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CITY EMPLOYEE’S CONTRACTUAL RIGHT TO MEDICAL BENEFITS VESTED BEFORE THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WAS TERMINATED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department determined that plaintiff city employee’s medical benefits vested before the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was terminated:

“As a general rule, contractual rights and obligations do not survive beyond the termination of a collective bargaining agreement . . . However, [r]ights which accrued or vested under the agreement will, as a general rule, survive termination of the agreement’ . . . , and we must look to well established principles of contract interpretation to determine whether the parties intended that the contract give rise to a vested right. [A] written agreement that is complete, clear and unambiguous on its face must be enforced according to the plain meaning of its terms’ ”  … . …

… [W]e conclude that the court properly determined that the plain meaning of the provisions at issue in the … CBA establishes that plaintiff has a vested right to medical benefits, those rights vested when he completed his 20th year of service, and plaintiff became eligible to receive said benefits when he reached retirement age… . Plaintiff’s right to medical benefits vested when he satisfied the criteria in the … CBA, and there is no language in the … CBA indicating that employees would forfeit or surrender their vested rights if they transferred jobs or unions prior to reaching retirement age. We thus conclude that the court’s interpretation of the … CBA ” give[s] fair meaning to all of the language employed by the parties to reach a practical interpretation of the expressions of the parties so that their reasonable expectations will be realized . . . [and does] not . . . leave one of its provisions substantially without force or effect’ ” … . Timkey v City of Lockport, 2018 NY Slip Op 08792, Fourth Dept 12-21-18

 

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QUESTIONS OF FACT PRECLUDED SUMMARY JUDGMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE ADVERSE POSSESSION ACTION AND THE LACHES DEFENSE, THE ACTION INVOLVED LAND THAT WAS ONCE UNDER WATER CREATED BY THE MOVEMENT OF SAND DURING STORMS DECADES AGO (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, modifying Supreme Court, determined there were questions of fact in this adverse possession case concerning who owned the land and when the adverse possession began. The land in question was once under water and was created by the movement of sand decades ago:

CPLR 212(a) provides that “[a]n action to recover real property or its possession cannot be commenced unless the plaintiff, or his [or her] predecessor in interest, was seized or possessed of the premises within ten years before the commencement of the action.” However, the 10-year limitations period does not begin to run against a record owner of property until the occupiers of the property begin to adversely possess it (see RPAPL 311…).

We disagree with the Supreme Court’s determination that the defendants are entitled to summary judgment dismissing the complaint … on the ground that the action was barred by the statute of limitations. Calculation of the date from which the statute of limitations began to run on the plaintiffs’ causes of action requires a threshold determination as to whether the plaintiffs are the record owners of the disputed land, and secondly, whether, and if so, when, the defendants began to adversely possess the land… . The defendants failed to conclusively establish that the plaintiffs are not the record owners of the disputed land for the purposes of determining a date upon which the statute of limitations began to run … . …

The defendants also failed to establish … that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law on their laches defense. “The essence of the equitable defense of laches is prejudicial delay in the assertion of rights” … . “In order for laches to apply to the failure of an owner of real property to assert his or her interest, it must be shown that [the] plaintiff inexcusably failed to act when [he or] she knew, or should have known, that there was a problem with [his or] her title to the property. In other words, for there to be laches, there must be present elements to create an equitable estoppel'” … .

Here, although the defendants established that the plaintiffs did not commence the action until a lengthy period of time after the alleged avulsive acts had occurred, the defendants failed to eliminate issues of fact as to whether the plaintiffs’ failure to act was excusable, whether the defendants were taking actions to adversely possess the disputed land, and whether and when the plaintiffs should reasonably have become aware of such alleged acts. Strough v Incorporated Vil. of W. Hampton Dunes, 2018 NY Slip Op 08525, Second Dept 12-12-18

 

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PETITION TO AMEND A NOTICE OF CLAIM WAS UNTIMELY WITH RESPECT TO THE PARENTS’ DERIVATIVE ACTION IN THIS PEDESTRIAN-VEHICLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASE, THE PETITIONERS DID NOT SHOW THAT THE TOWN HAD TIMELY KNOWLEDGE OF THE ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT OF TOWN PERSONNEL, PETITION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that the petition for leave to amend the notice of claim against the town in this pedestrian-vehicle traffic accident case should not have been granted. The infant petitioner was struck by a car crossing a road. The proposed amendment would have alleged a town park ranger waved the family across just before the child was struck. Because the request to amend was made more than a year and 90 days after the accident, the request was untimely for the derivative action by the parents, but the statute of limitations was tolled for the infant petitioner. The Second Department went on to find that petitioners did not demonstrate the town had timely knowledge of the the allegation the family was waved across the street by a town employee, even though the allegation was memorialized in a Suffolk County police report:

… [T]he petitioners failed to establish that the Town acquired actual knowledge, within 90 days of the collision or a reasonable time thereafter, of the essential facts constituting the claim that the Town park ranger waved to the family to cross the highway. It is not alleged that the child was struck by a Town vehicle or a Town employee. In addition, Magwood’s [mother’s] testimony at her hearing held pursuant to General Municipal Law § 50-h did not indicate that a Town park ranger waved to the family to cross the highway. Although several witnesses to the collision gave a statement to the effect that the Town park ranger waved to the family to cross the highway, these statements were made to Suffolk County Police Department (hereinafter SCPD) personnel and memorialized in SCPD reports… . Further, while the Town park ranger prepared a Town Division of Enforcement and Security Public Safety report on the date of the collision, that report did not indicate that the Town park ranger waved to the family to cross the highway. ” [F]or a report to provide actual knowledge of the essential facts, one must be able to readily infer from that report that a potentially actionable wrong had been committed by the public corporation'” … . The Town park ranger’s report did not support a ready inference that the Town committed a potentially actionable wrong … .

Moreover, the petitioners failed to demonstrate a reasonable excuse for the failure to serve a timely notice of claim asserting the theory that the Town park ranger waved to the family to cross the highway and for the subsequent delay in filing this petition… . Although the petitioners satisfied their initial burden of showing a lack of substantial prejudice to the Town as a result of the late notice, and the Town failed to make a “particularized showing” of substantial prejudice … , the presence or absence of any one factor is not necessarily determinative in deciding whether permission to serve a late notice of claim should be granted … . Matter of Johnson v County of Suffolk, 2018 NY Slip Op 08482, Second Dept 12-12-18

 

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PETITION TO DEEM A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM TIMELY SERVED SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE CITY’S KNOWLEDGE OF THE CROSSWALK DEFECT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO TIMELY KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURE OF PLAINTIFF’S CLAIM (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that plaintiff’s petition to deem the late notice of claim timely served should not have been granted in this slip and fall case. Plaintiff alleged she tripped and fell over a defect in a crosswalk. The notice of claim was serve eight months after the fall. Photos of the defect were alleged to have been taken “shortly after” the fall but were not authenticated. An Internet map service apparently depicted the defects in 2013 and 2014. The court held that the fact that the city may have known of the defect does not mean the city had timely notice of the nature of plaintiff’s claim:

… [W]e disagree with the Supreme Court’s determination that the City acquired actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claim within 90 days of the accident or a reasonable time thereafter. While the photographs submitted in support of the petition may have demonstrated that the City had prior knowledge of the crosswalk defect, actual knowledge of the defect is not tantamount to actual knowledge of the facts constituting the claim, since the City was not aware of the petitioner’s accident, her injuries, and the facts underlying her theory of liability… . Similarly, the service of the notice of claim approximately five months after the expiration of the 90-day statutory period for service did not provide the City with the requisite actual knowledge within a reasonable time … .

We also disagree with the Supreme Court’s determination, based on the photographs submitted by the petitioner, that she sustained her burden of demonstrating that the City would not be substantially prejudiced by the late notice. The petitioner contended that the photographic evidence showed that the defective condition was substantially the same in appearance at the time of her accident as it was some eight months later when her petition was served. However, the photographs purportedly taken “shortly after” the accident were never authenticated … , nor did the petitioner identify the actual date the photographs were taken or the person who took them. Moreover, the more recent photographs were taken at different angles than the earlier photos, and neither set of images contained any measurements or dimensions to support the conclusion that a comparison of the two sets of photographs established that the defect did not change in the interim … . Matter of Bermudez v City of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 08477, Second Dept 12-12-18

 

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TOWN SHOULD HAVE BEEN HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR FAILURE TO BUILD A FENCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH A STIPULATION (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that the town should be held in contempt for failure to erect a fence on town land in accordance with a stipulation. Plaintiff had requested the fence because people were crossing town land to trespass on plaintiff’s property:

“In order to sustain a finding of civil contempt, it is not necessary that the disobedience be deliberate or willful; rather, the mere act of disobedience, regardless of its motive, is sufficient if such disobedience defeats, impairs, impedes or prejudices the rights of a party” … .

In order to adjudicate a party in civil contempt, a court must find: (1) that a lawful order of the court, clearly expressing an unequivocal mandate, was in effect, (2) that the party against whom contempt is sought disobeyed the order, (3) that the party who disobeyed the order had knowledge of its terms, and (4) that the movant was prejudiced by the offending conduct… . The party seeking a finding of civil contempt must prove these elements by clear and convincing evidence … .

Here, the plaintiff established by clear and convincing evidence that the so-ordered stipulation clearly expressed an unequivocal mandate to construct a fence… , that the Town had knowledge of the stipulation and nevertheless disobeyed it, and that the plaintiff was prejudiced by the offending conduct.

In opposition, the Town failed to refute the plaintiff’s showing or to offer evidence of a defense such as an inability to comply with the order … . Palmieri v Town of Babylon, 2018 NY Slip Op 08317, Second Dept 12-5-18

CIVIL PROCEDURE (TOWN SHOULD HAVE BEEN HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR FAILURE TO BUILD A FENCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH A STIPULATION (SECOND DEPT))/CONTEMPT (TOWN SHOULD HAVE BEEN HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR FAILURE TO BUILD A FENCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH A STIPULATION (SECOND DEPT))/MUNICIPAL LAW (CONTEMPT, TOWN SHOULD HAVE BEEN HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR FAILURE TO BUILD A FENCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH A STIPULATION (SECOND DEPT))

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ARBITRATOR, NOT THE COURTS, MUST FIRST DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATTER IS ARBITRABLE, CITY HAD ISSUED NEW PROTOCOLS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, THE UNION FILED A GRIEVANCE ARGUING THE NEW PROTOCOLS MUST BE THE SUBJECT OF ARBITRATION, AN ARBITRATOR MUST DECIDE WHETHER THE ISSUE IS COVERED BY THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, held that whether the public sector employment matter was arbitrable under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) must first be determined by the arbitrator, not the courts. The city had issued new protocols for first responders in the EMS program concerning active shooters, animal bites, suspicious packages, medical emergencies associated with criminal activity, etc. The union brought a grievance arguing that their members were not adequately trained for the new protocols and the issues should be the subject of arbitration:

“… [A] dispute between a public sector employer and an employee is only arbitrable if it satisfies a two-prong test” … . ” Initially, the court must determine whether there is any statutory, constitutional, or public policy prohibition against arbitrating the grievance'” … . ” If there is no prohibition against arbitrating, the court must examine the parties’ collective bargaining agreement and determine if they in fact agreed to arbitrate the particular dispute'” … .

When deciding whether a dispute is arbitrable, “the court shall not consider whether the claim with respect to which arbitration is sought is tenable, or otherwise pass upon the merits of the dispute” (CPLR 7501). “Even an apparent weakness of the claimed grievance is not a factor in the court’s threshold determination. It is the arbitrator who weighs the merits of the claim” … .

Here, it is undisputed that there is no statutory, constitutional, or public policy prohibition to arbitration of the grievance. Therefore, the only issue is whether the parties in fact agreed to arbitrate the dispute. Where, as here, the relevant arbitration provision of the CBA is broad, if the matter in dispute bears a reasonable relationship to some general subject matter of the CBA, it will be for the arbitrator and not the courts to decide whether the disputed matter falls within the CBA … .

In this case, Local 628’s grievance alleged that the City violated Article 33.1 of the CBA, which mandates that the EMS program be kept at the highest level of professional standards based upon the standards in place at the time of the agreement, by issuing General Order 4-15, which increased the call protocols and subjected its members to calls for which they are not trained and lack necessary equipment. Therefore, the grievance is reasonably related to at least one provision in the CBA, and the Supreme Court should have denied the petition to permanently stay arbitration. Matter of City of Yonkers v Yonkers Fire Fighters, Local 628, IAFF, AFL-CIO, 2018 NY Slip Op 08294, Second Dept 12-5-18

ARBITRATION (ARBITRATOR, NOT THE COURTS, MUST FIRST DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATTER IS ARBITRABLE, CITY HAD ISSUED NEW PROTOCOLS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, THE UNION FILED A GRIEVANCE ARGUING THE NEW PROTOCOLS MUST BE THE SUBJECT OF ARBITRATION, AN ARBITRATOR MUST DECIDE WHETHER THE ISSUE IS COVERED BY THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (SECOND DEPT))/EMPLOYMENT LAW (ARBITRATOR, NOT THE COURTS, MUST FIRST DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATTER IS ARBITRABLE, CITY HAD ISSUED NEW PROTOCOLS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, THE UNION FILED A GRIEVANCE ARGUING THE NEW PROTOCOLS MUST BE THE SUBJECT OF ARBITRATION, AN ARBITRATOR MUST DECIDE WHETHER THE ISSUE IS COVERED BY THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (SECOND DEPT))/CONTRACT LAW (COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, ARBITRATOR, NOT THE COURTS, MUST FIRST DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATTER IS ARBITRABLE, CITY HAD ISSUED NEW PROTOCOLS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, THE UNION FILED A GRIEVANCE ARGUING THE NEW PROTOCOLS MUST BE THE SUBJECT OF ARBITRATION, AN ARBITRATOR MUST DECIDE WHETHER THE ISSUE IS COVERED BY THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (SECOND DEPT))/MUNICIPAL LAW (EMPLOYMENT LAW, ARBITRATOR, NOT THE COURTS, MUST FIRST DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATTER IS ARBITRABLE, CITY HAD ISSUED NEW PROTOCOLS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, THE UNION FILED A GRIEVANCE ARGUING THE NEW PROTOCOLS MUST BE THE SUBJECT OF ARBITRATION, AN ARBITRATOR MUST DECIDE WHETHER THE ISSUE IS COVERED BY THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (SECOND DEPT))/COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (MUNICIPAL LAW, ARBITRATOR, NOT THE COURTS, MUST FIRST DETERMINE WHETHER THE MATTER IS ARBITRABLE, CITY HAD ISSUED NEW PROTOCOLS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, THE UNION FILED A GRIEVANCE ARGUING THE NEW PROTOCOLS MUST BE THE SUBJECT OF ARBITRATION, AN ARBITRATOR MUST DECIDE WHETHER THE ISSUE IS COVERED BY THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT (SECOND DEPT))

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POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED AND FELL ON AN OUTSIDE STAIRWAY WHEN PATROLLING DEFENDANTS’ PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined that defendants’ motion for summary judgment in this slip and fall case should not have been granted. Plaintiff police officer was patrolling defendants’ property (at defendants’ request) when he slipped and fell an on outside stairway. Both the negligence cause of action and the General Municipal Law 205-a cause of action presented questions of fact. The section 205-a cause of action was properly based upon an alleged violation of the Property Maintenance Code of New York State:

The injured plaintiff’s mere inability to identify the precise nature of the slippery substance upon which he alleges he fell “cannot be equated with” a failure to identify the cause of his fall … . The defendants … failed to establish, prima facie, that they lacked constructive notice of the alleged hazardous substance on the step … , that the lighting for the area was adequate, and that the lack of a handrail on the steps was not a hazardous condition that may have been a proximate cause of the injuries … . …

The defendants … failed to demonstrate, prima facie, that Property Maintenance Code of New York State (2010) § 306.1, which requires a handrail on “[e]very exterior and interior flight of stairs having more than four risers,” did not apply to the location where the injured plaintiff’s accident occurred. …

… [W]e agree with the Supreme Court that the plaintiffs were not entitled to summary judgment on the issue of liability  … . The plaintiffs failed to demonstrate, prima facie, the defendants’ “neglect, omission, willful or culpable negligence” in violating Property Maintenance Code of New York State … . Moreover, the plaintiffs failed to eliminate all material issues of fact regarding whether the alleged hazardous condition actually existed. Furthermore, to the extent that the cause of action is predicated upon a violation of Property Maintenance Code of New York State… , the plaintiffs’ proffered evidence … failed to establish, prima facie, that the injured plaintiff’s accident resulted directly or indirectly from the absence of a handrail … . Stancarone v Sullivan, 2018 NY Slip Op 08344, Second Dept 12-5-18

NEGLIGENCE (POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED AND FELL ON AN OUTSIDE STAIRWAY WHEN PATROLLING DEFENDANTS’ PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL (POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED AND FELL ON AN OUTSIDE STAIRWAY WHEN PATROLLING DEFENDANTS’ PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/POLICE OFFICERS (SLIP AND FALL, POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED AND FELL ON AN OUTSIDE STAIRWAY WHEN PATROLLING DEFENDANTS’ PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a (POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED AND FELL ON AN OUTSIDE STAIRWAY WHEN PATROLLING DEFENDANTS’ PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/EVIDENCE (SLIP AND FALL, POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED AND FELL ON AN OUTSIDE STAIRWAY WHEN PATROLLING DEFENDANTS’ PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CODE OF NEW YORK STATE (SLIP AND FALL, POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED AND FELL ON AN OUTSIDE STAIRWAY WHEN PATROLLING DEFENDANTS’ PROPERTY, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE NEGLIGENCE AND GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 205-a CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))

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BUILDING INSPECTOR WAS PROPERLY TERMINATED FOR FAILURE TO REQUIRE ASBESTOS ABATEMENT FOR A DEMOLISHED BUILDING, BECAUSE THE ACTIONS OF THE INSPECTOR CONSTITUTED CRIMES UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW AND PENAL LAW, THE EMPLOYMENT-RELATED CHARGES WERE TIMELY (THIRD DEPT). ​

The Third Department determined that petitioner, formerly a village building inspector, was properly terminated for failing to require asbestos abatement for a demolished building. Because the allegations constituted crimes pursuant to the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) the charges were not time-barred. The evidence was deemed sufficient to support the charges:

Petitioner’s primary contention on appeal is that the charge should have been dismissed as untimely. Indeed, “no removal or disciplinary proceeding shall be commenced more than eighteen months after the occurrence of the alleged incompetency or misconduct complained of and described in the charges” (Civil Service Law § 75 [4… . However, this limitations period does not apply “where the incompetency or misconduct complained of and described in the charges would, if proved in a court of appropriate jurisdiction, constitute a crime” … . …

… [P]etitioner is alleged to have “knowingly, unlawfully and intentionally engage[d] persons to effect the unauthorized demolition of the [building], knowing that unabated asbestos was located therein or thereupon, causing the release of a substance hazardous to public health, safety or the environment, said substance being asbestos.” If proven, these allegations would constitute the crime of endangering public health, safety or the environment in the fourth degree (see ECL 71-2711 [3]). As to count 9, petitioner is alleged, with regard to the demolition of the building, to have “engag[ed] persons neither certified nor qualified to abate the asbestos located therein, . . . knowing that asbestos was located therein, such demolition having been performed without asbestos abatement or any reasonable procedure to prevent the release of asbestos into the public air, . . . [and] having released a considerable amount of [asbestos] dust and debris into the air” in a populated area. These allegations would, if proven at trial, constitute the crime of criminal nuisance in the second degree (see Penal Law § 240.45 [1]). Likewise, we find that the allegations against petitioner as detailed in counts 5 through 7 would constitute, if established at trial, official misconduct (see Penal Law § 195.00 [2] …). Accordingly, the Hearing Officer properly found that the charge is not time-barred … . …

At the hearing, petitioner admitted that he was aware that the demolition of the building not only began without the requisite permits, but that the contractors hired to complete the job agreed to do so for only $5,000 — rather than an estimated $150,000 — in exchange for future contracts. It is further undisputed that the demolition resulted in the release of asbestos fibers where workers and passersby would be exposed to the legislatively-recognized carcinogenic agent… . As to the quantity of asbestos released, a report conducted more than a year prior to the building’s demolition found varying percentages of asbestos in the building’s products — from 1.4% to 23.5% — far exceeding the 1% threshold necessary to trigger abatement requirements … . Petitioner testified that, although he was aware that the building contained asbestos and had discussed this report with respondent’s civil engineer, John Fuller, he had not read the report and “assumed” that the quantity of asbestos present did not require abatement. When asked why he did not investigate the issue of abatement further in his role as respondent’s Code Enforcement Officer, he stated that he “had no obligation” to do so. Further, the Hearing Officer credited the testimony of Chief of Police Robert Mir that petitioner had told one of the demolition contractors, Sam Kearney, that he was “good to go” in response to concerns about whether asbestos was present in the building. Marciano Soto, a contractor hired to supervise the demolition of the building, similarly testified that petitioner told him on multiple occasions that the building did not contain asbestos. Upon our review, we find substantial evidence in the record to sustain the charge that petitioner “committ[ed] acts constituting crimes” — namely, endangering public health, safety or the environment in the fourth degree, official misconduct and criminal nuisance in the second degree — and, thus, to support the determination terminating petitioner’s employment … . Matter of Snowden v Village of Monticello, 2018 NY Slip Op 08226, Third Dept 11-29-18

MUNICIPAL LAW (EMPLOYMENT LAW, BUILDING INSPECTOR WAS PROPERLY TERMINATED FOR FAILURE TO REQUIRE ASBESTOS ABATEMENT FOR A DEMOLISHED BUILDING, BECAUSE THE ACTIONS OF THE INSPECTOR CONSTITUTED CRIMES UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW, THE EMPLOYMENT-RELATED CHARGES WERE TIMELY (THIRD DEPT))/EMPLOYMENT LAW (ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, MUNICIPAL LAW, BUILDING INSPECTOR WAS PROPERLY TERMINATED FOR FAILURE TO REQUIRE ASBESTOS ABATEMENT FOR A DEMOLISHED BUILDING, BECAUSE THE ACTIONS OF THE INSPECTOR CONSTITUTED CRIMES UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW, THE EMPLOYMENT-RELATED CHARGES WERE TIMELY (THIRD DEPT))/ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (MUNICIPAL LAW, EMPLOYMENT LAW, BUILDING INSPECTOR WAS PROPERLY TERMINATED FOR FAILURE TO REQUIRE ASBESTOS ABATEMENT FOR A DEMOLISHED BUILDING, BECAUSE THE ACTIONS OF THE INSPECTOR CONSTITUTED CRIMES UNDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW, THE EMPLOYMENT-RELATED CHARGES WERE TIMELY (THIRD DEPT))

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NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined petitioner’s application for permission to file a late notice of claim should not have been granted. After criminal charges were dismissed, eight months after the deadline for filing a notice of claim, petitioner sought to bring an action alleging violations of 42 USC 1983, false arrest, false imprisonment, assault, battery, and malicious prosecution. The Second Department found that a notice of claim is not required for the 42 USC 1983 action, the statute of limitations had expired on the assault and battery actions, reports documenting an investigation did not provide the city with timely notice of the essential facts of the claim, the excuse for the delay was not reasonable, and petitioner did not show the city was not prejudiced by the delay:

The branch of the petition which sought leave to serve a late notice of claim to assert, pursuant to 42 USC § 1983, violations of the petitioner’s federal civil and constitutional rights, should have been denied as unnecessary… . Such a claim is not subject to the State statutory notice of claim requirement … . …

We disagree with the Supreme Court’s conclusion that the City acquired actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the relevant state law claims within 90 days after they arose or a reasonable time thereafter. Actual knowledge could not be readily inferred from two reports dated June 18, 2015, documenting an internal investigation conducted by the police department to determine how a firearm was allegedly carried into, and concealed within, the station house, that “a potentially actionable wrong had been committed by the [City]” against the plaintiff … . Moreover, the mere alleged existence of other police reports and records, without evidence of their content, and the involvement of the City’s police officers in the alleged incident, without more, were insufficient to impute actual knowledge to the City … .

We also disagree with the Supreme Court’s conclusion that the petitioner presented a reasonable excuse for his failure to serve a timely notice of claim. The petitioner’s incarceration did not constitute such an excuse, since the relevant state law claims did not accrue, and the petitioner’s time to serve a notice of claim did not begin to run, until he was released from custody … . Matter of Nicholson v City of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 08134, Second Dept 11-28-18

MUNICIPAL LAW (NOTICE OF CLAIM, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/NOTICE OF CLAIM (MUNICIPAL LAW, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/CIVIL RIGHTS LAW (42 USC 1983,  NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/42 USC 1983 (NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS,  NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS  (NOTICE OF CLAIM, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/FALSE ARREST  (NOTICE OF CLAIM, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/FALSE IMPRISONMENT  (NOTICE OF CLAIM, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/ASSAULT (NOTICE OF CLAIM, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/BATTERY (NOTICE OF CLAIM, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))//MALICIOUS PROSECUTION  (NOTICE OF CLAIM, NO NOTICE OF CLAIM REQUIRED FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF 42 USC 1983, STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS EXPIRED ON ASSAULT AND BATTERY, PERMISSION TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ON THE REMAINING STATE CHARGES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))

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MOTION TO DEEM NOTICE OF CLAIM FILED ONE DAY LATE TIMELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT)

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined petitioner’s motion to deem the notice of claim timely filed should have been granted even if the excuse for the delay was not reasonable. The notice of claim was one day late:

CUCF [defendant City University Construction Fund] acquired actual notice of the essential facts constituting the claim within a reasonable time after the expiration of the 90-day statute of limitations period due to the fact that petitioner filed his notice of claim only one day late, on the 91st day after the accident occurred. Moreover, the notice of claim provides the essential facts constituting the claim and further describes CUCF’s alleged negligence and alleged violations of Labor Law §§ 240(1), 241(6) and 200, and certain Industrial Code provisions.

Additionally, petitioner has demonstrated that his one-day delay in serving the notice of claim on CUCF did not substantially prejudice CUCF’s defense on the merits. CUCF had actual knowledge of the facts constituting petitioner’s claim only one day after the expiration of the 90-day statutory period and thus, had ample opportunity to conduct a thorough investigation. …

Even if petitioner’s excuse for the delay in filing the notice of claim, specifically, that such delay was due to a clerical error made by the process server, was unreasonable, “the absence of a reasonable excuse is not, standing alone, fatal to the application,” especially in a case such as this one where respondent had actual notice of the essential facts constituting petitioner’s claim and where respondent was not prejudiced by the delay … . Matter of Dominguez v City Univ. of N.Y., 2018 NY Slip Op 08084, First Dept 11-27-18

MUNICIPAL LAW (NOTICE OF CLAIM, MOTION TO DEEM NOTICE OF CLAIM FILED ONE DAY LATE TIMELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (MUNICIPAL LAW, NOTICE OF CLAIM, MOTION TO DEEM NOTICE OF CLAIM FILED ONE DAY LATE TIMELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))/LABOR LAW-CONSTRUCTION LAW (MUNICIPAL LAW, (NOTICE OF CLAIM, MOTION TO DEEM NOTICE OF CLAIM FILED ONE DAY LATE TIMELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))/NOTICE OF CLAIM (MUNICIPAL LAW,  MOTION TO DEEM NOTICE OF CLAIM FILED ONE DAY LATE TIMELY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT))

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