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JUDGE DID NOT HAVE THE DISCRETION TO DENY PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR ARREARS AND COUNSEL FEES MADE AFTER THE JUDGMENT OF DIVORCE; ANY DISPUTE ABOUT THE AMOUNT MUST BE RESOLVED BY A HEARING (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s motion for leave to enter a money judgment for arrears and counsel fees should not have been denied. The motion for arrears was properly made after the judgment of divorce and any question of the amount owed should have been resolved by a hearing:

A party to a matrimonial action may make an application for a judgment directing the payment of arrears at any time prior to or subsequent to the entry of a judgment of divorce (see Domestic Relations Law § 244 … ). Here, the court did not have the discretion to deny the plaintiff’s application for leave to enter a money judgment since she established that arrears were due and unpaid … . Where, as here, there are triable issues of fact as to the amount of arrears, an evidentiary hearing should be held … . Furthermore, upon determining the amount of arrears owed, the court should have considered the plaintiff’s request for prejudgment interest … and an award of counsel fees … . Uttamchandani v Uttamchandani, 2019 NY Slip Op 06645, Second Dept 9-18-19

 

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POLICE PURSUIT OF DEFENDANT WAS NOT JUSTIFIED, WEAPON FOUND NEARBY PROPERLY SUPPRESSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the police did not have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity at the time defendant fled and the police pursued him. The police responded to reports of gunshots heard in the vicinity. A witness reported hearing a gunshot and seeing two men walking, one wearing dark clothes and the other wearing a white jacket. The defendant and another man matched that description. When the police approached the defendant he ran. The defendant was arrested after a pursuit and a gun was found nearby. Defendant was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. The motion court suppressed the gun:

“Police pursuit of an individual significantly impede[s] the person’s freedom of movement and thus must be justified by reasonable suspicion that a crime has been, is being, or is about to be committed” … . A suspect’s flight alone, even in conjunction with equivocal circumstances that might justify a common law inquiry, is insufficient to justify pursuit … . However, a defendant’s flight plus “other specific circumstances indicating that the suspect may be engaged in criminal activity, may give rise to reasonable suspicion, the necessary predicate for police pursuit” … .

Here, the police lacked reasonable suspicion that the defendant had committed, was committing, or was about to commit a crime, the necessary predicate for pursuit. Although clothing worn by the defendant and his companion matched the clothing described by the unidentified witness, the witness never saw either of the two men fire or possess a gun. There is no evidence in the record that the police saw any weapons or a bulge or outline of a weapon on the defendant which could indicate that he was involved in a crime  … . Furthermore, contrary to the People’s contention, the manner in which the defendant held his hands while he ran did not give the police reasonable suspicion to pursue. A stop must be “justified in its inception”… , and at the time that the police began to chase the defendant, he had both his hands in his jacket pocket, an “innocuous” placement that is “susceptible of an innocent as well as a culpable interpretation”  … . People v Ravenell, 2019 NY Slip Op 06630, Second Dept 9-18-19

 

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A SMALL AMOUNT OF COCAINE IN PLAIN VIEW IN DEFENDANT DRIVER’S POCKET DID NOT PROVIDE PROBABLE CAUSE TO SEARCH THE TRUNK OF DEFENDANT’S CAR AFTER A TRAFFIC STOP (SECOND DEPT).

he Second Department, on an appeal by the People, determined finding a small amount of cocaine on defendant driver’s person did not provide probable cause to believe drugs would be in the trunk. Therefore the weapon and drugs found in the trunk, as well as defendant’s statements about searching the trunk, were properly suppressed:

… County Court concluded that the recovery of a small quantity of what appeared to be cocaine, along with a cut straw, in plain view on the defendant’s person, was insufficient to give the police probable cause to believe that additional contraband would be found in the vehicle’s trunk, particularly after a search of the passenger compartment revealed nothing. This Court has, in a factually similar case, reached the same conclusion … . Under the facts of this case, we decline to disturb the court’s finding as to lack of probable cause.

Contrary to the People’s contention, cases in which there is circumstantial evidence of recent drug use within the passenger compartment, such as when the police, during a routine traffic stop, detect the odor of burning marijuana …  are distinguishable, since such evidence provides good reason to believe that the unseen drugs may be located somewhere within the vehicle. By contrast, the fact that a small quantity of drugs is found on the defendant’s person, with no other drugs being found in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, does not, without more, provide probable cause to believe that additional drugs may be found in the trunk of the vehicle … . People v Garcia, 2019 NY Slip Op 06509, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE DAMAGES VERDICT IN THIS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASE AS INADEQUATE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED; NEW TRIAL ORDERED UNLESS DEFENDANT STIPULATES TO INCREASED AWARDS FOR PAST AND FUTURE PAIN AND SUFFERING (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department determined the motion to set aside the damages verdict as inadequate in this traffic accident case should have been granted. The Second Department ordered a new trial unless the defendant stipulates to an increased award of damages for past pain and suffering from $25,000 to $150,000 and for future pain and suffering from $0 to $100,000:

“While the amount of damages to be awarded for personal injuries is a question for the jury, and the jury’s determination is entitled to great deference'” … , it may be set aside if the award deviates materially from what would be reasonable compensation (see CPLR 5501[c] …). “Although prior damage awards in cases involving similar injuries are not binding upon the courts, they guide and enlighten them with respect to determining whether a verdict in a given case constitutes reasonable compensation” … ,

Under the circumstances of this case, where the plaintiff was required to undergo an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery as a result of the accident, the jury’s award for past pain and suffering was inadequate to the extent indicated … .

Further, since it was undisputed that the cervical fusion, inter alia, permanently reduced the plaintiff’s cervical range of motion, the jury’s failure to award any damages for future pain and suffering was not based upon a fair interpretation of the evidence … , and was inadequate to the extent indicated … . Chung v Shaw, 2019 NY Slip Op 06468, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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THE JURY NOTES SHOULD HAVE BEEN READ VERBATIM TO COUNSEL, NOT PARAPHRASED BY THE JUDGE; THIS MODE OF PROCEEDINGS ERROR REQUIRES REVERSAL (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the jury notes should have been read verbatim to counsel, not paraphrased:

.. [T]he jury submitted a note stating, “We would like to see the difference between first and second degree murder. (Powerpoint).” The Supreme Court informed counsel, the defendant, and the codefendant that the jurors “want to be recharged on first degree and second degree.” …

The jury submitted another note which read, “Phone Records Between Jimmy & Ragene — When Did Communication Start?” During a discussion on the record, the Supreme Court mentioned that the jurors “want to know when did the communications start. And the communications started on June 11. And the stipulation covers it. So we’ll read back the stipulation.”

The record reveals that the Supreme Court did not read the entire contents of these two jury notes into the record, and there was no indication that the entire contents of the notes otherwise were shared with counsel … . Rather, the court improperly paraphrased the notes  … .

Counsel’s awareness of the existence of a note does not effectuate the court’s proper discharge of its statutory duty … . Although defense counsel may have been made aware of the existence and gist of the second note during an off-the-record discussion, this is insufficient to establish that counsel had been made aware of the precise contents of the note … . Where a trial transcript does not show compliance with O’Rama’s procedure, it cannot be assumed that the omission was remedied at an off-the-record conference to which the transcript does not refer … .

As such, the Supreme Court committed a mode of proceedings error when it failed to provide counsel with meaningful notice of the precise contents of substantive juror inquiries, and therefore, reversal is required … . People v Copeland, 2019 NY Slip Op 06507, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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THE REFEREE’S REPORT RELIED ON HEARSAY AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff bank did not prove the amount due the plaintiff and therefore the referee’s report should not have been confirmed:

… [W]ith respect to the amount due to the plaintiff, the referee based his findings on an affidavit of Theresa Robertson, an employee of the plaintiff, who averred, based on her review of the plaintiff’s business records, that the defendant defaulted by failing to make the payment due on May 1, 2010, and “all subsequent payments.” However, as the defendant correctly contends, Robertson’s assertions in that regard constituted inadmissible hearsay … , since the records themselves were not provided to the referee … . Moreover, even if the records had been provided, ” [a] proper foundation for the admission of a business record must be provided by someone with personal knowledge of the maker’s business practices and procedures'” … . Nothing in Robertson’s affidavit, in which she averred that the plaintiff received the original note on May 13, 2013, indicated that the plaintiff was the maker of the records relating to the defendant’s alleged initial default in May 2010 and her alleged failure to make payments for some period of time thereafter. Robertson also did not aver that the records provided by the maker were incorporated into the plaintiff’s records and routinely relied upon by the plaintiff in its own business … . Therefore, the plaintiff failed to lay a proper foundation for the business records on which Robertson relied with respect to the amount due to the plaintiff. Contrary to the plaintiff’s contention, under the circumstances presented, the Supreme Court’s error in relying on the hearsay evidence was not harmless … . Nationstar Mtge., LLC v Durane-Bolivard, 2019 NY Slip Op 06502, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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JUDGES IN THE 2ND DEPARTMENT HAVE THE DISCRETION TO ORDER UNIFIED PERSONAL INJURY TRIALS WHERE THE ISSUES OF LIABILITY AND THE INJURIES ARE INTERTWINED AS THEY WERE IN THIS CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT CASE; DEFENSE VERDICT SET ASIDE AND A NEW UNIFIED TRIAL ORDERED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Scheinkman, setting aside the defense verdict on liability and ordering a new trial, determined that the trial judge had the discretion to order (and should have ordered) a unified trial (both liability and damages) in this Labor Law 240 (1), 241 (6), 200 and common law negligence action. Plaintiff (Castro) alleged the elevated work platform he was on collapsed and he fell 6 or 7 feet to the ground. There were no witnesses to the incident. Plaintiff alleged brain, head, shoulder and spine injuries. The defense alleged plaintiff was injured moving planks and did not in fact fall. Evidence of any brain injury was excluded from the trial. Because the evidence of brain injury was consistent with a fall, and inconsistent with moving planks, the exclusion of that evidence affected the fairness of the trial. The opinion makes it clear that judges in the Second Department have the discretion to order unified trials in personal injury cases:

Here, by any standard, a unified trial was warranted. Labor Law § 240(1) “imposes on owners or general contractors and their agents a nondelegable duty, and absolute liability for injuries proximately caused by the failure to provide appropriate safety devices to workers who are subject to elevation-related risks” … . [Defendants] disputed the plaintiffs’ claim that Castro fell from a scaffold and contended that the accident resulted not from an elevation-related risk, but from Castro’s action in lifting wooden planks. Evidence relating to Castro’s brain injuries, which would not have occurred from lifting wooden planks, was probative in determining how the incident occurred … . Thus, the nature of the injuries had an important bearing on the issue of liability.

The Supreme Court did not exercise its available discretion in denying the plaintiffs’ motion for a unified trial. The court’s determination was predicated upon its perception that a bifurcated trial was strictly required by the Second Department’s “rules.” However, neither the statewide rule nor the governing precedent absolutely requires that the trial of a personal injury action be bifurcated. Although bifurcation is encouraged in appropriate settings, bifurcation is not an absolute given and it is the responsibility of the trial judge to exercise discretion in determining whether bifurcation is appropriate in light of all relevant facts and circumstances presented by the individual cases. …

Because the issues of liability and Castro’s injuries were so intertwined, the court’s insistence upon bifurcation and its ensuing limitations on the scope of the medical evidence that could be elicited by the plaintiffs deprived them of a fair trial. Castro v Malia Realty, LLC, 2019 NY Slip Op 06466, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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PRODUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL NOTE AND ENDORSEMENTS WAS “MATERIAL AND NECESSARY” TO THE DETERMINATION WHETHER THE BANK HAS STANDING TO BRING THE FORECLOSURE ACTION, DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant’s motion pursuant to CPLR 3124 to compel the bank in this foreclosure action to produce the original note and endorsements should have been granted. Defendant had challenged the bank’s standing to bring the foreclosure action and the production of the original note and endorsements was “material and necessary” to resolve the standing question:

It is undisputed that a copy of the underlying note was annexed to the complaint. However, it cannot be ascertained from the copy of the note provided by the plaintiff whether the separate page that bears the endorsement in blank was stamped on the back of the note, as alleged by the plaintiff, or on an allonge, and if on an allonge, whether the allonge was “so firmly affixed as to become a part thereof,” as required under UCC 3-202(2). Since the answers to these questions are “material and necessary” to the defense of lack of standing, the Supreme Court should have granted that branch of the defendant’s motion which was pursuant to CPLR 3124 to compel the plaintiff to produce the original note and endorsements … . Bayview Loan Servicing, LLC v Charleston, 2019 NY Slip Op 06463, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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FAMILY COURT FAILED TO COMPLY WITH THE FAMILY COURT ACT AND PENAL LAW REQUIREMENTS IN THIS JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PROCEEDING, PETITION DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Family Court in this juvenile delinquency proceeding, determined the court failed to comply with the notice provisions and the plea allocution requirements of the Family Court Act, as well as the proof requirements of the Penal Law. It was alleged the appellant either recklessly or intentionally broke a window:

Although the Family Court, Ulster County, advised the appellant of her rights prior to accepting an admission, the court failed to obtain an allocution from a parent or a person legally responsible for the appellant with regard to their understanding of any rights the appellant may be waiving as a result of her admission (see Family Ct Act § 321.3[1] … ). The appellant appeared telephonically even though there is no provision under article 3 of the Family Court Act authorizing the appearance by telephone of a minor in a juvenile delinquency proceeding, and the only persons in court that day were the appellant’s attorney and the attorney representing the Ulster County Attorney’s Office. …

Since the provisions of Family Court Act § 321.3 may not be waived, and the record does not support the determination of the court that a “reasonable and substantial effort” was made to notify the appellant’s mother or guardian about the … proceeding … .

… [T]he plea allocution also failed to comport with the sufficiency requirements of Family Court Act § 321.3(1), which mandates that the court ascertain through allocution of the appellant that she “committed the act or acts to which [s]he is entering an admission” … . The appellant’s allocution to breaking a window failed to establish the elements of criminal mischief in the fourth degree under subdivision 3 of Penal Law § 145.00, which requires evidence that the appellant “[r]ecklessly damage[d] property of another person in an amount exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars” … The petition did not allege any monetary amount as to the cost of the damage to the window, and no evidence as to the value of the window was adduced at the proceeding … . In fact, the invoice attached to the petition indicates that the cost of replacing the window, including labor, totaled $225, an amount less than the requisite jurisdictional predicate.

Even if the petition was liberally construed to have charged the appellant with the intentional conduct subdivision of criminal mischief, Penal Law § 145.00(1), rather than the subdivision that was charged, which pertains to reckless conduct … , dismissal of the petition is warranted … . The appellant’s allocution to breaking the window failed to show that she intentionally broke the window … . Matter of P., 2019 NY Slip Op 06497, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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PROPERTY OWNER PROPERLY FOUND NEGLIGENT IN FAILING TO MOP UP TRACKED IN SNOW AND WATER IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE; DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE VERDICT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined defendant property owner (a school) was properly found negligent in failing to mop up tracked in snow and water in this slip and fall case. Defendant’s motion to set aside the verdict should not have been granted:

Although a defendant is not required to “provide a constant remedy to the problem of water being tracked into a building during inclement weather, and has no obligation to cover all of its floors with mats or to continuously mop up all moisture resulting from tracked-in precipitation” … , a defendant may be held liable for an injury proximately caused by a dangerous condition created by water, snow, or ice tracked into a building if it either created the hazardous condition, or had actual or constructive notice of the condition and a reasonable time to undertake remedial action … . Here, evidence was presented at trial demonstrating that the defendant had actual notice of the wet condition in the area where the plaintiff fell approximately an hour before the accident, yet failed to remedy it. …

Accordingly, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, and affording her every favorable inference which may properly be drawn from the facts presented, there is a valid line of reasoning and permissible inferences could lead rational individuals to the jury’s conclusion that the defendant was negligent in failing to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition and that its negligence was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s accident … .  Allen v Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of N.Y., 2019 NY Slip Op 06462, Second Dept 9-11-19

 

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