You are here: / Judges
, ,

HERE DEFENDANT’S SENTENCE WAS REDUCED PURSUANT TO THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS JUSTICE ACT (DVSJA) AFTER SHE HAD BEEN IMPRISONED LONGER THAN THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED BY THE DVSJA; THE EXCESS PRISON TIME SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CREDITED TO ELIMINATE THE PERIOD OF POSTRELEASE SUPERVISION (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, over a two-judge dissent, determined defendant’s (Brenda’s) sentence was properly reduced by the Appellate Division pursuant to the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), but the excess time Brenda was imprisoned beyond the maximum allowed by the DVSJA should not been credited to eliminate the period of postrelease supervision:

The DVSJA requires that resentenced defendants be given a period of postrelease supervision. Penal Law § 70.45 (2) (f) … states that that the period of postrelease supervision for resentences imposed under Penal Law § 60.12 (8) “shall be” not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years. That requirement is specific to DVSJA resentences. * * *

… [T]he Appellate Division was within its plenary factual review power when it reversed and reduced Brenda’s sentence pursuant to the DVSJA, but because the court’s imposition of the maximum term of postrelease supervision may have been based on its erroneous conclusion that time Brenda spent incarcerated beyond that imposed by the DVSJA resentencing could be credited against the term of postrelease supervision required by the DVSJA, the order of the Appellate Division should be modified, without costs, by remitting the case to the Appellate Division for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion … . People v Brenda WW., 2025 NY Slip Op 03643, CtApp 7-17-25

Practice Point: The Appellate Division has the power to make a “de novo” determination whether a defendant is entitled to a sentence reduction pursuant to the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA).​

Practice Point: Where a defendant’s sentence is reduced under the DVSJA to a term below the amount of time already served by the defendant, the excess time cannot be credited towed the period of postrelease supervision.

 

, ,

A MISSING JURY-NOTE-RESPONSE TRANSCRIPT DOES NOT WARRANT REVERSAL UNLESS THE DEFENDANT SHOWS ENTITLEMENT TO A RECONSTRUCTION HEARING AND THE TRANSCRIPT CANNOT BE RECONSTRUCTED, NOT THE CASE HERE; WHEN A MOTION TO VACATE A CONVICTION ON INEFFECTIVE-ASSISTANCE GROUNDS TURNS ON FACTS OUTSIDE THE RECORD, DENIAL WITHOUT A HEARING IS AN ABUSE OF DISCRETION (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, remitting the matter for a hearing, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Singas, determined (1) the absence of the transcript of a response to a jury note did not require reversal, and (2) defendant’s motion to vacate his conviction on ineffective-assistance grounds should not have been denied without a hearing:

Re: missing response-to-a-jury-note transcript:

… [A] missing transcript alone does not entitle a defendant to the extreme remedy of vacatur, but may entitle a defendant to a reconstruction hearing … . To be sure, if a defendant shows that they are entitled to a reconstruction hearing, and that the missing transcript at issue “cannot be reconstructed . . . , there must be a reversal” … . But defendant has not made that showing. Thus, the missing transcript does not warrant reversing defendant’s conviction.

Re: motion to vacate conviction, ineffective assistance:

Where a defendant moves to vacate their conviction under CPL 440.10, the court “must” decide “whether the motion is determinable without a hearing to resolve questions of fact” … . The court “may deny” the motion summarily under enumerated circumstances, including where purported facts essential to the motion are unsupported by “sworn allegations” that “substantiat[e] or tend[ ] to substantiate” those facts … , or where such a fact “is contradicted by a court record or other official document” and “there is no reasonable possibility that [the] allegation is true” … . We review a CPL article 440 motion’s summary denial for abuse of discretion … .

Defendant’s ineffective assistance claim cannot be decided without first resolving questions of fact. Defense counsel’s affirmation, together with the trial record, suggest that counsel may have lacked a strategic or other legitimate basis for one or more of his actions relating to eyewitness identification testimony at the heart of the People’s proof. Whether counsel in fact had such a basis for his conduct turns on factual information outside the present record that should be developed at an evidentiary hearing. People v Salas, 2025 NY Slip Op 03603, CtApp 6-12-25

Practice Point: A missing jury-note-response transcript does not require reversal unless the defendant shows entitlement to a reconstruction hearing and the transcript cannot be reconstructed.​

Practice Point: Where a motion to vacate the conviction on ineffective-assistance grounds turns on facts outside the record, here the strategic or other legitimate basis for counsel’s actions, it is an abuse of discretion to deny the motion without a hearing.

 

,

HERE THE FIRST “NAIL AND MAIL” AFFIDAVIT BY THE PROCESS SERVER FAILED TO DEMONSTRATE THE REQUIRED MAILING; A SECOND AFFIDAVIT WAS SUBMITTED WHICH DESCRIBED THE MAILING; THE SECOND AFFIDAVIT DID NOT CURE THE DEFECT IN THE ORIGINAL AFFIDAVIT; THEREFORE A HEARING ON THE VALIDITY OF THE SERVICE OF PROCESS WAS REQUIRED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined a hearing was required on whether defendant was properly served by “nail and mail.” The first affidavit from the process server did not mention the required mailing. A second affidavit which described the mailing was subsequently submitted. The second affidavit did not cure the flaw in the original affidavit:

… Supreme Court erred in determining the defendant’s cross-motion, inter alia, to vacate the judgment and to dismiss the complaint for lack of personal jurisdiction without first conducting a hearing to determine the validity of service of process. The original affidavit of service sworn to on July 26, 2018, failed to aver that the process server mailed the summons and complaint as required by CPLR 308(4). The new affidavit of service sworn to on November 23, 2021, submitted by the plaintiff in opposition to the defendant’s cross-motion, could not be used to cure the apparent defect in the original affidavit of service … . Further, the defendant raised an issue of fact as to whether the summons and complaint were affixed to the door of the defendant’s dwelling place or usual place of abode … . Miller v Fuentes, 2025 NY Slip Op 03564, Second Dept 6-11-25

Practice Point: If the original affidavit by the process server does not describe the mailing requirement for “nail and mail” service, that flaw is not cured by submitting a second affidavit which describes the mailing. The flaw in the original affidavit mandates a hearing on the validity of the service of process.

 

,

THE SUPREME COURT’S PART RULES REQUIRED PLAINTIFF TO FIRST CONFERENCE THE MATTER BEFORE MOVING TO COMPEL DEFENDANTS TO COMPLY WITH DISCOVERY DEMANDS; THE FAILURE TO CONFERENCE THE MATTER, HOWEVER, IS NOT A VALID GROUND FOR DENYING THE MOTION (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s motion to strike defendants’ answer or compel compliance with discovery demands should not have been denied on the ground plaintiff failed to first conference the matter as required by the court’s Part Rules:

… Supreme Court improvidently exercised its discretion in denying the motion on the ground that plaintiff failed to first conference the matter with the court in accordance with its Part Rules. The court may not condition the making of a motion on prior judicial approval … . Reyes v City of New York, 2025 NY Slip Op 03545, First Dept 6-10-25

Practice Point: Here plaintiff’s failure to comply with Supreme Court’s Part Rule requiring a conference before moving to compel discovery was not a valid ground for denying the motion. A court may not condition the making of a motion on prior judicial approval.

 

, ,

THE ERRONEOUS “LOSS OF CHANCE” JURY INSTRUCTION REQUIRED REVERSAL; THE CHARGE USED THE PHRASES “SUBSTANTIAL FACTOR” AND “SUBSTANTIAL PROBABILITY” WHEN THE CORRECT PHRASE IS “SUBSTANTIAL POSSIBILITY” IN REFERENCE TO WHETHER A BETTER OUTCOME WAS DENIED DUE TO A DEVIATION FROM THE STANDARD OF CARE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reinstating the complaint and ordering a new trial in this medical malpractice action, determined the “loss of chance” jury instruction was erroneous and required reversal:

As this Court has held since at least 2011, a “loss of chance instruction” is “entirely appropriate for . . . omission theories” in medical malpractice actions … . Although the Pattern Jury Instructions did not include a loss of chance pattern charge until 2023, i.e., after the second trial in this matter took place in December 2022, this Court had already issued numerous decisions prior to December 2022 indicating that “the loss of chance theory of causation . . . requires only that a plaintiff ‘present evidence from which a rational jury could infer that there was a “substantial possibility” that the patient was denied a chance of the better outcome as a result of the defendant’s deviation from the standard of care’ ” … .

Here, the court instructed the jury that, in order for plaintiff to recover under a loss of chance theory, it was plaintiff’s burden to establish that the act or omission alleged was a “substantial factor in bringing about the death.” The court also instructed the jury that, if it should find that “there was a substantial probability that the decedent . . . would have survived . . . if he had received proper treatment,” then it could find that defendants’ alleged negligence was a “substantial factor” in causing his death … .

… [T]he charge, as given, did not ” ‘adequately convey[ ] the sum and substance of the applicable law’ ” to the jury … . The primary issue at trial was whether defendants deviated from accepted standards of care in failing to timely treat decedent. Inasmuch as the “court did not adequately charge the jury concerning” the appropriate standard to determine that issue, we conclude that “the court’s failure to define [the correct] standard for the jury” cannot be considered harmless under the circumstances of this case … . Wright v Stephens, 2025 NY Slip Op 03416, Fourth Dept 6-7-25

Practice Point: The “loss of chance” medical malpractice jury instruction requires that plaintiff show there was a “substantial possibility” that a deviation from the standard of care precluded a better outcome. Here the judge used the phrase “substantial probability,” requiring reversal.

 

, , ,

THE JUDGE’S PROVIDING ERRONEOUS INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE DEFENDANT WAS FACING NEED NOT BE PRESERVED FOR APPEAL AND RENDERED THE GUILTY PLEA INVOLUNTARY (THIRD DEPT).

he Third Department, reversing defendant’s conviction by guilty plea, determined the judge’s providing erroneous information about the maximum sentence defendant was facing did not need to be preserved for appeal and rendered the guilty plea involuntary:

… County Court advised [defendant] that, if he elected to proceed to trial and was convicted of all offenses as a second felony drug offender, he faced a sentencing exposure of 36 years in prison rather than the correct, capped term of 30 years … . … [A]s the Court of Appeals recently made clear, where “the court provides the defendant with erroneous information concerning their maximum sentencing exposure that is contrary to the undisputed text of the Penal Law, fails to correct its error on the record, and the defendant has no apparent reason to question the accuracy of that information, the defendant need not preserve a challenge to the voluntariness of the guilty plea on that ground” … . * * *

Although defendant here was no stranger to the criminal justice system and received a reasonable sentencing commitment from County Court, the plea colloquy itself reflects that defendant believed that he had been overcharged and questioned whether he would be convicted if he went to trial. Defendant made clear during the plea colloquy, in fact, that he was only pleading guilty to the indictment because he would rather[*3]”get the high/low of 16/14″ than go to trial and risk “more time in state prison.” Even then, defendant remained conflicted about pleading guilty until the moment he entered his formal plea, asking County Court immediately before he did so to repeat the potential sentencing exposure he faced if he did not “want to go through all of this and [went] to trial.” … .People v Shaw, 2025 NY Slip Op 03358, Third Dept 6-5-25

Practice Point” Here the judge told defendant he was facing 36 years in prison when the actual maximum was 30. That error need not be preserved for appeal and, based on defendant’s remarks and questions at sentencing, was deemed to have rendered defendant’s guilty plea involuntary.

 

, , ,

HERE FATHER MOVED TO DISMISS MOTHER’S PETITION TO MODIFY CHILD SUPPORT AT THE CLOSE OF MOTHER’S PROOF; AT THAT STAGE OF THE PROCEEDINGS THE COURT MUST ACCEPT PETITIONER’S EVIDENCE AS TRUE AND RESOLVE ALL CREDIBILITY QUESTIONS IN PETITIONER’S FAVOR; THE MOTION TO DISMISS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (THIRD DEPT).

he Third Department, reversing Family Court’s dismissal of mother’s petition to modify child support, determined that the judge applied the wrong standard when deciding father’s motion to dismiss at the close of mother’s proof. At that stage the judge must accept petitioner’s evidence as true, and must resolve all credibility issues in petitioner’s favor. The judge’s comments on witness credibility indicated the correct standard was not applied:

A noncustodial parent’s statutory duty to support his or her child until they reach 21 years of age may be suspended where the noncustodial parent establishes that the custodial parent has wrongfully interfered with or withheld visitation rights … . Although the parent seeking such suspension must ultimately demonstrate “deliberate frustration” or “active interference” with their visitation rights by a “preponderance of the evidence” … , where, as here, “Family Court is tasked with deciding a motion to dismiss at the close of the petitioner’s proof, the court must accept the petitioner’s evidence as true and afford the petitioner every favorable inference that could reasonably be drawn from that evidence, including resolving all credibility questions in the petitioner’s favor” … . * * *

Family Court’s commentary on witness credibility in resolving the subject motion to dismiss suggests to this Court that an incorrect legal standard was applied … . When viewed in the proper light, we find that the … proof was sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss …  Thus, without passing judgment upon the ultimate success of the mother’s claim, we reverse. Matter of Crystal NN. v Joshua OO, 2025 NY Slip Op 03368, Third Dept 6-5-25

Practice Point: In this modification of child support proceeding, father moved to dismiss mother’s petition at the close of mother’s proof. In evaluating the motion at that stage of the proceedings, the court must accept all of petitioner’s evidence as true, afford the petitioner all favorable inferences from the evidence, and resolve all credibility issues in petitioner’s favor. The failure to apply those standards to consideration of the motion to dismiss requires reversal.

 

, ,

IN THIS TRAFFIC-ACCIDENT DAMAGES TRIAL, THE DEFENDANT OFFERED PHOTOGRAPHS OF PLAINTIFF’S DAMAGED VEHICLE AND PLAINTIFF’S EMPLOYMENT RECORDS WHICH WERE ADMITTED INTO EVIDENCE WITHOUT PROPER FOUNDATIONS; NEW TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing the judgment and ordering a new damages trial in this traffic accident case, determined the photographs of plaintiff’s damaged vehicle and the plaintiff’s employment records, offered in evidence by the defendant, should not have been admitted because defendant did not lay a sufficient foundation:

The proponent must lay a proper foundation for the admission of photographs into evidence, “which generally requires proof that the photographs were taken close in time to the accident and fairly and accurately represent the conditions as they existed on the date of the accident” … . Here, the plaintiff, who was the sole witness who testified about the photographs, stated that they did not fairly and accurately depict the condition of her vehicle after the accident and that she did not know when the photographs were taken. Thus, the defendant failed to lay a proper foundation for admission of the photographs, and the Supreme Court erred in admitting them into evidence.

“[D]ocuments obtained by subpoena cannot be admitted into evidence without a proper evidentiary foundation” … . Furthermore, “[a] proper foundation for the admission of a business record must be provided by someone with personal knowledge of the maker’s business practices and procedures” … . Here, the defendant failed to lay a proper foundation for the admission of the plaintiff’s employment documents, which had been obtained via subpoena, since no witness testified to having personal knowledge of the business practices and procedures of the plaintiff’s former employer. Accordingly, the Supreme Court erred in admitting the employment documents into evidence.

Postaccident photographs of a vehicle are “relevant to show the force of an impact, and [would] therefore ‘help[ ] in determining the nature or extent of injuries and thus relate[ ] to the question of damages'” … . Additionally, the employment documents were relevant to both the plaintiff’s credibility and her prior injury history. Since the improperly admitted photographs and employment documents related to the extent of the plaintiff’s injuries and her credibility, these errors were not harmless … . Powell v Burg, 2025 NY Slip Op 03348, Second Dept 6-4-25

Practice Point: If a party offers photographs and documents which are admitted in evidence without proper foundations, and the evidence is detrimental to the other party, a new trial may be ordered on appeal.

 

, ,

FATHER’S PETITION FOR CUSTODY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED BECAUSE HIS PATERNITY HAD NOT BEEN ADJUDICATED AT THE TIME THE PETITION WAS BROUGHT; THE PETITION ADEQUATELY ALLEGED PATERNITY WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CONFIRMED BY A DNA TEST (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined father’s custody petition should not have dismissed on the ground he had not been adjudicated the biological father at the time the custody petition was brought. The petition sufficiently alleged paternity, which was subsequently confirmed by a DNA test:

The Family Court, in effect, granted that branch of the petitioner’s cross-motion which was for a genetic marker test. The DNA test results of the court-ordered genetic marker test revealed that the probability of the petitioner’s paternity was 99.99%. Thereafter, the court issued an order of filiation, on consent, adjudging the petitioner to be the child’s biological father. However, in a separate order, the court, inter alia, granted that branch of the mother’s motion which was to dismiss the custody petition, determining that the petitioner lacked standing to file the custody petition because at the time he filed the custody petition, “his parentage of the child had not yet been legally established.” The petitioner appeals.

“Pursuant to Domestic Relations Law § 70, parents have standing to seek custody of or parental access with their children” .. . Here, the custody petition sufficiently alleged that the petitioner was the biological father of the child. The mother’s affidavits did not expressly deny the petitioner’s paternity, nor offer any facts to refute his allegations of paternity. Moreover, the Family Court entered the order of filiation on consent, and it is undisputed that the petitioner was adjudicated to be the child’s biological father before, or at the same time that, the court granted that branch of the mother’s motion which was to dismiss the custody petition. Accordingly, the court erred in determining that the petitioner did not have standing to file the custody petition because he had not been adjudicated the biological father of the child before the custody petition was filed … . Matter of Kevin C. v Trisha J., 2025 NY Slip Op 03324, Second Dept 6-4-25

Practice Point: Father’s standing to bring a custody petition is not dependent upon an adjudication of paternity.. Here the custody petition adequately alleged paternity, which was subsequently confirmed by a DNA test.

 

, , ,

HERE IN THIS BUS-PASSENGER-INJURY ACTION AGAINST THE CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY, PLAINTIFF STATED THE WRONG ACCIDENT-DATE IN THE NOTICE OF CLAIM; BECAUSE THE WRONG DATE WAS NOT USED IN BAD FAITH AND THE CITY WAS NOT PREJUDICED, PLAINTIFF SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO AMEND THE NOTICE OF CLAIM (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the wrong accident-date in the notice of claim did not warrant dismissal of the action. The wrong date was not willful and the municipality was not prejudiced. The plaintiff alleged she was injured when the driver of the defendant NYC Transit Authority’s bus stopped short:

“‘To enable authorities to investigate, collect evidence and evaluate the merit of a claim, persons seeking to recover in tort against a municipality are required, as a precondition to suit, to serve a Notice of Claim'” … . General Municipal Law § 50-e(2) requires that the notice of claim set forth, among other things, “the time when, the place where and the manner in which the claim arose” … . “‘[I]n determining compliance with the requirements of General Municipal Law § 50-e, courts should focus on the purpose served by a Notice of Claim: whether based on the claimant’s description municipal authorities can locate the place, fix the time and understand the nature of the accident'” … . “Pursuant to General Municipal Law § 50-e(6), a court has discretion to grant leave to serve an amended notice of claim where the error in the original notice was made in good faith and where the other party has not been prejudiced thereby” … .

Here, there is no indication in the record that the accident date listed in the notice of claim and the complaint was set forth in bad faith … . Rather, the plaintiff’s mistake was based upon her reliance on a police report that incorrectly listed the accident date … . Moreover, contrary to the Supreme Court’s determination, the proposed amendment to the accident date was purely technical in nature and did not substantively change the nature of the claim … .

Furthermore, the record does not reflect that the defendants will be prejudiced by the plaintiff’s delay in moving for leave to amend the notice of claim. Under the circumstances of this case, including that the plaintiff received medical assistance at the accident site, that specific details regarding the circumstances of the accident, including the accident location and bus route, were set forth in a police report and the notice of claim, and that the plaintiff’s error in listing an accident date several days prior to the actual date of the accident was minimal, the defendants could have ascertained the date of the accident “with a modicum of effort” … . Hernandez v City of New York, 2025 NY Slip Op 03312, Second Dept 5-4-25

Practice Point: Here the wrong accident-date was included in the notice of claim and the plaintiff moved to amend the notice. Because the wrong date was not used in bad faith (the date was taken from the police report) and because the city was not prejudiced by the error, plaintiff’s motion to amend the notice of claim should have been granted.

 

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy