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COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM IN FEDERAL ACTION WAS NOT RAISED, FEDERAL CLAIM PRECLUSION RULES PROHIBITED A SUBSEQUENT STATE ACTION BASED UPON THE COUNTERCLAIM (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Garcia, over a two-judge concurring opinion and a dissenting opinion, determined that the failure to raise a compulsory counterclaim in a federal action precluded a subsequent state action based upon the same counterclaim. In the federal action, investors sued Paramount pictures for securities fraud (federal question), common law fraud (state question) and unjust enrichment (state question). Paramount did not make any counterclaims, relying on a contractual waiver of liability (covenant not to sue). The federal district court found the waiver was binding and dismissed the investors’ actions. Then Paramount sued in state court, seeking $8 million in attorney’s fees. The opinions, dealing in depth with the underpinnings of claim preclusion and issue preclusion, as well as the applicability of federal law in this context, cannot be fairly summarized here:

Pursuant to federal principles of claim preclusion — the applicable rules of decision in this case (Semtek, 531 US at 507) — Paramount’s covenant not to sue claim is transactionally related to the investors’ claims in the federal case, amounting to the same “claim” for purposes of res judicata. As such, Paramount’s claim should have been asserted in the parties’ prior federal action. Because it was not, it is now barred. Paramount Pictures Corp. v Allianz Risk Transfer AG, 2018 NY Slip Op 01150, CtApp 2-20-18

CIVIL PROCEDURE (COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM IN FEDERAL ACTION WAS NOT RAISED, FEDERAL CLAIM PRECLUSION RULES PROHIBITED A SUBSEQUENT STATE ACTION BASED UPON THE COUNTERCLAIM (CT APP))/RES JUDICATA (COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM IN FEDERAL ACTION WAS NOT RAISED, FEDERAL CLAIM PRECLUSION RULES PROHIBITED A SUBSEQUENT STATE ACTION BASED UPON THE COUNTERCLAIM (CT APP))/CLAIM PRECLUSION COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM IN FEDERAL ACTION WAS NOT RAISED, FEDERAL CLAIM PRECLUSION RULES PROHIBITED A SUBSEQUENT STATE ACTION BASED UPON THE COUNTERCLAIM (CT APP))/COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM  (COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM IN FEDERAL ACTION WAS NOT RAISED, FEDERAL CLAIM PRECLUSION RULES PROHIBITED A SUBSEQUENT STATE ACTION BASED UPON THE COUNTERCLAIM (CT APP))

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PLAINTIFF RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE, DESPITE A 30 MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN VISITS (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Garcia, over a three-judge dissent, determined that plaintiff had raised a question of fact about whether the continuous treatment doctrine tolled the statute of limitations in this medical malpractice action, despite a 30-month period between visits. Decision holding that a gap in treatment longer than the statute of limitations precludes the application of the continuous treatment doctrine should not be followed:

Plaintiff saw defendant over the course of four years, underwent two surgeries at his hand, and saw no other doctor for her shoulder during this time. She returned to him after the thirty-month gap, discussed yet a third surgery with him, and accepted his referral to his partner only because defendant was no longer performing such surgeries. Plaintiff’s testimony regarding feeling discouraged with defendant’s treatment does not demonstrate as a matter of law that she never intended to return to his care; in fact, her testimony reveals that she considered defendant her only doctor during this time. Nor does the fact that defendant repeatedly told plaintiff she should return “as needed” foreclose a finding that the parties anticipated further treatment. Notably, Plaintiff’s injury was a chronic, long-term condition which both plaintiff and defendant understood to require continued care. Each of plaintiff’s visits to defendant over the course of seven years were “for the same or related illnesses or injuries, continuing after the alleged acts of malpractice” … . As to the 30-month period between visits, we have previously held that a gap in treatment longer than the statute of limitations “is not per se dispositive of defendant’s claim that the statute has run” … . To the extent that lower courts have held to the contrary … , those cases should not be followed. Lohnas v Luzi, 2018 NY Slip Op 01114, CtApp 2-15-18

NEGLIGENCE (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE, PLAINTIFF RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE, DESPITE A 30 MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN VISITS (CT APP))/MEDICAL MALPRACTICE (CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE, PLAINTIFF RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE, DESPITE A 30 MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN VISITS (CT APP))/CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, PLAINTIFF RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE, DESPITE A 30 MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN VISITS (CT APP))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE, PLAINTIFF RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE, DESPITE A 30 MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN VISITS (CT APP))/STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS  (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE, PLAINTIFF RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT THE APPLICABILITY OF THE CONTINUOUS TREATMENT DOCTRINE IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE, DESPITE A 30 MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN VISITS (CT APP))

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NYC HOUSING AUTHORITY’S RULES DO NOT ALLOW A SINGLE ADULT AND ADULT CHILD TO RESIDE PERMANENTLY IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, ADULT CHILD ALLOWED TEMPORARY RESIDENCY TO CARE FOR HIS MOTHER WAS NOT ENTITLED TO REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER STATUS UPON THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, over a concurring opinion, reversing the appellate division, determined the petitioner’s application for remaining family member (RFM) status allowing him to reside in his late mother’s one bedroom apartment was properly denied. The New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA’s) rules do not allow a single adult and and adult child to live together in a one bedroom apartment. Although petitioner could reside in the apartment temporarily to care for his mother, he was not entitled to permanent permission to live in the apartment and therefore he was not entitled to RFM status:

… NYCHA’s rules contemplate that a tenant may require a live-in home-care attendant, either for the duration of a transient illness or the last stages of life, and its rules expressly allow for a live-in home-care attendant as a temporary resident, even if the grant of permission would result in “overcrowding,” without regard to whether the home-care attendant is related to the tenant. Mr. Aponte was, in effect, afforded temporary residency status. Essentially, Mr. Aponte is arguing that NYCHA’s policy is arbitrary and capricious because it does not allow him to bypass the 250,000-household waiting line as a reward for enduring an “overcrowded” living situation while caring for his mother. NYCHA could adopt the policy Mr. Aponte advocates, to encourage people to care for elderly relatives by giving them a succession priority over others, but we cannot say on the record before us that its adoption of a different policy, prioritizing children in need and persons facing homelessness when allocating its insufficient stock of public housing, is arbitrary or capricious. Matter of Aponte v Olatoye, 2018 NY Slip Op 01112, CtApp 2-15-18

LANDLORD-TENANT (NYC HOUSING AUTHORITY’S RULES DO NOT ALLOW A SINGLE ADULT AND ADULT CHILD TO RESIDE PERMANENTLY IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, ADULT CHILD ALLOWED TEMPORARY RESIDENCY TO CARE FOR HIS MOTHER WAS NOT ENTITLED TO REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER STATUS UPON THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER (CT APP))/MUNICIPAL LAW (NYC HOUSING AUTHORITY’S RULES DO NOT ALLOW A SINGLE ADULT AND ADULT CHILD TO RESIDE PERMANENTLY IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, ADULT CHILD ALLOWED TEMPORARY RESIDENCY TO CARE FOR HIS MOTHER WAS NOT ENTITLED TO REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER STATUS UPON THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER (CT APP))/HOUSING AUTHORITY (NYC) (NYC HOUSING AUTHORITY’S RULES DO NOT ALLOW A SINGLE ADULT AND ADULT CHILD TO RESIDE PERMANENTLY IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, ADULT CHILD ALLOWED TEMPORARY RESIDENCY TO CARE FOR HIS MOTHER WAS NOT ENTITLED TO REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER STATUS UPON THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER (CT APP))/REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER (RFM) (NYC HOUSING AUTHORITY’S RULES DO NOT ALLOW A SINGLE ADULT AND ADULT CHILD TO RESIDE PERMANENTLY IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, ADULT CHILD ALLOWED TEMPORARY RESIDENCY TO CARE FOR HIS MOTHER WAS NOT ENTITLED TO REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER STATUS UPON THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER (CT APP)).NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY (NYCHA) (NYC HOUSING AUTHORITY’S RULES DO NOT ALLOW A SINGLE ADULT AND ADULT CHILD TO RESIDE PERMANENTLY IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, ADULT CHILD ALLOWED TEMPORARY RESIDENCY TO CARE FOR HIS MOTHER WAS NOT ENTITLED TO REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER STATUS UPON THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER (CT APP))

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EVIDENCE OF CONSPIRACY NOT SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT CONVICTION, PRESENCE WHEN CONSPIRACY DISCUSSED BY OTHER GANG MEMBERS NOT ENOUGH (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, over a two-judge dissent, affirming the appellate division, determined the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction of conspiracy in the second degree. The defendant’s mere presence when the conspiracy was discussed by other gang members was not enough:

… [A]t the core of the People’s case is evidence of defendant’s presence at various gang meetings at which the crime intended was discussed by gang members other than defendant. Under the circumstances of this case, to conclude that defendant’s presence at such gatherings alone was sufficient to establish agreement to join a plot would be to equate his passive act of “being present” with the affirmative act of “agreeing” to engage in a criminal conspiracy discussed at those assemblies. The law does not contain a presumption of agreement based on sheer presence at a meeting at which a conspiracy is discussed … , and we share the view of the federal courts that mere “[k]nowledge of the existence and goals of a conspiracy does not itself make one a coconspirator” … . People v Reyes, 2018 NY Slip Op 01113, CtApp 2-15-18

CRIMINAL LAW (CONSPIRACY, EVIDENCE OF CONSPIRACY NOT SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT CONVICTION, PRESENCE WHEN CONSPIRACY DISCUSSED BY OTHER GANG MEMBERS NOT ENOUGH (CT APP))/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, CONSPIRACY, EVIDENCE OF CONSPIRACY NOT SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT CONVICTION, PRESENCE WHEN CONSPIRACY DISCUSSED BY OTHER GANG MEMBERS NOT ENOUGH (CT APP))/CONSPIRACY (CRIMINAL LAW, EVIDENCE OF CONSPIRACY NOT SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT CONVICTION, PRESENCE WHEN CONSPIRACY DISCUSSED BY OTHER GANG MEMBERS NOT ENOUGH (CT APP))

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DEFENDANT WAS ENTITLED TO DISMISSAL OF THE MURDER INDICTMENT ON CONSTITUTIONAL SPEEDY TRIAL GROUNDS, SIX-YEARS BETWEEN ARREST AND GUILTY PLEA, SPEEDY TRIAL IS NOT A MIXED QUESTION OF LAW AND FACT (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Fahey, over a three-judge dissent, reversing the appellate division, determined that defendant was entitled to dismissal of the second degree murder indictment (to which he pled guilty) on constitutional speedy trial grounds. The opinion is fact-based, covers several significant legal issues (i.e. CPL 30.30 is not applicable, speedy trial is not a mixed question of law and fact, pre versus post-indictment delay, inter alia), and cannot be fairly summarized here. ” … [T]he People pursued a cooperation agreement with [codefendant] Armstead for approximately 2½ years. After that effort proved unsuccessful, they spent the next three years attempting to convict Armstead, trying him separately from defendant. After three mistrials, Armstead had been convicted of only criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, he had been acquitted on the top count of second-degree murder, and the People were no closer to securing his testimony against defendant. The time between defendant’s arrest on May 28, 2008 and defendant’s plea on September 23, 2014 spanned six years, three months, and 25 days, from when defendant was 16 years old until he was 22. Defendant spent the entirety of that period incarcerated.” The opinion goes through each of the Taranovich factors:

We analyze constitutional speedy trial claims using the five factors set forth in People v Taranovich (37 NY2d 442 [1975]): “(1) the extent of the delay; (2) the reason for the delay; (3) the nature of the underlying charge; (4) whether or not there has been an extended period of pretrial incarceration; and (5) whether or not there is any indication that the defense has been impaired by reason of the delay” (id. at 445). These factors are similar, but not identical, to the factors used in evaluating speedy trial claims under the federal constitution, which include the “[l]ength of delay, the reason for the delay, the defendant’s assertion of his right, and prejudice to the defendant” … . “[N]o one factor or combination of the factors . . . is necessarily decisive or determinative of the speedy trial claim, but rather the particular case must be considered in light of all the factors as they apply to it” … . People v Wiggins, 2018 NY Slip Op 01111, CtApp 2-15-18

CRIMINAL LAW (SPEEDY TRIAL, APPEALS, DEFENDANT WAS ENTITLED TO DISMISSAL OF THE MURDER INDICTMENT ON CONSTITUTIONAL SPEEDY TRIAL GROUNDS, SIX-YEARS BETWEEN ARREST AND GUILTY PLEA, SPEEDY TRIAL IS NOT A MIXED QUESTION OF LAW AND FACT (CT APP))/SPEEDY TRIAL (DEFENDANT WAS ENTITLED TO DISMISSAL OF THE MURDER INDICTMENT ON CONSTITUTIONAL SPEEDY TRIAL GROUNDS, SIX-YEARS BETWEEN ARREST AND GUILTY PLEA, SPEEDY TRIAL IS NOT A MIXED QUESTION OF LAW AND FACT (CT APP))/APPEALS (CRIMINAL LAW, SPEEDY TRIAL, EFENDANT WAS ENTITLED TO DISMISSAL OF THE MURDER INDICTMENT ON CONSTITUTIONAL SPEEDY TRIAL GROUNDS, SIX-YEARS BETWEEN ARREST AND GUILTY PLEA, SPEEDY TRIAL IS NOT A MIXED QUESTION OF LAW AND FACT (CT APP))/MIXED QUESTION OF LAW AND FACT (CRIMINAL LAW, APPEALS, SPEEDY TRIAL, DEFENDANT WAS ENTITLED TO DISMISSAL OF THE MURDER INDICTMENT ON CONSTITUTIONAL SPEEDY TRIAL GROUNDS, SIX-YEARS BETWEEN ARREST AND GUILTY PLEA, SPEEDY TRIAL IS NOT A MIXED QUESTION OF LAW AND FACT (CT APP))

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CITY WAS NOT A THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DORMITORY AUTHORITY OF NYS AND DEFENDANT ARCHITECTS, MALPRACTICE ACTION AGAINST THE ARCHITECTS WAS DUPLICATIVE OF THE BREACH OF CONTRACT ACTION (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge DiFiore, over two partial dissenting opinions, determined the city was not a third-party beneficiary of a contract between the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) and defendant architects (Perkins) and the negligence cause of action (professional malpractice) by DASNY against Perkins was duplicative of the the breach of contract cause of action. Perkins had contracted with DASNY to construct a building. During excavation a neighboring building, sidewalks, sewers, etc. settled. The building gradually settled about eight inches. The majority explained when a tort action, in addition to a breach of contract action, is viable in the context of architectural malpractice:

With respect to construction contracts, we have generally required express contractual language stating that the contracting parties intended to benefit a third party by permitting that third party “to enforce [a promisee’s] contract with another” … . In the absence of express language, “[s]uch third parties are generally considered mere incidental beneficiaries” … . This rule reflects the particular nature of construction contracts and the fact that — as is the case here — there are often several contracts between various entities, with performance ultimately benefitting all of the entities involved. * * *

… [T]here are circumstances where a professional architect may be subject to a tort claim for failure to exercise due care in the performance of contractual obligations. In seeking to “disentangl[e] tort and contract claims,” we focused in Sommer both on potential catastrophic consequences of a failure to exercise due care and on the nature of the injury, the manner in which it occurred, and the resulting harm (79 NY2d at 552). We distinguished between the situation where the harm was an “abrupt, cataclysmic occurrence” not contemplated by the contracting parties and one where the plaintiff was essentially seeking enforcement of contract rights (79 NY2d at 552). Here, the … building settled during the course of several months, damaging adjacent structures. However, even if any “abrupt” or “catastrophic” consequences either could have or did result from Perkins’ alleged negligence, the fact remains that the only damages alleged appear to have been within the contemplation of the parties under the contract — and … are identical for both claims. Put another way, there was no injury alleged here that a separate negligence claim would include that is not already encompassed in DASNY’s contract claim. Dormitory Auth. of the State of N.Y. v Samson Constr. Co., 2018 NY Slip Op 01115, CtApp 2-15-18

CONTRACT LAW (CITY WAS NOT A THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DORMITORY AUTHORITY OF NYS AND DEFENDANT ARCHITECTS, MALPRACTICE ACTION AGAINST THE ARCHITECTS WAS DUPLICATIVE OF THE BREACH OF CONTRACT ACTION (CT APP))/THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY (CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT, CITY WAS NOT A THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DORMITORY AUTHORITY OF NYS AND DEFENDANT ARCHITECTS, MALPRACTICE ACTION AGAINST THE ARCHITECTS WAS DUPLICATIVE OF THE BREACH OF CONTRACT ACTION (CT APP))/CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS (THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY, CITY WAS NOT A THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DORMITORY AUTHORITY OF NYS AND DEFENDANT ARCHITECTS, MALPRACTICE ACTION AGAINST THE ARCHITECTS WAS DUPLICATIVE OF THE BREACH OF CONTRACT ACTION (CT APP))/NEGLIGENCE (ARCHITECTURAL MALPRACTICE, CITY WAS NOT A THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DORMITORY AUTHORITY OF NYS AND DEFENDANT ARCHITECTS, MALPRACTICE ACTION AGAINST THE ARCHITECTS WAS DUPLICATIVE OF THE BREACH OF CONTRACT ACTION (CT APP))/ARCHITECTURAL MALPRACTICE (CITY WAS NOT A THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY OF A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT BETWEEN THE DORMITORY AUTHORITY OF NYS AND DEFENDANT ARCHITECTS, MALPRACTICE ACTION AGAINST THE ARCHITECTS WAS DUPLICATIVE OF THE BREACH OF CONTRACT ACTION (CT APP))

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tenant’s failure to report income from a new job to the new york city housing authority was a sufficient reason to terminate her tenancy.

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Pigott, reversing the Appellate Division, determined a tenant’s failure to report her income to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) was sufficient reason to terminate her tenancy, The tenant had pled guilty to petit larceny and agreed to repay the NYCHA $20,000 in installments:

Petitioner is a tenant in a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing apartment in Manhattan. In the late 1990s, she became employed, for the first time, as a bookkeeper. She failed to disclose her new earnings to her landlord, each year stating in an affidavit of income that she did not work. This omission allowed petitioner to pay a substantially lower rent than she would have had she revealed the income. …

A vital public interest underlies the need to enforce income rules pertaining to public housing. Despite petitioner’s alleged difficulties if her tenancy is terminated, public housing is of limited availability and there are waiting lists of other families in need of homes, whose situations may be equally sympathetic. If income reporting violations were to be ignored by the NYCHA, there would be … no meaningful deterrent to residents of income-based public housing who misstate their earnings. If residents believe that the misrepresentation of income carries little to no chance of eviction, the possibility of restitution after criminal conviction may not serve adequately to discourage this illegal practice. The deterrent value of eviction, however, is clearly significant and supports the purposes of the limited supply of publicly-supported housing. It follows, then, that NYCHA’s decision to terminate petitioner’s tenancy is not so disproportionate to her misconduct as to shock the judicial conscience. Matter of Perez v Rhea, 2013 NY Slip Op 00953 [20 NY3d 399], CtApp 2-14-13

 

POLICEMAN AND FIREFIGHTER WERE INJURED BY RISKS INHERENT IN THEIR JOBS AND THEREFORE WERE NOT ENTITLED TO ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Stein, over a two-judge concurrence/dissent, determined that the injuries suffered by a policemen (Kelly) , who was injured preventing a rafter from falling on another officer attempting to rescue residents of a house crushed by a tree during Hurricane Sandy, and a firefighter (Sica), who was injured by odorless toxic gases while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on two unconscious persons, did not suffer accidental injury within the meaning of the Retirement and Social Security Law. Therefore, neither petitioner was entitled to accidental disability retirement benefits:

… [T]here is substantial evidence in the record to support the determination that Kelly’s actions in assisting the injured residents of the house during life-threatening conditions fell within his job duties, and that his injuries did not result from a sudden, unexpected event that was not a risk inherent in his duties as a police officer … . …

… [E]xposure to toxic chemicals was a risk for which Sica had been trained, that he had responded to a gas leak in the past, and that his job duties specifically required “working with exposure to . . . fumes, explosives, toxic materials, chemicals and corrosives,” the particular risk that caused Sica’s injury. Inasmuch as it is not unexpected that a firefighter whose job duties required him to respond to emergency medical calls would be exposed to toxic fumes in responding to a call for difficulty breathing, … Sica’s injuries were the result of a risk inherent in his ordinary duties as a firefighter … . Matter of Kelly v DiNapoli, 2018 NY Slip Op 01016, CtApp 2-13-18

RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY LAW (ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS, POLICEMAN AND FIREFIGHTER WERE INJURED BY RISKS INHERENT IN THEIR JOBS AND THEREFORE WERE NOT ENTITLED TO ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (CT APP))/ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (POLICEMAN AND FIREFIGHTER WERE INJURED BY RISKS INHERENT IN THEIR JOBS AND THEREFORE WERE NOT ENTITLED TO ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (CT APP))/POLICE OFFICERS  (ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS, POLICEMAN AND FIREFIGHTER WERE INJURED BY RISKS INHERENT IN THEIR JOBS AND THEREFORE WERE NOT ENTITLED TO ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (CT APP))/FIREFIGHTERS (ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS, POLICEMAN AND FIREFIGHTER WERE INJURED BY RISKS INHERENT IN THEIR JOBS AND THEREFORE WERE NOT ENTITLED TO ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (CT APP))

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YOUTHFUL OFFENDER ADJUDICATION PROPERLY CONSIDERED IN ASSESSING RISK LEVEL UNDER THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT (SORA) (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Rivera, determined that a youthful offender (YO) adjudication can be considered in assessing the risk level of a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA). Defendant contested the level three sex offender designation. The Court of Appeals held that consideration of the YO adjudication in this context did not violate the Criminal Procedure Law (CPL):

CPL 720.35 (2) provides the Board with access to YO-related documents. Defendant’s argument that access alone does not authorize use ignores that the CPL does not permit access for its own sake, but in furtherance of a statutory purpose. Here, that purpose is found in SORA, which requires the Board establish guidelines and make risk level determinations based, in part, on an offender’s past actions (Correction Law § 168-l [5]). * * *

Certainly, the youthful offender statute reflects the Legislature’s recognition of the difference between a youth and an adult, and the Legislature clearly made a policy choice to give a class of young people a distinct benefit. Nevertheless, in concluding that an earlier YO adjudication may be used in assessing points against defendant, the Board has not acted in violation of the CPL … . People v Francis, 2018 NY Slip Op 01017, CtApp 2-13-18

CRIMINAL LAW (SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT. YOUTHFUL OFFENDER ADJUDICATION PROPERLY CONSIDERED IN ASSESSING RISK LEVEL UNDER THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT (SORA) (CT APP))/SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT (SORA) (OUTHFUL OFFENDER ADJUDICATION PROPERLY CONSIDERED IN ASSESSING RISK LEVEL UNDER THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT (SORA) (CT APP))/YOUTHFUL OFFENDER (SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT. YOUTHFUL OFFENDER ADJUDICATION PROPERLY CONSIDERED IN ASSESSING RISK LEVEL UNDER THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT (SORA) (CT APP))

MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINTS ADEQUATELY CHARGED POSSESSION OF A DANGEROUS KNIFE (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, over a concurrence and a concurrence/dissent, in a memorandum addressing two cases (McCain and Edward), determined the misdemeanor complaints were sufficient to support the charge of possessing a “dangerous knife:”

The factual allegations of a misdemeanor complaint must establish “reasonable cause” to believe that a defendant committed the charged offense … . Reasonable cause “exists when evidence or information which appears reliable discloses facts or circumstances which are collectively of such weight and persuasiveness as to convince a person of ordinary intelligence, judgment and experience that it is reasonably likely that such offense was committed and that such person committed it” … .

Here, the factual allegations of each misdemeanor complaint establish reasonable cause to believe that each defendant possessed a “dangerous knife” … , triggering the statutory presumption of unlawful intent arising from such possession … .

From the concurrence/dissent:

I concur in the result in People v McCain because the officer’s sworn statement attached to the complaint specifies that the “knife was activated by deponent to an open and locked position through the force of gravity,” which meets the statutory definition of “gravity knife” in Penal Law § 265.00 (5), and therefore a fortiori is a “dangerous knife” under Penal Law § 265.01, when subsections (1) and (2) thereof are read together.

I dissent from the result in People v Edward for the reasons set out in Judge Simons’ dissent in Matter of Jamie D.(59 NY2d 589 [1983]). People v McCain, 2018 NY Slip Op 01018, CtApp 2-13-18

CRIMINAL LAW (MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINTS ADEQUATELY CHARGED POSSESSION OF A DANGEROUS KNIFE (CT APP))/DANGEROUS KNIFE (CRIMINAL LAW, MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINTS ADEQUATELY CHARGED POSSESSION OF A DANGEROUS KNIFE (CT APP))/WEAPON, CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF (MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINTS ADEQUATELY CHARGED POSSESSION OF A DANGEROUS KNIFE (CT APP))/MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINTS (CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON, MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINTS ADEQUATELY CHARGED POSSESSION OF A DANGEROUS KNIFE (CT APP))

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