You are here: / First Department

Tag Archive for: First Department

, , ,

PETITIONER ALLEGED HIS ARREST WARRANT WAS BASED UPON FALSE ATTESTATIONS AND SOUGHT TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM ALLEGING FALSE ARREST, FALSE IMPRISONMENT AND MALICIOUS PROSECUTION; THE CITY WAS DEEMED TO HAVE HAD TIMELY NOTICE OF THE ACTION BY VIRTUE OF THE CITY-PERSONNEL’S INVOLVEMENT IN DRAFTING THE WARRANT AND SUBSEQUENT REPORTS; THE REQUEST TO FILE A LATE NOTICE WAS PROPERLY GRANTED (FIRST DEPT). ​

The First Department, over a dissent, determined the petition seeking leave to file a late notice of claim against the respondent City of New York in this false arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution action was properly granted. The main issue was whether the city had timely notice of the claim, and therefore was not prejudiced by the delay. Petitioner alleged the arrest warrant was based upon false information. The First Department noted it was not following its prior 2021 decision:

Respondent’s agents procured the allegedly false warrant upon attestations as to probable cause, executed the allegedly false arrest, and generated the reports pertaining thereto; the prosecutor would have had access to those same records and examined same in connection with preparing its opposition to defendant’s motions and in preparing more generally for trial. Indeed, personnel from the special narcotics prosecutor were present during the arrest. Under these circumstances, “knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claims within the statutory period can be imputed to the City” … . …

Pursuant to investigatory procedures, the officers, agents, assistant district attorneys, and investigators who were involved in petitioner’s arrest, detention, and prosecution were required to contemporaneously record factual details, including those related to any probable cause determination, so that the District Attorney’s Office might properly evaluate the merits of a potential criminal prosecution and draft an accusatory instrument.  …

While the mere existence of a report under certain circumstances might be insufficient to impute actual knowledge, here those reports were generated by those very persons who engaged in execution of the allegedly false arrest warrant and whose conduct forms the basis of petitioner’s suit. To the extent Matter of Singleton v City of New York (198 AD3d 498 [1st Dept 2021]) differs, we decline to follow it. If we are to depart from settled principle, we should do so explicitly and not on the basis of a one-paragraph memorandum opinion that does not cite or discuss the relevant precedent let alone express an intent to overrule it. Matter of Orozco v City of New York, 2021 NY Slip Op 07066, First Dept 12-16-21

,

DESPITE DEFENSE COUNSEL’S ADMISSION BEFORE THE MOTION COURT THAT HE DID NOT PROPERLY INVESTIGATE THIS MURDER CASE, DEFENDANT DID NOT DEMONSTRATE THAT COUNSEL WAS INEFFECTIVE OR THAT THE ALLEGED INEFFECTIVENESS MET THE CRITERIA FOR A CONFLICT OF INTEREST (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Moulton, determined defendant did not demonstrate his attorney provided ineffective assistance, despite the attorney’s statements to the trial court acknowledging his failure to timely investigate the case, which led to his request to file a late alibi notice (the request was granted). The defendant told the trial court he did not want to change attorneys. And the trial court appointed a co-counsel. The First Department also rejected the unusual argument that defense counsel’s ineffectiveness constituted a conflict of interest:

… [D]efendant has not shown how defense counsel’s performance deprived him of a fair trial. Defense counsel’s self-proclaimed failures to properly investigate and prepare this murder case for trial are disturbing. Nevertheless, defendant has not shown that counsel’s lapses deprived him of any useful information or negatively impacted his ability to mount a defense. Defendant only speculates that a proper investigation and trial preparation might have yielded something helpful to the defense, but he does not suggest what that exculpatory information might be … . …

Defendant concedes that the conflict here is “not typical” as it is “derived from and centered on [defense counsel’s] ineffectiveness.” … Defendant argues that the conflict occurred when his counsel refused to withdraw from representation for personal reasons, despite conceding that he did not effectively investigate the case and prepare for trial. However, defendant cannot “demonstrate that the conduct of his defense was in fact affected by the operation of the conflict of interest” … . After defense counsel declined to withdraw and defendant noted that he wished to proceed with counsel, the motion court appointed cocounsel to assist the defense … . … [T]he defense was not affected by operation of the conflict because after defense counsel declined to withdraw, defense counsel and cocounsel effectively represented defendant at trial. People v Graham, 2021 NY Slip Op 07068, First Dept 12-16-21

 

AFTER PLEADING GUILTY IN FULL SATISFACTION OF THE CHARGES IN THE INDICTMENT, A SECOND PLEA TO ANOTHER COUNT OF THE INDICTMENT WAS PRECLUDED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, vacating defendant’s conviction by guilty plea and dismissing the relevant count, determined initial pleas in full satisfaction of the charges in the indictment precluded a second plea to another count in the indictment:

As the People concede, defendant’s first plea, to one count of third-degree sale of a controlled substance, was in full satisfaction of the entire indictment, so that defendant’s later plea to a second count of that indictment was not permissible … . When the second plea court sought to add a plea to an additional count as part of a renegotiated disposition conditioned on drug treatment, it could only have done so by “reinstatement. . . [of the indictment] which could have been accomplished by permitting the defendant to withdraw his original plea of guilty to [the first count]” … . People v Turane, 2021 NY Slip Op 07071, First Dept 12-16-21

 

,

PLAINTIFF’S DECEDENT COMMITTED SUICIDE BY JUMPING FROM THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE; THE COMPLAINT ALLEGING PORT AUTHORITY FAILED TO MAINTAIN THE BRIDGE IN A SAFE CONDITION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMSSED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined the complaint alleging defendant Port Authority breached its duty to maintain the George Washington Bridge (GWB) in a reasonably safe condition must be reinstated. Plaintiff’s decedent committed suicide by jumping from the bridge:

Plaintiff’s decedent died by suicide when he jumped from the George Washington Bridge (GWB), which is owned and operated by the Port Authority. Contrary to the Port Authority’s contention that the complaint is addressed to actions taken in its governmental capacity, both this Court and the Second Department have recently held, in cases involving similar facts, that the Port Authority’s responsibility for maintaining the guardrail on the pedestrian walkway over the Bridge is a proprietary function rather than a governmental function … . .. [P]laintiff states a cause of action by alleging that the Port Authority, as a property owner, “failed to maintain the GWB in a reasonably safe condition by negligently failing to install suicide barriers along the walkways to prevent suicides,” thus presenting a foreseeable risk of harm in light of the allegations concerning the history of the George Washington Bridge’s walkway as a place where frequent suicides occur. Lomtevas v City of New York, 2021 NY Slip Op 06953, First Dept 12-14-21

 

, , ,

IN THIS FAMILY OFFENSE PROCEEDING, THE JUDGE SHOULD NOT HAVE PLACED TIME AND TESTIMONY RESTRICTIONS ON THE HEARING; ORDER REVERSED AND NEW HEARING ORDERED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Family Court and ordering a new hearing in this family offense proceeding, determined the judge should not have placed time and testimony restrictions on the hearing:

Order of fact-finding and disposition … , which, after a hearing, determined that respondent husband committed the family offense of harassment in the second degree, and entered a one-year order of protection directing him … to refrain from assaulting or harassing petitioner wife and the parties’ two children … , unanimously reversed … .

Family Court erred in not conducting a full fact-finding hearing. The court improperly restricted the hearing, without notice to the parties to just 15-20 minutes and limited the testimony, including that of petitioner wife. Given this, Family Court is directed to conduct a full hearing on the petition and make the requisite factual findings … . Matter of Kristina M. v Paul M., 2021 NY Slip Op 06957, First Dept 12-14-21

 

,

A CLAIM WHICH ARISES AFTER THE FILING OF A BANKRUPTCY PETITION BELONGS TO THE DEBTOR, NOT TO THE BANKRUPCTY ESTATE (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, noting its prior rulings to the contrary, determined a claim which arises after the filing of a bankruptcy petition belongs to the debtor, not the bankruptcy estate:

This Court has previously held that a claim which arose after the filing of a bankruptcy petition was the property of the estate (see Barranco v Cabrini Med. Ctr., 50 AD3d 281, 282 [1st Dept 2008]; Williams v Stein, 6 AD3d 197, 198 [1st Dept 2004]). When those cases were decided, there was a split among the federal courts which had addressed the issue. However, there is now uniformity among the Federal Courts of Appeals, which have held that pursuant to section 541(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, a claim which arose after the filing of a bankruptcy petition belongs to the debtor and not the estate … . As this Court is bound by federal law when making a determination on this issue … we follow the … federal holdings and find that because the claims at issue arose after the filing of the bankruptcy petition, the claims belong to Realty [plaintiff]. Thus, Realty has the capacity to sue [defendants]. Moncho v Miller, 2021 NY Slip Op 06960, First Dept 12-14-21

 

,

THE ARRESTING DETECTIVE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO IDENTIFY THE PERSON DEPICTED IN SURVEILLANCE VIDEOS AS THE DEFENDANT, NEW TRIAL ORDERED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing defendant’s conviction and ordering a new trial, determined the arresting detective should not have been allowed to identify the person depicted in two surveillance videos as the defendant:

The court should not have permitted the arresting detective to give lay opinion testimony that defendant was the person depicted in two surveillance videos. In this case, the alleged difference in appearance — the addition of eyeglasses — was de minimis, and the jury had access to photos of defendant without eyeglasses … . The People do not point to any case in which lay opinion testimony was permitted based on such a slight change in appearance. Moreover, “no other circumstance suggested that the jury, which had ample opportunity to view defendant, would be any less able than the [officer] to determine whether he was seen in the videotape” … . Indeed, at the time of trial, the arresting detective was a 20-year veteran of the force and had 14 years experience investigating robberies and burglaries on the Lower East Side, where the incident occurred. He had made nearly 600 arrests and assisted in approximately 200 others. Stating twice that the perpetrator in this case was defendant carried significant weight in the eyes of the jury. Although the court provided limiting instructions, “[t]ruly prejudicial evidence cannot be erased from a juror’s mind by the court’s instructions” … . People v Challenger, 2021 NY Slip Op 06927, First Dept 12-9-21

 

, ,

PLAINTIFF’S EXPERT’S AFFIDAVIT IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION DID NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS DEFENDANT’S EXPERT’S OPINIONS, THEREBY WARRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF DEFENDANT (FIRST DEPT).

The Frist Department determined plaintiff’s expert’s affidavit in this medical malpractice action was conclusory and did not address defendants’ expert’s opinions specifically. Therefore defendant’s motion for summary judgment was properly granted:

… [P]laintiff failed to raise an issue of fact. His expert, who is board certified in surgery and thoracic surgery, was qualified to render an opinion … . However, the opinion is conclusory and speculative and fails to address defendant’s expert’s opinions specifically … . In addition, in forming his opinion, plaintiff’s expert disregarded facts and medical evidence in the record, including a post-operative pathology report that indicated that plaintiff had a connective tissue disorder that put him at greater risk for developing serious complications if his aortic aneurysm were left untreated … . Akel v Gerardi, 2021 NY Slip Op 06792, First Dept 12-7-21​

 

, , ,

THE RESPONDENT IN THIS JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PROCEEDING WAS ENTITLED TO IMPEACHMENT EVIDENCE CONCERNING THE ARRESTING OFFICERS TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED UNDER CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW (CPL) 245.20 (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Family Court, determined the respondent-appellant in this juvenile delinquency proceeding was entitled to impeachment evidence concerning the arresting officers to the extent authorized by Criminal Procedure Law (CPL) 245.20:

While not all provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law are applicable to proceedings under the Family Court Act (Family Ct Act § 303.1[1]) under the circumstances presented here, the denial of records available under CPL 245.10(1)(k)(iv), which broadly requires disclosure of all impeachment evidence deprived appellant of equal protection of the laws (US Const, 14th Amend; NY Const, art I, § 11 …).

A respondent in a juvenile delinquency proceeding has the same right to cross-examine witnesses as a criminal defendant … , and there is no reason to allow more limited access to impeachment materials in a juvenile suppression or fact-finding hearing than in a criminal suppression hearing or trial. The need for impeachment evidence is equally crucial in both delinquency and criminal proceedings. A similarly situated defendant in a criminal proceeding would be entitled to access to the impeachment materials requested by appellant. Matter of Jayson C., 2021 NY Slip Op 06794, First Dept 12-7-21

 

, , , ,

PURSUANT TO THE DOCTRINE OF TAX ESTOPPEL, TAX FORMS SIGNED BY DECEDENT INDICATING PROPERTY WAS TRANSFERRED WITHOUT CONSIDERATION PRECLUDED THE CONSTRUCTIVE TRUST CAUSE OF ACTION BASED UPON AN ALLEGED PROMISE TO PAY PETITIONERS PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined the constructive trust cause of action should have been dismissed under the doctrine of tax estoppel. The claim that decedent, Joseph Scott, Jr. promised to pay petitioners the proceeds from the sale of property was belied by the tax forms signed by Scott which indicated the property was transferred without consideration:

The tax forms utterly refute petitioners’ factual allegations that, in consideration for his interest in the Amagansett property, Joseph Scott, Jr. paid respondents more than $410,000 in his lifetime as an advance on the sale of his Woodbine property … . Since petitioners are precluded from arguing that there was an oral agreement that Joseph Scott, Jr. would pay respondents’ decedents consideration for the Amagansett property, they cannot allege that a constructive trust should be imposed on the property … . The application of the tax estoppel doctrine prevents, as a matter of law, petitioners from establishing an essential element of a claim for a constructive trust: a promise by respondents’ decedents to Joseph Scott, Jr. regarding the Amagansett property. Matter of Chimsanthia, 2021 NY Slip Op 06796, First Dept 12-7-21

 

Categories

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

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

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