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THE BANKS’ COMPLIANCE WITH THE NOTICE REQUIREMENTS OF RPAPL 1304 WAS NOT DEMONSTRATED; THE BANK’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff bank’s motion for summary judgment in this foreclosure action should not have been granted because compliance with the notice requirements of RPAP 1304 was not demonstrated with admissible evidence:

… [T]he plaintiff submitted, inter alia, an affidavit of a business operations analyst employed by the plaintiff, together with copies of 90-day notices sent to the defendants and proof of filing statements from the New York State Department of Financial Services. Although some of the copies of the 90-day notices contain what appear to be bar codes with 22-digit numbers that include the words “USPS CERTIFIED MAIL,” the plaintiff failed to submit any evidence that the mailings were sent by first-class mail in addition to certified mail … . The plaintiff also failed to submit evidence of a standard office mailing procedure or an affidavit of the individual(s) who effected the service … . The submission by the plaintiff of evidence that it filed statements with the New York State Department of Financial Services, without more, is insufficient to establish that the mailing was accomplished pursuant to RPAPL 1304 … . CitiMortgage, Inc. v McGregor, 2020 NY Slip Op 07855, Second Dept 12-23-20

 

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CONSIDERING ALL THE MITIGATING FACTORS, DEFENDANT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADJUDICATED A YOUTHFUL OFFENDER (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing defendant’s assault conviction in the interest of justice and adjudicating defendant a youthful offender, in a full-fledged, comprehensive opinion by Justice Troutman, determined mitigating factors supported youthful offender status. Defendant was attacked by another high school student and didn’t realize the victim, a teacher, had intervened. The defendant injured the teacher’s hand with a knife. The Fourth Department went through all the so-called Cruikshank mitigating factors (People v Cruickshank, 105 AD2d 325, 334 [3d Dept 1985]) and further noted the sentencing court did not abuse its discretion by considering additional factors not mentioned in Cruikshank. All involved, including the prosecutor, the victim and the probation department, had recommended a youthful offender adjudication:

In addition to the Cruickshank factors, the parties raised and the court considered additional matters related to equity and discrimination. We reject defendant’s contention that the court abused its discretion in considering matters outside the Cruickshank factors. The applicable precedent states that the factors that must be considered “include” those nine factors … , and thus, as a matter of logic, those factors were never meant to be an exhaustive list of considerations. We conclude that matters of equity and discrimination are appropriate for sentencing courts to consider. Although we do not conclude that the court abused its discretion, we urge future courts to consider whether a defendant may be facing discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race or gender and to take an intersectional approach by considering the combined effect of the defendant’s specific characteristics and any bias that may arise therefrom … . Here, the prosecutor employed appropriate and effective restorative justice techniques and advocated for the result he believed just. We note that “prosecutors have ‘special responsibilities . . . to safeguard the integrity of criminal proceedings and fairness in the criminal process’ ” … , and this prosecutor deserves to be commended for discharging those responsibilities here. People v Z.H., 2020 NY Slip Op 07824,, Fourth Dept 12-23-20

 

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WITNESS TAMPERING CONVICTION AFTER TRIAL REVERSED; NO CHARGES WERE PENDING AT THE TIME OF THE COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE WITNESS (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing the witness tampering conviction and dismissing the indictment, determined the evidence was legally insufficient:

On appeal from a judgment convicting him upon a jury verdict of tampering with a witness in the third degree … , defendant contends that the conviction is based upon legally insufficient evidence. We agree. Although the evidence established that defendant assaulted the victim in violation of an order of protection and a few days later left the victim voicemails threatening her with violence if she pressed charges against him, defendant had not yet been arrested or charged with a crime in connection with the violation of the order of protection at the time he left the voicemails. Thus, at that time, the victim was not “about to be called as a witness in a criminal proceeding” … . People v Diroma, 2020 NY Slip Op 07817, Fourth Dept 12-23-20

 

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PLAINTIFF’S EXPERT’S AFFIDAVIT DID NOT ADDRESS DEFENDANT’S EXPERT’S OPINION THAT NERVE DAMAGE WAS NOT THE RESULT OF DEVIATION FROM THE STANDARD OF CARE; THEREFORE DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s expert’s affidavit did not raise a question of fact in this medical malpractice case:

Although plaintiff submitted a physician’s affidavit in opposition to defendant’s motion, “[g]eneral allegations of medical malpractice, merely conclusory and unsupported by competent evidence tending to establish the essential elements of medical malpractice, are insufficient to defeat [a] defendant physician’s summary judgment motion” … . Where “the expert’s ultimate assertions are . . . unsupported by any evidentiary foundation, . . . [his or her] opinion should be given no probative force and is insufficient to withstand summary judgment” … . Here, plaintiff’s expert did not rebut the opinion in defendant’s affidavit that defendant’s surgical technique was appropriate to the situation in light of the fact that decedent’s lung was adherent to the heart, nor did plaintiff’s expert rebut defendant’s opinion that any possible phrenic nerve damage was the result of stretching caused by traction sutures and did not constitute a deviation from the standard of care. Campbell v Bell-Thomson, 2020 NY Slip Op 07807, Fourth Dept 12-23-20

 

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PLAINTIFF’S EXPERT AFFIDAVIT DID NOT ADDRESS ONE CAUSE OF ACTION IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE; THEREFORE THAT CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined the cause of action alleging defendant doctor caused the bowel perforation should have been dismissed because plaintiff’s expert’s affidavit did not address it:

The affidavit of plaintiff’s expert addressed defendant’s conduct only with respect to the claims that he failed to diagnose and treat the bowel perforation intraoperatively and failed to timely and properly treat the bowel perforation postoperatively. Plaintiff’s expert acknowledged that bowel perforation is a known complication from this type of surgery. Thus, plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact with respect to the claims that defendant negligently caused the bowel perforation … . We therefore conclude that the court erred in denying defendant’s motion with respect to those claims, and we modify the order accordingly. Bristol v Bunn, 2020 NY Slip Op 07773, Fourth Dept 12-23-20

 

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AN EXCEPTION TO THE BEST EVIDENCE RULE APPLIED, ALLOWING TESTIMONY DESCRIBING THE CONTENTS OF DESTROYED VIDEO SURVEILLANCE (FOURTH DEPT). ​

The Fourth Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Bannister, determined an exception to the best evidence rule applied and testimony about the contents of a destroyed video surveillance was properly admitted in this grand larceny case:

Defendant appeals from a judgment … arising from the theft of wireless speakers valued in excess of $3,000 from a Target store … . Prior to trial, the People moved in limine for permission to introduce testimony from the store’s asset protection team leader (APT leader) regarding the contents of destroyed video surveillance footage that had depicted the incident. * * *

The best evidence rule “simply requires the production of an original writing where its contents are in dispute and sought to be proven” …  “The rule protects against fraud, perjury, and inaccurate recollection by allowing the [factfinder] to judge a document by its own literal terms” … . “Under a long-recognized exception to the best evidence rule, secondary evidence of the contents of an unproduced original may be admitted upon threshold factual findings by the trial court that the proponent of the substitute has sufficiently explained the unavailability of the primary evidence . . . and has not procured its loss or destruction in bad faith” … . The proponent of the secondary evidence “has the heavy burden of establishing, preliminarily to the court’s satisfaction, that it is a reliable and accurate portrayal of the original. Thus, as a threshold matter, the trial court must be satisfied that the proffered evidence is authentic and correctly reflects the contents of the original before ruling on its admissibility” … . * * *

… [T]he People met their burden of establishing that the APT leader’s testimony regarding the unpreserved footage was a reliable and accurate portrayal of the contents of that footage … . People v Jackson, 2020 NY Slip Op 07744, Fourth Dept 12-23-20

 

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HEARSAY INSUFFICIENT TO DEFEAT PLAINTIFF’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION IN THIS LABOR LAW 240(1) AND 241(6) ACTION; THE INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION CLAIM WAS PROPERLY DISMISSED BECAUSE PLAINTIFF DID NOT SUFFER GRAVE INJURY WITHIN THE MEANING OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW 11 (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department determined hearsay was not sufficient to defeat plaintiff’s summary judgment in this Labor Law 240(1) and 241(6) case. In addition the indemnification and contribution claims were properly dismissed because plaintiff did not suffer a “grave injury” within the meaning of Workers’ Compensation Law 11:

Plaintiff commenced this action alleging, inter alia, violations of Labor Law §§ 240(1) and 241(6) seeking to recover for personal injuries he sustained when, while dismantling a scaffold in an elevator shaft of a building under renovation, he fell from the scaffold to the bottom of the shaft. … Plaintiff testified that his employer had instructed him to dismantle the scaffold and the sole support for Empire’s contention that dismantling the scaffold was outside the scope of his duties was inadmissible hearsay testimony. …

Pursuant to their contract, Empire agreed to indemnify Pen & Brush for damages, “arising from any act, omission, negligence, potential claims and losses” of, inter alia, Empire or its subcontractors “during the performance of the Contract.” Its indemnification obligation was triggered here where plaintiff’s injuries arose from the act of Empire’s subcontractor, Lough Allen, in dismantling the scaffold and a finding of negligence is not required … .

Supreme Court properly determined plaintiff had not sustained a grave injury and dismissed the common-law indemnification and contribution claims against Lough Allen … . As relevant here, “grave injury” within the meaning of Workers’ Compensation Law § 11 includes “an acquired injury to the brain caused by external physical force resulting in permanent total disability.” Permanent total disability in the context of Workers’ Compensation Law § 11 means unemployable in any capacity … . Clarke v Empire Gen. Contr. & Painting Corp., 2020 NY Slip Op 07698, First Dept 12-22-20

 

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QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER THE DEFENDANT’S DOUBLE-PARKED CAR WAS A PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT; PLAINTIFF’S DECEDENT, A BICYCLIST, WAS STRUCK BY A TRUCK WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO GO AROUND DEFENDANT’S DOUBLE-PARKED CAR (FIRST DEPT). ​

The First Department determined there were questions of fact about defendant driver’s (Sung’s) negligence and whether the negligence proximately cause plaintiff bicyclist’s injuries and death. Defendant was stopped in the right lane and when plaintiff attempted to go around defendant’s car he was struck by a truck (driven by Cruz-Marte). The First Department noted that hearsay was properly considered in opposition to the summary judgment motion:

Issues of fact exist with respect to whether Wenhua Sung negligently obstructed traffic with his vehicle based on his own testimony, in which he admitted that he was issued a ticket for obstructing a lane of traffic … , as well as that of Cruz-Marte, who testified that a vehicle was “double-parked,” although he was not sure what that vehicle looked like.

This evidence was sufficient to raise issues of fact regarding Sung’s negligence, even absent proof of Sung’s purported contemporaneous admissions to police that he was double-parked. Those admissions may also, however, be properly considered. Even if they are hearsay, they were offered in opposition to a motion for summary judgment and were not the only evidence submitted … .

Issues of fact also exist with respect to whether the Sung defendants’ negligence proximately caused the accident, as a jury could reasonably find that a bicyclist swerving and being hit by a passing vehicle was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of double-parking or obstructing a lane of traffic … . Dong v Cruz-Marte, 2020 NY Slip Op 07699, First Dept 12-22-20

 

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A PHOTOGRAPH OF DEFENDANT WITH A HANDGUN TAKEN SIX WEEKS BEFORE THE SHOOTING WAS PROPERLY ADMITTED IN EVIDENCE AS TENDING TO SHOW HIS IDENTITY AS THE SHOOTER (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department noted that a photograph of defendant with a small handgun taken six weeks before the charged shooting was properly admitted in evidence:

A photograph of defendant holding a small handgun, taken approximately six weeks before the charged shooting, and recovered from defendant’s phone pursuant to the warrant, was properly admitted. It could be inferred from video footage introduced at trial that a small handgun was used in the shooting. As in People v Alexander (169 AD3d 571 [1st Dept 2019], lv denied 34 NY3d 927 [2019]), the photograph was “relevant to show that defendant had access to such a weapon, thus tending to establish his identity as the perpetrator, and there was no requirement of proof that the [firearm] in the photograph was the actual weapon used in the crime” … . People v Bush, 2020 NY Slip Op 07722, First Dept 12-22-20

 

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DEFENDANT, WHO ACCEPTED POSSESSION OF THE WEAPON FROM HIS FRIEND, DID SO IN ANTICIPATION OF A POSSIBLE CONFRONTATION; DURING THE CONFRONTATION DEFENDANT SHOT TWO PEOPLE; THE ARGUMENT THAT DEFENDANT ACTED IN SELF-DEFENSE DID NOT RENDER DEFENDANT’S POSSESSION OF THE WEAPON TEMPORARY AND LAWFUL (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Stein, over two concurring opinions, determined defendant was not entitled to a jury instruction on temporary and lawful possession of a firearm. Defendant was leaving a friend’s apartment building when he saw a man, Carson, pull a gun out of his pocket. Defendant and Carson had a history of violent confrontations, including shootings. Defendant went back to his friend’s (Foe’s) apartment. Foe picked up a loaded gun and offered to walk defendant out of the building. When they got to the lobby Foe handed defendant the gun. When defendant saw Carson he believed Carson was about to shoot him and defendant shot Carson and a bystander:

… “[A] defendant may not be guilty of unlawful possession if the jury finds that [the defendant] found the weapon shortly before [the defendant’s] possession of it was discovered and [the defendant] intended to turn it over to the authorities” … . We have also indicated that temporary and lawful possession may result where a defendant “took [the firearm] from an assailant in the course of a fight” … and the circumstances do not otherwise evince an intent to maintain unlawful possession of the weapon . In such scenarios, “[t]he innocent nature of the possession negates . . . the criminal act of possession” … . Ultimately, whether the weapon is found fortuitously or obtained by disarming an attacker, “the underlying purpose of the charge is to foster a civic duty on the part of citizens to surrender dangerous weapons to the police” … . …

… [D]efendant’s possession did not “result temporarily and incidentally from the performance of some lawful act, [such] as disarming a wrongful possessor” or unexpected discovery … . Rather, under the circumstances presented here, defendant’s contention that his possession should be legally excused on the grounds of self-defense amounts to a claim that he was entitled to possess the weapon for his protection. Even crediting defendant’s testimony that he had been confronted by Carson at the building’s exit earlier and that Carson had displayed a firearm at that time, defendant testified that he then safely retreated to Foe’s apartment. There was no evidence suggesting that Carson chased after defendant when he re-entered the building, or that Carson had any awareness of defendant’s location in the building. Further, defendant admitted that he accepted possession of the firearm from Foe in the stairwell, at a time when he was unaware of Carson’s whereabouts and was not facing any imminent threat to his safety. Defendant then chose to retain possession of the firearm and to enter the lobby with the weapon in his hand. Under these circumstances, the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn from the evidence is that defendant armed himself in anticipation of a potential confrontation; however, the law is clear that defendant “may not avoid the criminal [possession] charge by claiming that he possessed the weapon for his protection” … . People v Williams, 2020 NY Slip Op 07664, CtApp 12-17-20

 

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