You are here: / Municipal Law
,

Termination of Deputy Sheriff by Sheriff after Hearing Officer Recommended Suspension Upheld

In up holding the termination of petitioner, a deputy sheriff correction officer, after a disciplinary hearing officer recommended only suspension, the Third Department wrote:

Here, petitioner was found to have caused an injury to a defenseless, handcuffed inmate over whose custody petitioner was in charge. The Sheriff noted that his decision to terminate petitioner’s employment was based, in large measure, upon the fact that, as a correction officer, petitioner was required to handle the most difficult and sometimes dangerous individuals and that “[d]isrespect and brutality of prisoners cannot and will not be tolerated.” Even if there is mitigating evidence that could support a different result –  such  as petitioner’s otherwise unblemished record of service during his 10 years as a correction officer – we may not substitute our judgment for that of the Sheriff ….Considering petitioner’s position as a correction officer and a Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team member and the serious nature of petitioner’s misconduct – an assault of a handcuffed inmate who petitioner was supervising at the time – as well as petitioner’s failure to take responsibility for his actions, the decision to terminate his employment  does not shock our sense of fairness … .  Matter of Knox v VanBlarcum…, 515471, 3rd Dept, 4-11-13

 

 

,

Son Entitled to Remain in Deceased Mother’s Apartment​

In annulling the ruling that petitioner (Carlos) was not entitled to “remaining family member (RFM)” status for the succession of his deceased mother’s apartment, the First Department wrote:

We annul NYCHA’s [New York Housing Authority’s] determination on the ground that it is not supported by substantial evidence. While the agency correctly asserts that Carlos’s RFM status is jeopardized by the fact that he never received written permission to be added to his mother’s lease while she was alive, the record is plain that Amparo [Carlos’ mother] took every step to have her son added to her lease, as required by 24 CFR 966.4(a)(1)(v), and it is undisputed that NYCHA violated a number of its own internal rules by determining that Carlos’s 1996 conviction precluded him from joining Amparo’s tenancy until May of 2008, without notifying Amparo or Carlos, and without giving them the opportunity to present evidence of Carlos’s rehabilitation. … .

…[W]hile estoppel is not available against a government agency engaging in the exercise of its governmental functions …, we have held that NYCHA’s knowledge that a tenant was living in an apartment for a substantial period of time can be an important component of the determination of a subsequent RFM application … . In re Gutierrez v Rhea, et al, 2013 NY Slip Op 02453, 8494 402789/10, 1st Dept, 4-11-13

 

, , ,

Failure to Allege Negligent Provision of Medical Care in Notice of Claim Required Dismissal of Negligence Cause of Action; Failure to Allege Facts Demonstrating a Custom or Practice of Providing Inadequate Medical Care Required Dismissal of 1983 Causes of Action 

After a trial awarded the plaintiff over $17,000,000, the Second Department reversed determining (1) the negligent provision of medical care cause of action should have been dismissed because it was not included in the notice of claim, and (2) the 1983 causes of action should have been dismissed because they were not adequately pled in the complaint:

Here, the notice of claim failed to set forth any allegations of negligence on the part of the defendants regarding the deprivation of medical treatment to the plaintiff when he was in police custody. Therefore, the Supreme Court should have directed dismissal of so much of the complaint as alleged negligence, due to the plaintiff’s failure to file a proper notice of claim (see General Municipal Law § 50-e[2] … .  * * *

To hold a municipality liable under § 1983 for the conduct of employees below the policymaking level, a plaintiff must show that the violation of his or her constitutional rights resulted from a municipal custom or policy …. Similarly, where claims are asserted against individual municipal employees in their official capacities, there must be proof of a municipal custom or policy in order to permit recovery, since such claims are tantamount to claims against the municipality itself …. Here, the complaint failed to allege any facts from which it could be reasonably inferred that the defendants had a policy or custom of depriving medical treatment to persons in police custody ….  Vargas v City of New York, 2013 NY Slip Op 02391, 2011-02266, 2011-08980, 2011-09609, Index No 33215/07, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

 

,

Notice of Claim Deemed Insufficient to Allege Negligent Design or Construction of Road

The Second Department dismissed a complaint against a town because the notice of claim alleged “damages for negligence arising out of the use, operation, ownership, maintenance, custody, and control of Hynes Road” but did not allege defective design or negligent construction of a road, the specific theories alleged in the complaint:

A notice of claim which, inter alia, sufficiently identifies the claimant, states the nature of the claim and describes the time when, the place where, and the manner in which the claim arose, is a condition precedent to asserting a tort claim against a municipality … . While a claimant need not state “a precise cause of action in haec verba in a notice of claim” …, “a party may not add a new theory of liability which was not included in the notice of claim”… .

Here, the Town established its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the complaint insofar as asserted against it by submitting proof that the notice of claim made no allegations that the Town defectively designed or negligently constructed the roadway where the accident occurred … .  Crew v Town of Beekman, 2013 NY Slip Op 02370, 2011-10932, Index No 7540/07, 2nd Dept, 4-10-13

HIGHWAYS AND ROADS

,

Late Notice of Claim Disallowed

In finding the trial court abused its discretion in granting plaintiff’s motion for leave to file a late notice of claim, the Second Department noted that (1) serving the wrong party, i.e., law office failure, was not an acceptable excuse, (2) there was no demonstration by the plaintiffs that the (potential) defendant had actual knowledge of the facts of the claim, and (3) there was no demonstration by the plaintiffs that the (potential) defendant was not prejudiced by the delay in its ability to conduct a thorough investigation.  Peters-Heenpella v Wynn, 2013 NY Slip Op 02233, 2012-02561, Inex No 19749/11, 2nd Dept 4-3-13

 

​

, , ,

Expired Fire Fighters’ Collective Bargaining Agreement Was Not “In Effect” Pursuant to Statute With Respect to Fire Fighters’ Mandated Contributions to Pension Plan

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Pigott, determined that a collective bargaining agreement entered into by the City of Yonkers Fire Fighters was not “in effect” within the meaning of Article 22 of the Retirement and Social Security Law.  For some purposes, the Retirement and Social Security Law deems a collective bargaining agreement to remain “in effect” after it has expired, until another agreement is reached.  If the collective bargaining agreement had been deemed to be “in effect” in this case, the firefighters would not have been required to contribute to their pensions, a requirement that was imposed only after the collective bargaining agreement expired.  Matter of City of Yonkers v Yonkers Fire Fighters …, 48, CtApp, 4-2-13

 

, ,

Criteria for 1983 Action Against Municipality Based On Policy or Custom

In reversing the trial court’s setting aside a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in an action for false arrest, the Second Department laid out the criteria for a 1983 action against a municipality in this context:

… [A]plaintiff may prevail on a cause of action to recover damages pursuant to 42 USC § 1983 against a municipality where the plaintiff proves the existence of “(1) an official policy or custom [on the part of a municipal defendant] that (2) cause[d] the claimant to be subjected to (3) a denial of a constitutional right” … . “For a cause of action pursuant to 42 USC § 1983 to lie against a municipality, the action that is alleged to be unconstitutional must implement[ ]or execute[ ] a policy statement, ordinance, regulation, or decision officially adopted and promulgated by that body’s officers'” …, or have occurred pursuant to a practice “so permanent and well settled as to constitute a custom or usage’ with the force of law” … .

“A municipal custom or policy can be shown by establishing that an official who is a final policy maker directly committed or commanded the violation of the plaintiff’s rights” … . Liability for a violation of 42 USC § 1983 may be predicated on “a single act, as long as it is the act of an official authorized to decide policy in that area” … .  Bassett v City of Rye, 2013 NY Slip Op 02037, 2011-10149, Index No 20430/05, 2nd Dept 3-27-13

 

, ,

City Deemed Immune from Suit—Governmental and Proprietary Functions Explained 

Plaintiff was injured when a Department of Transportation (DOT) worker, who was setting up cones on the roadway in preparation for road repair, allowed plaintiff to ride through the work area on her bicycle.  The plaintiff was injured when she rode over a pothole. The First Department determined the defendant City was immune from suit because the DOT worker was performing a discretionary/governmental, not a proprietary function, when he allowed the plaintiff to ride through.  The decision includes detailed discussion of discretionary/governmental versus proprietary functions.  Wittorf v City of New York, 2013 NY Slip Op 02014, 8358, 103233/06, 1st Dept 3-26-13

 

,

Housing for Actors and Theater Staff Deemed Tax-Exempt

The Fourth Department determined that the petitioner had demonstrated its property, which was used to house actors and staff for seasonal theaters and generated no income, met the criteria for tax-exempt property under Real Property Tax Law 420-a:

According to [the] director, the housing of actors and staff together promotes countless hours of volunteer work in the form of “running lines together, discussing creative ideas, working on wardrobes, [and] creating sets,” all of which further the purposes and mission of petitioner. That director also averred that the properties are not open to the public and create no income for petitioner. …. [W]e note that housing used to further an exempt purpose has been found tax exempt in numerous other contexts… .  Matter of Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Inc. v Assessor of City of Auburn, et al, 268, CA 12-01797, 4th Dept. 3-22-13

 

, , ,

Court’s Sua Sponte Transfer of a Zoning-Related Case to Another County Was Improper; The Denial of a Request for a Variance Does Not Affect Real Property within the Meaning of CPLR 507

The Fourth Department determined Supreme Court erred in transferring a case to another venue sua sponte and in determining that an action seeking to annul the denial of a variance affected real property within the meaning of CPLR 507:

Petitioner commenced this CPLR article 78 proceeding seeking to annul two determinations of respondent made in connection with petitioner’s application for an area variance from a provision of the Town of Whitestone’s Zoning Ordinance. The proceeding was commenced in Supreme Court, Onondaga County, and by …order …that court, sua sponte, transferred the proceeding to Supreme Court, Oneida County, pursuant to CPLR 507. We agree with petitioner that the court erred in transferring the proceeding sua sponte. CPLR 509 provides that the place of trial may be changed to another county “by order upon motion, or by consent.” CPLR 510 provides the grounds for the change of the place of trial, upon a motion. A court “is authorized to change venue only upon motion and may not do so upon its own initiative” …. Additionally, a CPLR article 78 proceeding seeking to annul a determination denying a request for an area variance does not affect the title to, or the possession, use or enjoyment of, real property, and thus the court erred in relying on CPLR 507 in transferring the proceeding.  Matter of Mimassi v Town of Whitestone Zoning Board of Appeals, 189, CA 12-01652, 4th Dept. 3-22-13

 

 

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