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LANDLORD, BY THE TERMS OF THE LEASE WHICH REQUIRED THE TENANT TO DO RENOVATION WORK, IS DEEMED TO HAVE CONSENTED TO THE WORK, THE CONTRACTOR THEREFORE HAD A VALID MECHANIC’S LIEN WITH RESPECT TO THE LANDLORD (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, determined the landlord (COR), by the terms of the lease which required work on the premises to be done by the tenant restaurant (Peaches), consented to the work. Therefore the contractor who did the work had a valid mechanic’s lien with respect to the landlord:

The language of the lease agreement not only expressly authorized Peaches to undertake the electrical work, but also required it to do so to effectuate the purpose of the lease—that is, for Peaches to open the restaurant for business and operate it continuously, seven days a week, during hours specified by COR. Furthermore, the detailed language makes clear that COR was to retain close supervision over the work and authorized it to exercise at least some direction over the work by reviewing, commenting on, revising, and granting ultimate approval for the design drawings related to the electrical work. We therefore conclude that, under our prior precedents, the terms of the lease agreement between COR and Peaches, taken together, are sufficient to establish COR’s consent under Lien Law § 3. Ferrara v Peaches Cafe LLC, 2018 NY Slip Op 07925, CtApp 11-20-18

LIEN LAW (LANDLORD, BY THE TERMS OF THE LEASE WHICH REQUIRED THE TENANT TO DO RENOVATION WORK, IS DEEMED TO HAVE CONSENTED TO THE WORK, THE CONTRACTOR THEREFORE HAD A VALID MECHANIC’S LIEN WITH RESPECT TO THE LANDLORD (CT APP))/LANDLORD-TENANT (LIEN LAW, (LANDLORD, BY THE TERMS OF THE LEASE WHICH REQUIRED THE TENANT TO DO RENOVATION WORK, IS DEEMED TO HAVE CONSENTED TO THE WORK, THE CONTRACTOR THEREFORE HAD A VALID MECHANIC’S LIEN WITH RESPECT TO THE LANDLORD (CT APP))/MECHANIC’S LIEN (LANDLORD-TENANT, LANDLORD, BY THE TERMS OF THE LEASE WHICH REQUIRED THE TENANT TO DO RENOVATION WORK, IS DEEMED TO HAVE CONSENTED TO THE WORK, THE CONTRACTOR THEREFORE HAD A VALID MECHANIC’S LIEN WITH RESPECT TO THE LANDLORD (CT APP))

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THE PROSECUTION’S FAILURE TO PRESENT A WITNESS TO THE GRAND JURY, AS REQUESTED BY THE DEFENDANT, DID NOT RISE TO A CONSTITUTIONAL DEFECT, THEREFORE THE ISSUE DID NOT SURVIVE DEFENDANT’S GUILTY PLEA (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, over a two-judge concurrence, determined the defendant’s argument that the integrity of the grand jury proceedings was impaired by the prosecution’s failure to call a witness requested by the defendant did not raise a constitutional issue and therefore was precluded by defendant’s guilty plea:

Defendant does not contend that the evidence before the grand jury was insufficient to support the indictment. Instead, defendant claims that the prosecutor’s conduct impaired the integrity of the grand jury proceeding and argues his motion to dismiss the indictment for defective grand jury proceedings on that ground is not forfeited by his guilty plea. …

… [W]e have explained that even after entering a valid guilty plea, “a defendant may not forfeit a claim of a constitutional [*2]defect implicating the integrity of the process” …  and we have recognized that certain claimed defects in a grand jury proceeding rise to this level … .

Defendant’s claim in this case rests on the purported exclusion of a witness, the substance of whose testimony was contained in an affidavit provided to the courts below. That proffered testimony was largely inadmissible and, in any event, would have inculpated him by establishing that he had a relationship with the complainant and had been in her presence in violation of an order of protection. The exclusion of such testimony before the grand jury does not present “a constitutional defect implicating the integrity of the process”…  and accordingly the claimed violation in this case did not survive defendant’s guilty plea.  People v Manragh, 2018 NY Slip Op 07924, CtApp 11-20-18

CRIMINAL LAW (THE PROSECUTION’S FAILURE TO PRESENT A WITNESS TO THE GRAND JURY, AS REQUESTED BY THE DEFENDANT, DID NOT RISE TO A CONSTITUTIONAL DEFECT, THEREFORE THE ISSUE DID NOT SURVIVE DEFENDANT’S GUILTY PLEA (CT APP))/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, GRAND JURY, THE PROSECUTION’S FAILURE TO PRESENT A WITNESS TO THE GRAND JURY, AS REQUESTED BY THE DEFENDANT, DID NOT RISE TO A CONSTITUTIONAL DEFECT, THEREFORE THE ISSUE DID NOT SURVIVE DEFENDANT’S GUILTY PLEA (CT APP))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, GUILTY PLEA, THE PROSECUTION’S FAILURE TO PRESENT A WITNESS TO THE GRAND JURY, AS REQUESTED BY THE DEFENDANT, DID NOT RISE TO A CONSTITUTIONAL DEFECT, THEREFORE THE ISSUE DID NOT SURVIVE DEFENDANT’S GUILTY PLEA (CT APP))/GUILTY PLEA (APPEALS, HE PROSECUTION’S FAILURE TO PRESENT A WITNESS TO THE GRAND JURY, AS REQUESTED BY THE DEFENDANT, DID NOT RISE TO A CONSTITUTIONAL DEFECT, THEREFORE THE ISSUE DID NOT SURVIVE DEFENDANT’S GUILTY PLEA (CT APP))/GRAND JURY (APPEALS, GUILTY PLEA, THE PROSECUTION’S FAILURE TO PRESENT A WITNESS TO THE GRAND JURY, AS REQUESTED BY THE DEFENDANT, DID NOT RISE TO A CONSTITUTIONAL DEFECT, THEREFORE THE ISSUE DID NOT SURVIVE DEFENDANT’S GUILTY PLEA (CT APP))

ALTHOUGH THE VILLAGE BUILT THE BRIDGE, THE VILLAGE NEVER IMPLEMENTED THE PROCEDURES IN THE VILLAGE CODE FOR ASSUMING CONTROL OVER THE BRIDGE, THEREFORE THE TOWN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Stein, over a dissent, reversing the Appellate Division, determined that the Town, not the Village, was responsible for the repair of a bridge. Although the bridge apparently had been built by the Village, the procedure for assuming control over the bridge laid out in the Village Code, which includes a resolution and a permissive referendum, was never implemented. The case turned on interpretation of the code provisions:

The Town argues, and the Appellate Division held, that a village has discretion to assume control of bridges in ways other than those enumerated in Village Law § 6-606. We disagree. ” [W]here a law expressly describes a particular act, thing or person to which it shall apply, an irrefutable inference must be drawn that what is omitted or not included was intended to be omitted or excluded'” … . Here, the legislature has limited the methods by which a village may assume control of a bridge by establishing specific procedures to be followed … . Had the legislature intended for a village to have the ability to unilaterally construct, and thereby control, a bridge—without regard to the passage of resolutions, agreements with the town, or permissive referendums—the legislature could easily have so stated, and its failure to do so compels the conclusion that such other methods of assuming control are ineffective … . Town of Aurora v Village of E. Aurora, 018 NY Slip Op 07923, CtApp 11-20-18

MUNICIPAL LAW (TOWN VS VILLAGE, ALTHOUGH THE VILLAGE BUILT THE BRIDGE, THE VILLAGE NEVER IMPLEMENTED THE PROCEDURES IN THE VILLAGE CODE FOR ASSUMING CONTROL OVER THE BRIDGE, THEREFORE THE TOWN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR (CT APP))/BRIDGES (MUNICIPAL LAW, TOWN VS VILLAGE, ALTHOUGH THE VILLAGE BUILT THE BRIDGE, THE VILLAGE NEVER IMPLEMENTED THE PROCEDURES IN THE VILLAGE CODE FOR ASSUMING CONTROL OVER THE BRIDGE, THEREFORE THE TOWN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR (CT APP))/TOWN VS VILLAGE (MUNICIPAL LAW, BRIDGES, ALTHOUGH THE VILLAGE BUILT THE BRIDGE, THE VILLAGE NEVER IMPLEMENTED THE PROCEDURES IN THE VILLAGE CODE FOR ASSUMING CONTROL OVER THE BRIDGE, THEREFORE THE TOWN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR (CT APP))

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SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO OVERSEE PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS OFFERED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THE ISSUE IS ONE OF PURE STATUTORY INTERPRETATION, DEFERENCE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION’S CONTRARY CONCLUSION IS NOT REQUIRED (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Garcia, over an extensive two-judge dissenting opinion, determined that school districts do not have the authority to oversee pre-kindergarten programs offered by charter schools. The court noted that deference to the Commissioner of Education’s contrary finding was not required because the question is one of pure statutory interpretation:

Charter schools are listed among the various eligible providers under the Statewide Universal Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten Program. Unlike other providers, however, charter schools are separately governed by the New York Charter Schools Act, and all “monitoring, programmatic review and operational requirements” related to charter school pre-kindergarten programs are “the responsibility of the charter entity” and must be “consistent with the requirements” of the Charter Schools Act (Education Law § 3602-ee [12]). The issue before us is whether the statutory scheme governing charter school pre-kindergarten programs allows for shared oversight authority between charter entities and local school districts. We hold that it does not … . * * *

According to [the appellate division, affirmed here by the Court of Appeals], the Legislature’s use of the word “all” in subdivision 12 provide the charter entity “with full responsibility for the relevant monitoring, programmatic review and operational requirements’ for the relevant prekindergarten programs” and that the plain meaning of this provision “in no way indicates that another entity — such as a school district — holds concurrent responsibility or authority in this regard” (… quoting Education Law § 3602-ee [12]). This reading, in the Appellate Division’s view, “best harmonizes the provisions of the statute in a manner consistent with the Legislature’s announced purpose” of Universal Pre-K Law which was ” to encourage program creativity through competition'” (… quoting Education Law § 3602-ee [1]). The Court also determined that the plain meaning of the term “inspection” did not include a right to regulate the curriculum (id.; see Education Law § 3602-ee [10]). The Appellate Division remitted the matter to the Commissioner, given that “the Commissioner’s determination regarding Success Academy’s request for funding was affected by its erroneous interpretation of” Universal Pre-K Law” … . Matter of DeVera v Elia, 2018 NY Slip Op 07922, CtApp 11-20-18

EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW (SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO OVERSEE PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS OFFERED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THE ISSUE IS ONE OF PURE STATUTORY INTERPRETATION, DEFERENCE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION’S CONTRARY CONCLUSION IS NOT REQUIRED (CT APP))/ADMINISTRATIVE LAW (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO OVERSEE PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS OFFERED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THE ISSUE IS ONE OF PURE STATUTORY INTERPRETATION, DEFERENCE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION’S CONTRARY CONCLUSION IS NOT REQUIRED (CT APP))/PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS (SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO OVERSEE PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS OFFERED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THE ISSUE IS ONE OF PURE STATUTORY INTERPRETATION, DEFERENCE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION’S CONTRARY CONCLUSION IS NOT REQUIRED (CT APP))/CHARTER SCHOOLS, PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS, (SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO OVERSEE PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS OFFERED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THE ISSUE IS ONE OF PURE STATUTORY INTERPRETATION, DEFERENCE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION’S CONTRARY CONCLUSION IS NOT REQUIRED (CT APP))

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WRIT OF MANDAMUS SEEKING TO COMPEL ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS IN CONNECTION WITH THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF KILLING CHICKENS PROPERLY DENIED, MANDAMUS DOES NOT LIE FOR DISCRETIONARY ACTS OR TO COMPEL A PARTICULAR OUTCOME (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals determined a writ of mandamus seeking to compel the NYC Department of Health to enforce laws preventing animal cruelty was properly denied. The writ concerned the slaughter of chickens as part of the religious practice of Kaporos prior to Yom Kippur:

A writ of mandamus “is an extraordinary remedy’ that is available only in limited circumstances'” … . Such remedy will lie “only to enforce a clear legal right where the public official has failed to perform a duty enjoined by law” … . While mandamus to compel ” is an appropriate remedy to enforce the performance of a ministerial duty, it is well settled that it will not be awarded to compel an act in respect to which [a public] officer may exercise judgment or discretion'”… . Discretionary acts ” involve the exercise of reasoned judgment which could typically produce different acceptable results whereas a ministerial act envisions direct adherence to a governing rule or standard with a compulsory result'”. Further, mandamus may only issue to compel a public officer to execute a legal duty; it may not ” direct how [the officer] shall perform that duty'” … .

Enforcement of the laws cited by plaintiffs would involve some exercise of discretion (see Town of Castle Rock v Gonzales, 545 US 748, 760-761 [2005]). Moreover, plaintiffs do not seek to compel the performance of ministerial duties but, rather, seek to compel a particular outcome. Accordingly, mandamus is not the appropriate vehicle for the relief sought … .  Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos v New York City Police Dept., 2018 NY Slip Op 07694, CtApp 11-14-18

CIVIL PROCEDURE (WRIT OF MANDAMUS SEEKING TO COMPEL ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS IN CONNECTION WITH THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF KILLING CHICKENS PROPERLY DENIED, MANDAMUS DOES NOT LIE FOR DISCRETIONARY ACTS OR TO COMPEL A PARTICULAR OUTCOME (CT APP))/MANDAMUS (WRIT OF MANDAMUS SEEKING TO COMPEL ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS IN CONNECTION WITH THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF KILLING CHICKENS PROPERLY DENIED, MANDAMUS DOES NOT LIE FOR DISCRETIONARY ACTS OR TO COMPEL A PARTICULAR OUTCOME (CT APP))/MUNICIPAL LAW (MANDAMUS, (WRIT OF MANDAMUS SEEKING TO COMPEL ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS IN CONNECTION WITH THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF KILLING CHICKENS PROPERLY DENIED, MANDAMUS DOES NOT LIE FOR DISCRETIONARY ACTS OR TO COMPEL A PARTICULAR OUTCOME (CT APP))/RELIGION  (WRIT OF MANDAMUS SEEKING TO COMPEL ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS IN CONNECTION WITH THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF KILLING CHICKENS PROPERLY DENIED, MANDAMUS DOES NOT LIE FOR DISCRETIONARY ACTS OR TO COMPEL A PARTICULAR OUTCOME (CT APP))/ANIMAL LAW  (WRIT OF MANDAMUS SEEKING TO COMPEL ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS IN CONNECTION WITH THE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF KILLING CHICKENS PROPERLY DENIED, MANDAMUS DOES NOT LIE FOR DISCRETIONARY ACTS OR TO COMPEL A PARTICULAR OUTCOME (CT APP))

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CPLR 8501 AND 8503, WHICH REQUIRE AN OUT OF STATE LITIGANT TO POST SECURITY FOR COSTS IN CASE THE NONRESIDENT LOSES THE CASE, DOES NOT VIOLATE THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES CLAUSE (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Feinman, determined that CPLR 8501 (a) and 8503, which require an out-of-state litigant to post a minimum of $500 security for costs in case the nonresident loses, does not violate the Privileges and Immunities Clause:

When plaintiff commenced this personal injury action, she was a New York resident. Plaintiff then relocated to Georgia, prompting defendants to move, pursuant to CPLR 8501 (a) and 8503, for an order compelling plaintiff—a nonresident at the time the motion was made—to post a minimum of $500 security for costs in the event she lost the case (see CPLR 8101). Defendants also requested a stay of the proceedings pursuant to CPLR 8502 until plaintiff complied with the order. In opposition, plaintiff argued that CPLR 8501 (a) and 8503 were unconstitutional because they violate the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the Federal Constitution by impairing nonresident plaintiffs’ fundamental right of access to the courts.

Supreme Court granted defendants’ motion, opining that although access to the courts is a fundamental right protectable under the Privileges and Immunities Clause, CPLR 8501 (a) and 8503 do not bar access to the courts … . Supreme Court further stated that security for costs provisions are common nationwide … .

The Appellate Division unanimously affirmed. The court held that CPLR article 85 satisfied the standard set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Canadian Northern R.R. Co. v Eggen (252 US 553 [1920]), and re-affirmed in McBurney v Young (569 US 221 [2013]), that nonresidents must be given “access to the courts of the state upon terms which in themselves are reasonable and adequate for the enforcing of any rights [they] may have” … . On that basis, the Appellate Division held that “the challenged statutory provisions do not deprive noncitizens of New York of reasonable and adequate access to New York courts” … . … [[W]e … affirm. Clement v Durban, 2018 NY Slip Op 07693, CtApp 11-14-18

CIVIL PROCEDURE (CPLR 8501 AND 8503, WHICH REQUIRE AN OUT OF STATE LITIGANT TO POST SECURITY FOR COSTS IN CASE THE NONRESIDENT LOSES THE CASE, DOES NOT VIOLATE THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES CLAUSE (CT APP))/CPLR 8501, 8503 (CPLR 8501 AND 8503, WHICH REQUIRE AN OUT OF STATE LITIGANT TO POST SECURITY FOR COSTS IN CASE THE NONRESIDENT LOSES THE CASE, DOES NOT VIOLATE THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES CLAUSE (CT APP))/COSTS  (CPLR 8501 AND 8503, WHICH REQUIRE AN OUT OF STATE LITIGANT TO POST SECURITY FOR COSTS IN CASE THE NONRESIDENT LOSES THE CASE, DOES NOT VIOLATE THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES CLAUSE (CT APP))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (CPLR 8501 AND 8503, WHICH REQUIRE AN OUT OF STATE LITIGANT TO POST SECURITY FOR COSTS IN CASE THE NONRESIDENT LOSES THE CASE, DOES NOT VIOLATE THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES CLAUSE (CT APP))/PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES CLAUSE (CPLR 8501 AND 8503, WHICH REQUIRE AN OUT OF STATE LITIGANT TO POST SECURITY FOR COSTS IN CASE THE NONRESIDENT LOSES THE CASE, DOES NOT VIOLATE THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES CLAUSE (CT APP))

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MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge DiFiore, over a two judge dissent, determined that missing the deadline for filing an application for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeals does not deprive defendant of his or her constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel or due process. Therefore the defendant is not entitled to a writ of error coram nobis or an exception to the time limits in Criminal Procedure Law 460.30:

In People v Andrews (23 NY3d 605, 616 [2014]), we held that counsel’s failure to file a timely criminal leave application (CLA) to this Court within the thirty-day statutory time frame provided by CPL 460.10 (5) (a), or move pursuant to CPL 460.30 within the one-year grace period for an extension to cure the error, does not deprive a defendant of a constitutional right to the effective assistance of counsel or due process under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. In the absence of a constitutional violation, a defendant cannot resort to coram nobis to abrogate the one-year time limitation on the remedy provided in CPL 460.30 for the improper conduct of his or her attorney in failing to file a timely CLA. We left open the question of whether a more protective rule should be recognized under the New York State Constitution (id. at 616). Today, we hold the same rule applies under article I, section 6 of the New York State Constitution. Thus, defendant is not entitled to a writ of error coram nobis to bypass the limitation set by the legislature in CPL 460.30 in which to file a CLA seeking leave to appeal to this Court. * * *

Given our history paralleling our jurisprudence with that of the federal courts in affording defendants meaningful review on appeals, and without any reason to deviate from that tradition today, we hold that there is no state constitutional right to legal representation on an application for leave to appeal to this Court. People v Grimes, 2018 NY Slip Op 07038, CtApp 10-23-18

CRIMINAL LAW (MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/ATTORNEYS (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/RIGHT TO COUNSEL (APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/CORAM NOBIS (MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))/INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE (APPEALS, MISSING THE DEADLINES FOR APPLYING FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL TO THE COURT OF APPEALS DOES NOT GIVE RISE TO A WRIT OF ERROR CORAM NOBIS OR AN EXCEPTION TO CPL 460.30 BASED UPON INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL OR A VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS (CT APP))

SELLERS MUST POST THE TOTAL PRICE CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY WITH CREDIT CARDS, WHICH CAN BE HIGHER THAN THAT CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY CASH (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Fahey, over a concurring opinion, a partial dissent and a dissent, determined that General Business Law 518 requires businesses to post the total price charged to customers using credit cards, which can be higher than that charged to customers who pay cash:

Plaintiffs are five merchants who allege that they wish to engage in differential pricing and to inform customers of their practice by stating the cash price in dollars and cents and the credit card price as a percentage or dollars-and-cents amount, reflecting only the additional charge for credit card purchases and not the total dollars-and-cents price for such purchases. The point is best illustrated by examples. Plaintiffs wish to tell their customers, for example, that “a haircut costs $10.00, and if you pay with a credit card you will pay 3% extra” or “a haircut costs $10.00, and if you pay with a credit card you will pay an additional 30 cents.” … This practice, “listing one price and a separate surcharge amount,” has been described as “a single-sticker regime” … or a “single-sticker-price scheme” … , and we refer to it similarly. The merchants have challenged GBL § 518 as a violation of their First Amendment rights, to the extent that it allows them to charge credit card users higher prices but prohibits them from describing the price difference as they wish. * * *

… [W]e conclude that a merchant complies with GBL § 518 if and only if the merchant posts the total dollars-and-cents price charged to credit card users. In that circumstance, consumers see the highest possible price they must pay for credit card use and the legislative concerns about luring or misleading customers by use of a low price available only for cash purchases are alleviated. To be clear, plaintiffs’ proposed single-sticker pricing scheme — which does not express the total dollars-and-cents credit card price and instead requires consumers to engage in an arithmetical calculation, in order to figure it out — is prohibited by the statute. Expressions Hair Design v Schneiderman, 2018 NY Slip Op 07037, CtApp 10-23-18

CONSUMER LAW (SELLERS MUST POST THE TOTAL PRICE CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY WITH CREDIT CARDS, WHICH CAN BE HIGHER THAN THAT CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY CASH (CT APP))/CREDIT CARDS  (SELLERS MUST POST THE TOTAL PRICE CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY WITH CREDIT CARDS, WHICH CAN BE HIGHER THAN THAT CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY CASH (CT APP))/GENERAL BUSINESS LAW 518 (SELLERS MUST POST THE TOTAL PRICE CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY WITH CREDIT CARDS, WHICH CAN BE HIGHER THAN THAT CHARGED TO CUSTOMERS WHO PAY CASH (CT APP))

FAMILY COURT MADE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO REUNITE MOTHER, WHO IS INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED, WITH HER CHILD, WHO WAS REMOVED AFTER A NEGLECT FINDING, THE APPLICABILITY OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) AND THE ADA’S INTERPLAY WITH NEW YORK LAW IN THIS CONTEXT EXPLAINED (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, over a dissent, determined that the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) had made reasonable efforts toward family reunification in this case where mother, Stephanie L, is intellectually disabled and her child, Lacee L, after a neglect finding, was placed in kinship care. The court noted that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides guidance in determined what constitutes reasonable accommodations under New York law:

Although ACS undoubtedly must comply with the ADA, ACS’s failure to offer or provide certain services at the time a six-month permanency reporting period ends does not necessarily mean that ACS has failed to make “reasonable efforts.” Family Court is not required to determine compliance with the ADA in the course of a permanency proceeding. The ADA’s “reasonable accommodations” test is often a time- and fact-intensive process with multiple layers of inquiry … . That adjudication is best left to separate administrative or judicial proceedings, if required … . Family Court is charged with assessing whether reasonable efforts were made to achieve the permanency goal “in accordance with the best interest and safety of the child” … . …

Here, the record reflects that Family Court was working assiduously to evaluate and accommodate Stephanie L.’s need for services tailored to her own disabilities as they related to parenting Lacee L. … [T]he ADA contains no fixed time period for compliance, and the reasonableness of efforts to provide an accommodation will vary with the facts of each case … . New York’s six-month measuring period is not a final determination as to an agencies’ efforts to provide services, but a periodic checkpoint to help ensure that at-risk children are not falling through bureaucratic fissures … . Family Court has substantial discretion to make factual determinations that ACS’ inchoate attempts to provide services have been “reasonable.” In other words, even as to accommodations that might be required under the ADA, the failure of ACS to offer or deliver such accommodations by the end of a given measuring period does not necessarily mean that ACS has violated the ADA or failed to make reasonable efforts under New York law. Matter of Lacee L. (Dekodia L.), 2018 NY Slip Op 06966, CtApp 10-18-18

FAMILY LAW (FAMILY COURT MADE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO REUNITE MOTHER, WHO IS INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED, WITH HER CHILD, WHO WAS REMOVED AFTER A NEGLECT FINDING, THE APPLICABILITY OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) AND THE ADA’S INTERPLAY WITH NEW YORK LAW IN THIS CONTEXT EXPLAINED (CT APP))/REUNIFICATION (FAMILY LAW, FAMILY COURT MADE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO REUNITE MOTHER, WHO IS INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED, WITH HER CHILD, WHO WAS REMOVED AFTER A NEGLECT FINDING, THE APPLICABILITY OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) AND THE ADA’S INTERPLAY WITH NEW YORK LAW IN THIS CONTEXT EXPLAINED (CT APP))/REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS (FAMILY LAW, FAMILY COURT MADE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO REUNITE MOTHER, WHO IS INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED, WITH HER CHILD, WHO WAS REMOVED AFTER A NEGLECT FINDING, THE APPLICABILITY OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) AND THE ADA’S INTERPLAY WITH NEW YORK LAW IN THIS CONTEXT EXPLAINED (CT APP))/AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) FAMILY COURT MADE REASONABLE EFFORTS TO REUNITE MOTHER, WHO IS INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED, WITH HER CHILD, WHO WAS REMOVED AFTER A NEGLECT FINDING, THE APPLICABILITY OF REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) AND THE ADA’S INTERPLAY WITH NEW YORK LAW IN THIS CONTEXT EXPLAINED (CT APP))

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge DiFiore, over a two-judge dissent, determined that the hard caps imposed by Department of Health (DOH) regulations on the executive compensation and administrative expenditures by healthcare providers receiving public funds were properly promulgated. Another regulation which sought to impose a soft cap was deemed to have exceeded the regulatory powers of the DOH. The court’s anlaysis applied the Boreali factors which address the line between administrative rule-making and legislative policy-making (separation of powers):

In totality, following consideration of the Boreali factors, we are unconvinced that, in adopting the hard cap regulations, DOH exceeded its regulatory authority. The Legislature expressed a policy goal — that state healthcare funds should be expended in the most efficient and effective manner to maximize the quality and availability of public care — and the hard cap regulations, which focus exclusively on the appropriate use of state funds, are directly tied to that goal without improperly subverting it in favor of unrelated public policy interests … . * * *

… [T]he soft cap regulation cannot be said to here “fill in details of a broad policy.” Rather than determining the best way to regulate toward the legislative goal identified in its enabling legislation (i.e., using state funds to purchase affordable, quality care) with respect to the soft cap DOH appears to have envisioned an additional goal of limiting executive compensation as a matter of public policy and regulated to that end. Thus, we agree with the conclusion of the courts below that the soft cap regulation was promulgated in excess of DOH’s administrative authority. Matter of LeadingAge N.Y., Inc. v Shah, 2018 NY Slip Op 06965, CtApp 10-18-18

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW (DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP))/CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (SEPARATION OF POWERS, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP))/EMPLOYMENT LAW (EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP))/EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION (HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, (DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP))/BOREALI FACTORS (ADMINISTRATIVE LAW, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP))/REGULATIONS (ADMINISTRATIVE LAW, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP))/DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (ADMINISTRATIVE LAW, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REGULATIONS PLACING HARD CAPS ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS PROPERLY PROMULGATED (CT APP))

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