once competent persons and that the disparate treatment of the SCPA 1750-b was rationally related to a “legitimate [government] interest in advancing the right of [intellectually and developmentally disabled] persons to be free from prolonged suffering” … . … [w]e reject the equal protection challenge in this case as well. * * *

MHLS moved to summarily dismiss the petition, arguing that petitioner should proceed under article 29-CC of the Public Health Law and not SCPA 1750-b, since M.G. was previously found to have capacity to request life-sustaining treatment, and thus a meaningful inquiry into his end-of-life wishes should control, rather than merely a “best interests” analysis, and that proceeding otherwise would violate his equal protection rights. Dr. Sloane, however, argued that the application was properly brought under SCPA 1750-b, since M.G. was in a permanent vegetative state, lacked capacity to make health care decisions, was developmentally disabled with a full-scale IQ of 47, had no advanced directives in place, and had not discussed his wishes with his guardian, who lived in Chicago, or anyone at his community residence. * * *

… [W]e are satisfied that Supreme Court's decision with regard to M.G. was consistent with SCPA 1750-b's requirements for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. The undisputed medical evidence establishes that before his demise, M.G. was in a permanent vegetative state; he suffered from multiple organ failure of the lungs, kidneys, and brain. M.G. had no neurologic function and did not respond to stimuli or breathe without a ventilator. The medical expert's opinion was that the need for hemodialysis, the chest tubes, and ventilation were ongoing, that M.G.'s lack of cognitive ability could not be cured, and that there was no chance of meaningful neurological recovery. It was thus abundantly clear that M.G. was completely unable to interact with his environment, and that the medical probability that he would ever return to a cognitive sentient state, as distinguished from a chronic vegetative existence, was virtually non-existent. Any medical treatment administered would have provided minimal, if any, benefit and would only have postponed M.B.'s death rather than improve his life. In short, M.G.'s condition was irreversible, and treatment would have imposed an extraordinary burden on him… . The best interests of the patient under SCPA 1750-b embraces not only recovery or the avoidance of pain but also a dignified death. The guardian's decision conformed with the obligation to promote the patient's well-being, and to the extent possible, the decision of M.G. himself. Matter of Sloane v M.G., 2018 NY Slip Op 05800, First Dept 8-16-18

MENTAL HYGIENE LAW (DECISION TO WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT FROM A DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED MAN IN A VEGETATIVE STATE PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA IN SURROGATE'S COURT PROCEDURE ACT 1750-b DID NOT VIOLATE HIS RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW (FIRST DEPT))/TRUSTS AND ESTATES (DECISION TO WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT FROM A DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED MAN IN A VEGETATIVE STATE PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA IN SURROGATE'S COURT PROCEDURE ACT 1750-b DID NOT VIOLATE HIS RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW (FIRST DEPT)/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (DECISION TO WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT FROM A DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED MAN IN A VEGETATIVE STATE PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA IN SURROGATE'S COURT PROCEDURE ACT 1750-b DID NOT VIOLATE HIS RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW (FIRST DEPT))/LIFE SUPPORT (DECISION TO WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT FROM A DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED MAN IN A VEGETATIVE STATE PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA IN SURROGATE'S COURT PROCEDURE ACT 1750-b DID NOT VIOLATE HIS RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW (FIRST DEPT))/SURROGATE'S COURT PROCEDURE ACT ((DECISION TO WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT FROM A DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED MAN IN A VEGETATIVE STATE PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA IN SURROGATE'S COURT PROCEDURE ACT 1750-b DID NOT VIOLATE HIS RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW (FIRST DEPT))/DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED (DECISION TO WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT FROM A DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED MAN IN A VEGETATIVE STATE PURSUANT TO THE CRITERIA IN SURROGATE'S COURT PROCEDURE ACT 1750-b DID NOT VIOLATE HIS RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW (FIRST DEPT))

August 16, 2018

Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Education-School Law

PARENTS HAD STANDING TO BRING A MANDAMUS ACTION SEEKING A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN, HOWEVER MANDAMUS LIES ONLY FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS WHICH ARE MANDATORY, NOT THE DISCRETIONARY ACTIONS SOUGHT BY THE PETITION HERE (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department the petitioners, parents of children in the East Ramapo Central School District, had standing to bring an Article 78 (mandamus) proceeding seeking to enforce the children’s constitutional right to a sound basic education, but the petition must be dismissed because mandamus lies only for mandatory, not discretionary, actions:

… [P]etitioners have sufficiently alleged a threatened harm to the children’s constitutional right to receive a sound basic education based upon respondents’ alleged failure to take corrective action as identified in the petition’s cited reports … .

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we conclude that the petition was properly dismissed. Mandamus to compel is “an extraordinary remedy that lies only to compel the performance of acts which are mandatory, not discretionary, and only when there is a clear legal right to the relief sought” … . It is beyond cavil that students are entitled to a sound basic education (see NY Const art XI). The manner in which such goal is achieved, however, involves discretionary decisions by respondents … . As such, to the extent that petitioners seek to compel respondents to implement specific recommendations set forth in the reports cited in the petition — an act involving “the exercise of reasoned judgment which could typically produce different acceptable results”… — they are not entitled to such relief. Matter of Curry v New York State Educ. Dept., 2018 NY Slip Op 05393, Third Dept 7-19-18

EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW (PARENTS HAD STANDING TO BRING A MANDAMUS ACTION SEEKING A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN, HOWEVER MANDAMUS LIES ONLY FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS WHICH ARE MANDATORY, NOT THE DISCRETIONARY ACTIONS SOUGHT BY THE PETITION HERE (THIRD DEPT))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, PARENTS HAD STANDING TO BRING A MANDAMUS ACTION SEEKING A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN, HOWEVER MANDAMUS LIES ONLY FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS WHICH ARE MANDATORY, NOT THE DISCRETIONARY ACTIONS SOUGHT BY THE PETITION HERE (THIRD DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (MANDAMUS, EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, PARENTS HAD STANDING TO BRING A MANDAMUS ACTION SEEKING A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN, HOWEVER MANDAMUS LIES ONLY FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS WHICH ARE MANDATORY, NOT THE DISCRETIONARY ACTIONS SOUGHT BY THE PETITION HERE (THIRD DEPT))/MANDAMUS (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, PARENTS HAD STANDING TO BRING A MANDAMUS ACTION SEEKING A SOUND BASIC EDUCATION FOR THEIR CHILDREN, HOWEVER MANDAMUS LIES ONLY FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS WHICH ARE MANDATORY, NOT THE DISCRETIONARY ACTIONS SOUGHT BY THE PETITION HERE (THIRD DEPT))

July 19, 2018

Constitutional Law, Landlord-Tenant, Municipal Law, Nuisance, Public Nuisance

CITY ORDINANCE PROVISIONS REQUIRING A RENTAL PERMIT AND LIMITING OCCUPANCY OF RENTAL UNITS TO A “FAMILY” AS DEFINED IN THE ORDINANCE ARE NOT UNCONSTITUTIONAL (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department determined that municipal code provisions requiring a rental permit and limiting the occupancy of rental units to a “family” as defined in the code were not unconstitutionally vague:

The record therefore reflects that the rental occupancy restriction was enacted to, among other things, serve a legitimate governmental interest in diminishing public nuisances created from the overcrowding of dwelling units occupied by transient residents … . Because the ordinance does not favor certain types of families over others, or restrict the size of unrelated persons living as a functionally equivalent family without also restricting the size of a traditional family, it does not suffer from the same constitutional infirmities as the ordinances in McMinn v Town of Oyster Bay (66 NY2d at 549) or Baer v Town of Brookhaven (73 NY2d 942, 943 [1989]). Moreover, the ordinance here contains objective criteria for rebutting the presumption that four or more persons living together in a single dwelling unit who are unrelated by blood, marriage or legal adoption do not constitute the functional equivalent of a traditional family … , and the occupancy restriction bears a reasonable relationship to the goals sought to be achieved by the ordinance. In light of the foregoing, plaintiffs have not established that the challenged provisions of the ordinance are unconstitutional … . Grodinsky v City of Cortland, 2018 NY Slip Op 05236, Third Dept 7-12-18

MUNICIPAL LAW (LANDLORD-TENANT, CITY ORDINANCE PROVISIONS REQUIRING A RENTAL PERMIT AND LIMITING OCCUPANCY OF RENTAL UNITS TO A “FAMILY” AS DEFINED IN THE ORDINANCE ARE NOT UNCONSTITUTIONAL (THIRD DEPT))/LANDLORD-TENANT (MUNICIPAL LAW, CITY ORDINANCE PROVISIONS REQUIRING A RENTAL PERMIT AND LIMITING OCCUPANCY OF RENTAL UNITS TO A “FAMILY” AS DEFINED IN THE ORDINANCE ARE NOT UNCONSTITUTIONAL (THIRD DEPT))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (MUNICIPAL LAW, LANDLORD-TENANT, CITY ORDINANCE PROVISIONS REQUIRING A RENTAL PERMIT AND LIMITING OCCUPANCY OF RENTAL UNITS TO A “FAMILY” AS DEFINED IN THE ORDINANCE ARE NOT UNCONSTITUTIONAL (THIRD DEPT))

July 12, 2018

Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

COUNTY COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT DECLARED A MISTRIAL AFTER ONLY A SHORT PERIOD OF DELIBERATIONS, JEOPARDY ATTACHED AND DEFENDANT CAN NOT BE REPROSECUTED (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing defendant’s conviction by guilty plea and dismissing the indictment, determined the judge did not sufficiently explore alternatives before declaring a mistrial on the basis the jury was deadlocked. Therefore jeopardy attached the defendant’s subsequent guilty plea was vacated:

Here, the jury had deliberated for a little over two hours — excluding a lunch recess — when County Court received a note from the jury stating that “there appears not to be any way to a unanimous decision” and asking for guidance on how to proceed. Without consulting the parties for input on the appropriate response, County Court summoned the jury into the courtroom, noted that it had not been deliberating for very long, provided an Allen charge and asked the jury to resume deliberations and advise the court if it was unable to arrive at a verdict after a reasonable period of time. Fifty-one minutes after the jury had resumed deliberations, County Court recalled the jury back into the courtroom, on its own accord, and inquired whether the jury was still deadlocked. The foreperson confirmed that it was and, without seeking input from the People or defendant, County Court declared a mistrial.

County Court erred in its recall of the jury by: (1) doing so without first apprising the People and defendant of its intent to do so and seeking their comment; (2) doing so only 51 minutes after it had instructed the jury to resume deliberations; (3) not exploring the possibility of a dinner break or an overnight recess upon learning of the continuing deadlock; and (4) not seeking input from the parties before declaring a mistrial upon learning of the continuing deadlock. Because a mistrial was not manifestly necessary under the collective circumstances, County Court abused its discretion in declaring a mistrial, jeopardy attached and the People were precluded from reprosecuting defendant on the indictment … . People v Wilson, 2018 NY Slip Op 04982, Third Dept 7-5-18

CRIMINAL LAW (DOUBLE JEOPARDY, COUNTY COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT DECLARED A MISTRIAL AFTER ONLY A SHORT PERIOD OF DELIBERATIONS, JEOPARDY ATTACHED AND DEFENDANT CAN NOT BE REPROSECUTED (THIRD DEPT))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (CRIMINAL LAW, DOUBLE JEOPARDY, COUNTY COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT DECLARED A MISTRIAL AFTER ONLY A SHORT PERIOD OF DELIBERATIONS, JEOPARDY ATTACHED AND DEFENDANT CAN NOT BE REPROSECUTED (THIRD DEPT))/MISTRIAL (CRIMINAL LAW, DOUBLE JEOPARDY, COUNTY COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT DECLARED A MISTRIAL AFTER ONLY A SHORT PERIOD OF DELIBERATIONS, JEOPARDY ATTACHED AND DEFENDANT CAN NOT BE REPROSECUTED (THIRD DEPT))/DOUBLE JEOPARDY (MISTRIAL, COUNTY COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION WHEN IT DECLARED A MISTRIAL AFTER ONLY A SHORT PERIOD OF DELIBERATIONS, JEOPARDY ATTACHED AND DEFENDANT CAN NOT BE REPROSECUTED (THIRD DEPT))

July 5, 2018

Constitutional Law, Tax Law

NEW YORK’S TAX SCHEME DOES NOT VIOLATE THE DORMANT COMMERCE CLAUSE BY DOUBLE TAXATION OF INTANGIBLE INCOME RE PLAINTIFFS WHO ARE STATUTORY RESIDENTS OF NEW YORK AND DOMICILED IN CONNECTICUT (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department determined that New York’s tax scheme did not violate the dormant Commerce Clause. Plaintiffs argued New York permitted double taxation of their intangible income by both New York, where they were “statutory residents.” and Connecticut, where they domiciled. The First Department rejected plaintiffs’ contentions “that this taxation burdens interstate commerce, particularly by inhibiting their free movement into New York State to work and their ability to buy or lease a home in New York due to the risk of being deemed a resident and subject to double taxation of intangible income… [and] that New York’s tax scheme fails the ‘internal consistency’ test, which requires fair apportionment of income between states and nondiscrimination against interstate commerce …”. The First Department found that the controlling New York case, Matter of Tamagni v Tax Appeals Trib. of State of N.Y. (91 NY2d 530 [1998]…), had not been abrogated by the US Supreme Court’s decision in Comptroller of the Treasury of Maryland v Wynne (___ US ___, 135 S Ct 1787 [2015]):

… [T]he income at issue … in the instant case … was not “out-of-state income” but intangible investment income, which “has no identifiable situs,” “cannot be traced to any jurisdiction outside New York,” and is “subject to taxation by New York as the State of residence” … . Edelman v New York State Dept. of Taxation & Fin., 2018 NY Slip Op 04672, First Dept (6-26-18)

TAX LAW (NEW YORK’S TAX SCHEME DOES NOT VIOLATE THE DORMANT COMMERCE CLAUSE BY DOUBLE TAXATION OF INTANGIBLE INCOME RE PLAINTIFFS WHO ARE STATUTORY RESIDENTS OF NEW YORK AND DOMICILED IN CONNECTICUT (FIRST DEPT))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (TAX LAW, COMMERCE CLAUSE, (NEW YORK’S TAX SCHEME DOES NOT VIOLATE THE DORMANT COMMERCE CLAUSE BY DOUBLE TAXATION OF INTANGIBLE INCOME RE PLAINTIFFS WHO ARE STATUTORY RESIDENTS OF NEW YORK AND DOMICILED IN CONNECTICUT (FIRST DEPT))/COMMERCE CLAUSE (TAX LAW, NEW YORK’S TAX SCHEME DOES NOT VIOLATE THE DORMANT COMMERCE CLAUSE BY DOUBLE TAXATION OF INTANGIBLE INCOME RE PLAINTIFFS WHO ARE STATUTORY RESIDENTS OF NEW YORK AND DOMICILED IN CONNECTICUT (FIRST DEPT))/INTANGIBLE INCOME (TAX LAW, NEW YORK’S TAX SCHEME DOES NOT VIOLATE THE DORMANT COMMERCE CLAUSE BY DOUBLE TAXATION OF INTANGIBLE INCOME RE PLAINTIFFS WHO ARE STATUTORY RESIDENTS OF NEW YORK AND DOMICILED IN CONNECTICUT (FIRST DEPT))

June 26, 2018