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PLAINTIFF ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS INTERSECTION ACCIDENT CASE, WHETHER DEFENDANT STOPPED BEFORE ENTERING PLAINTIFF’S RIGHT OF WAY WAS NOT DISPOSITIVE.

The Second Department determined plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment in this intersection accident case. The court noted that whether the defendant’s truck (driven by Lindo) stopped at a stop sign before entering plaintiff’s right of way was not dispositive. It was enough that the truck entered plaintiff’s path, whether it had previously stopped or not:

Here, the plaintiff established his prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by demonstrating that Lindo, who was faced with a stop sign at the intersection, negligently drove the sanitation truck into the intersection without yielding the right-of-way to the plaintiff, and that this was the sole proximate cause of the accident … .

In opposition, the defendants failed to raise a triable issue of fact. The question of whether Lindo stopped at the stop sign is not dispositive, since the evidence established that he failed to yield even if he did stop … . Moreover, the defendants failed to contest the plaintiff’s deposition testimony that he was already in the intersection when he saw the sanitation truck one second prior to the impact, and therefore could not have avoided the accident … . Fuertes v City of New York, 2017 NY Slip Op 00457, 2nd Dept 1-25-17

NEGLIGENCE (PLAINTIFF ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS INTERSECTION ACCIDENT CASE, WHETHER DEFENDANT STOPPED BEFORE ENTERING PLAINTIFF’S RIGHT OF WAY WAS NOT DISPOSITIVE)/TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS (PLAINTIFF ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS INTERSECTION ACCIDENT CASE, WHETHER DEFENDANT STOPPED BEFORE ENTERING PLAINTIFF’S RIGHT OF WAY WAS NOT DISPOSITIVE)

APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO SERVE LATE NOTICES OF CLAIM SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED.

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the city’s (petitioner’s) application to serve late notices of claim should have been granted. The court provided a clear explanation of the analytical criteria:

The key factors in determining whether to allow service of a late notice of claim are whether (1) the petitioner demonstrated a reasonable excuse for the failure to serve a timely notice of claim, (2) the municipality acquired actual notice of the essential facts of the claim within 90 days after the claim arose or a reasonable time thereafter, and (3) the delay would substantially prejudice the municipality in its defense … . The presence or absence of any one of these factors is not necessarily determinative … , and the absence of a reasonable excuse is not necessarily fatal … . “However, whether the public corporation acquired timely actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claim is seen as a factor which should be accorded great weight” … .

Here, the County acquired timely actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claims … . Matter of City of New York v County of Nassau, 2017 NY Slip Op 00465, 2ne Dept 1-25-17

MUNICIPAL LAW (APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO SERVE LATE NOTICES OF CLAIM SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED)/NOTICE OF CLAIM (MUNICIPAL LAW, APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO SERVE LATE NOTICES OF CLAIM SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED)

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APPELLATE COURT NEED NOT REVIEW ISSUES NOT SUPPORTED BY DOCUMENTS IN THE APPENDIX; COUPLING DECLARATORY JUDGMENT WITH SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE WAIVED RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL; FAITHLESS SERVANT DOCTRINE FORFEITED PLAINTIFF’S RIGHT TO A STOCK OPTION.

The Second Department determined (1) certain issues in plaintiff’s appeal could not be addressed because the necessary documents were not included in the appendix provided to the appellate court, (2) the faithless servant doctrine applied to plaintiff who, by his disloyalty, forfeited his contractual right to a stock option, and (3) the plaintiff waived his right to a jury trial in this declaratory judgment action:

This Court is not obligated to determine an issue where the appendix submitted to it is inadequate to permit review … . * * *

Where a plaintiff joins an equitable claim for specific performance to a legal claim for damages, the plaintiff waives the right to a jury trial … . “[A] declaratory judgment action . . . can be legal or equitable in nature, and to determine whether a party is entitled to a jury trial, it is necessary to examine which of the traditional actions would most likely have been used to present the instant claim had the declaratory judgment action not been created'” … .

Here, the Supreme Court correctly determined that the plaintiff’s declaratory judgment cause of action was in the nature of a prayer for specific performance … . Accordingly, the court correctly determined that the plaintiff had waived his right to a jury trial … .  * * *

… [T]he court properly applied the faithless servant doctrine and determined that, pursuant to that doctrine, the plaintiff forfeited the right to exercise the stock option … . Trimarco v Data Treasury Corp., 2017 NY Slip Op 00503, 2nd Dept 1-25-17

 

EMPLOYMENT LAW (FAITHLESS SERVANT DOCTRINE FORFEITED PLAINTIFF’S RIGHT TO A STOCK OPTION)/FAITHLESS SERVANT DOCTRINE (FAITHLESS SERVANT DOCTRINE FORFEITED PLAINTIFF’S RIGHT TO A STOCK OPTION)/CIVIL PROCEDURE (COUPLING DECLARATORY JUDGMENT WITH SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE WAIVED RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL)/DECLARATORY JUDGMENT (COUPLING DECLARATORY JUDGMENT WITH SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE WAIVED RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL)/SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE (COUPLING DECLARATORY JUDGMENT WITH SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE WAIVED RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL)/CONTRACT LAW (COUPLING DECLARATORY JUDGMENT WITH SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE WAIVED RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL)/JURY TRIAL (CIVIL, COUPLING DECLARATORY JUDGMENT WITH SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE WAIVED RIGHT TO JURY TRIAL)/APPEALS (APPELLATE COURT NEED NOT REVIEW ISSUES NOT SUPPORTED BY DOCUMENTS IN THE APPENDIX)

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JURY-NOTE ERROR REQUIRED REVERSAL; ALL INDICTMENT COUNTS WERE TAINTED BY THE JURY-NOTE ERROR; UNSWORN VIDEOTAPED STATEMENT OF WITNESS PROPERLY ALLOWED BECAUSE DEFENDANT CAUSED THE WITNESS’S UNAVAILABILITY.

The Second Department, reversing defendant’s conviction, determined (1) there was no evidence the trial judge gave counsel notice and a chance to respond to a jury note, (2) the jury-note error affected all the counts of which defendant was convicted, and (3) the videotaped statement of an unsworn witness was properly admitted based upon proof the witness was unavailable due to defendant’s intentional misconduct:

Here, the jury submitted a note stating, “Please clarify 1st degree assault; 2nd degree assault; 2nd degree manslaughter [and] 2nd degree murder.” The Supreme Court did not read the contents of the note into the record at any point, and there is no record indication that the court communicated to the parties that a jury note had been received. Instead, after a recess for deliberations, the court merely stated “let us revisit these counts,” and then it gave the charges for those offenses. The court’s failure to provide counsel with meaningful notice of a substantive jury note was a mode of proceedings error … , which requires reversal of the judgment and a new trial … . …

When the error at issue relates to a mistake in the court’s charge to the jury, the primary focus is on any effect the error “might have had on the jury’s ability to deliberate fairly on the non-tainted counts, although attention must of course be paid as well to the evidentiary relationship between the tainted counts and the non-tainted counts” … . Reversal is required if “there is a reasonable possibility’ that the jury’s decision to convict on the tainted counts influenced its guilty verdict on the remaining counts in a meaningful way'” … . In this case, given the evidentiary relationship between the tainted counts and the weapon possession count, it cannot be said that there is no reasonable possibility that the jury’s decision to convict on the other counts did not influence its guilty verdict on the weapon possession count … . …

In a criminal case, the out-of-court statements of a witness may be admitted as direct evidence at trial where, inter alia, the witness is unavailable to testify and proof establishes that the witness’s unavailability was procured by intentional misconduct on the part of the defendant … . People v Thomas, 2017 NY Slip Op 00497, 2nd Dept 1-25-17

 

CRIMINAL LAW (JURY-NOTE ERROR REQUIRED REVERSAL, ALL COUNTS TAINTED BY THE JURY-NOTE ERROR, UNSWORN VIDEOTAPED STATEMENT OF WITNESS PROPERLY ALLOWED BECAUSE DEFENDANT CAUSED THE WITNESS’S UNAVAILABILITY)/JURY NOTES (CRIMINAL LAW, JURY-NOTE ERROR REQUIRED REVERSAL, ALL COUNTS TAINTED BY THE JURY-NOTE ERROR, UNSWORN VIDEOTAPED STATEMENT OF WITNESS PROPERLY ALLOWED BECAUSE DEFENDANT CAUSED THE WITNESS’S UNAVAILABILITY)/EVIDENCE (CRMINAL LAW, UNSWORN VIDEOTAPED STATEMENT OF WITNESS PROPERLY ALLOWED BECAUSE DEFENDANT CAUSED THE WITNESS’S UNAVAILABILITY)

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EVIDENCE BEFORE THE GRAND JURY WAS LEGALLY SUFFICIENT, CRITERIA EXPLAINED.

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the evidence before the grand jury was legally sufficient to support the indictment (intimidating a victim or witness). The court explained the applicable standard of proof:

“Courts assessing the sufficiency of the evidence before a grand jury must evaluate whether the evidence, viewed most favorably to the People, if unexplained and uncontradicted—and deferring all questions as to the weight or quality of the evidence—would warrant conviction'” … . ” Legally sufficient evidence’ means competent evidence which, if accepted as true, would establish every element of an offense charged and the defendant’s commission thereof” … . ” In the context of a Grand Jury proceeding, legal sufficiency means prima facie proof of the crimes charged, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt'” … . “The reviewing court’s inquiry is limited to whether the facts, if proven, and the inferences that logically flow from those facts supply proof of every element of the charged crimes,’ and whether the Grand Jury could rationally have drawn the guilty inference’. That other, innocent inferences could possibly be drawn from those facts is irrelevant to the sufficiency inquiry as long as the Grand Jury could rationally have drawn the guilty inference'” … . People v Franov, 2017 NY Slip Op 00482, 2nd Dept 1-25-17

CRIMINAL LAW (EVIDENCE BEFORE THE GRAND JURY WAS LEGALLY SUFFICIENT, CRITERIA EXPLAINED)/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, EVIDENCE BEFORE THE GRAND JURY WAS LEGALLY SUFFICIENT, CRITERIA EXPLAINED)/GRAND JURY (EVIDENCE BEFORE THE GRAND JURY WAS LEGALLY SUFFICIENT, CRITERIA EXPLAINED)

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ERRONEOUS SANDOVAL RULING REQUIRED REVERSAL.

The Second Department, reversing defendant’s conviction, over a dissent, determined the Sandoval ruling erroneously allowed cross examination about a prior crime. The defendant chose not to testify and the proof was deemed far from overwhelming. During the prior crime (robbery) defendant held a knife to the victim’s throat. In the rape trial at issue, it was alleged the defendant held a knife to the victim’s throat:

While we recognize that, under Sandoval and its progeny, the mere similarity of crimes or conduct to the charge for which a defendant stands trial does not automatically preclude inquiry, here, under the particular facts and circumstances of this case, a proper balancing of the probative value of the defendant’s prior conduct of placing a knife to the robbery complainant’s neck, in connection with the issue of credibility, against the risk of unfair prejudice to the defendant, should have resulted in a ruling precluding the People’s proposed line of questioning … . Moreover, the error was not harmless … . The proof of the defendant’s guilt was far from overwhelming, and the defendant was the only available source of material testimony in support of his defense (see People v Sandoval, 34 NY2d at 378). Inasmuch as the pretrial ruling affected the defendant’s decision whether to testify and denied the jury potentially significant material evidence, the Supreme Court’s Sandoval ruling cannot be considered harmless … . People v Calderon, 2017 NY Slip Op 00479, 2nd Dept 1-25-17

CRIMINAL LAW (ERRONEOUS SANDOVAL RULING REQUIRED REVERSAL)/EVIDENCE (CRIMINAL LAW, ERRONEOUS SANDOVAL RULING REQUIRED REVERSAL)/SANDOVAL (CRIMINAL LAW, ERRONEOUS SANDOVAL RULING REQUIRED REVERSAL)

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ACTION BY TOWN SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION COSTS PURSUANT TO A PROVISION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW WAS PROPERLY AND TIMELY BROUGHT IN THE COURT OF CLAIMS.

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the town’s action pursuant to the Environmental Conservation Law seeking reimbursement for litigation costs incurred in defense of discrimination suits was properly and timely brought. Supreme Court had ruled the town should have brought an Article 78 action in Supreme Court:

In 1991, the New York State Legislature adopted article 44 of the Environmental Conservation Law (hereinafter the Greenway legislation), which created the Hudson River Valley Greenway (hereinafter the Greenway). The purpose of this article was to “protect and enhance the special places of scenic, cultural and ecological importance” in the Hudson River Valley (ECL 44-0101). Among other things, the Greenway legislation created a regional planning council and gave communities within its range the opportunity to enter into the “Greenway Compact,” a voluntary regional compact among municipalities to facilitate cooperative planning (see ECL 44-0103[2], [4]; 44-0119). To encourage communities to participate in the compact, the State of New York agreed that participating communities (as defined by ECL 44-0103[10]) would be entitled to indemnification in actions arising from their participation in the compact (see ECL 44-0119[7]). In 1992, this provision was amended to limit the indemnification in actions alleging, among other things, unlawful discrimination. The amendment provided that communities would be entitled to reimbursement for all reasonable attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses only if they prevailed in the underlying action. * * *

… ECL 44-0119(7) speaks of reimbursement and indemnification, and expressly states that, “[i]n any claim against a participating community of unlawful discriminatory practice, the attorney general shall not represent” the Town. Instead, pursuant to ECL 44-0119(7), if the Town prevails in litigating against “any claim” of unlawful discriminatory practice, it “shall” be reimbursed by the State for all reasonable attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses incurred in the defense of the action. … [T]he gravamen of the Town’s claim herein was for reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and litigation costs incurred by it in the defense of the two subject actions. The Town’s claim at bar is one for money damages against the State—a claim that was timely brought in the Court of Claims, which has exclusive jurisdiction of such matters … . Town of Rhinebeck v State of New York, 2017 NY Slip Op 00502, 2nd Dept 1-25-17

 

COURT OF CLAIMS (ACTION BY TOWN SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION COSTS PURSUANT TO A PROVISION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW PROPERLY AND TIMELY BROUGHT IN THE COURT OF CLAIMS)/MUNICIPAL LAW (ACTION BY TOWN SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION COSTS PURSUANT TO A PROVISION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW PROPERLY AND TIMELY BROUGHT IN THE COURT OF CLAIMS)/ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW, ACTION BY TOWN SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT OF LITIGATION COSTS PURSUANT TO A PROVISION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW PROPERLY AND TIMELY BROUGHT IN THE COURT OF CLAIMS)

ZONING BOARD DID NOT SET OUT A FACTUAL BASIS FOR FAILING TO FOLLOW ITS OWN PRECEDENT IN THIS VARIANCE PROCEEDING, ZONING BOARD’S GRANT OF THE VARIANCES WAS THEREFORE ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS.

The Second Department determined the zoning board’s failure explain why it departed from its own precedent rendered its grant of variances arbitrary and capricious:

[The] variances permitted [petitioner] to subdivide a parcel he owned into two substandard lots, and to construct a two-family residence on each lot. In February 2014, the petitioners commenced this CPLR article 78 proceeding to review the Zoning Board’s determination on the ground that it was arbitrary and capricious, because the Zoning Board failed to properly distinguish the subject application from a substantially similar prior application, made as to the same parcel, which the Zoning Board had denied in 2010. The Supreme Court granted the petition and annulled the determination … .

“A decision of an administrative agency which neither adheres to its own prior precedent nor indicates its reason for reaching a different result on essentially the same facts is arbitrary and capricious” … . Where it is shown that a zoning board has reached contrary results on substantially similar facts, an explanation is required … . Here, the Zoning Board’s failure to set forth a factual basis as to why it was departing from its prior precedent rendered its determination arbitrary and capricious … . Matter of Amdurer v Village of New Hempstead Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 2017 NY Slip Op 00300, 2nd Dept 1-18-17

 

ZONING (ZONING BOARD DID NOT SET OUT A FACTUAL BASIS FOR FAILING TO FOLLOW ITS OWN PRECEDENT IN THIS VARIANCE PROCEEDING, ZONING BOARD’S GRANT OF THE VARIANCES WAS THEREFORE ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS)/VARIANCES (ZONING, ZONING BOARD DID NOT SET OUT A FACTUAL BASIS FOR FAILING TO FOLLOW ITS OWN PRECEDENT IN THIS VARIANCE PROCEEDING, ZONING BOARD’S GRANT OF THE VARIANCES WAS THEREFORE ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS)

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ACCIDENT REPORT WHICH DID NOT INDICATE PETITIONER WAS INJURED DID NOT NOTIFY THE CITY OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS, THEREFORE LEAVE TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED.

The Second Department determined the petition for leave to file a late notice of claim against the city, based upon a traffic accident involving a city police car, was properly denied. Although there was a police report of the accident, there was no indication in the report that petitioner was injured:

“A report which describes the circumstances of the accident without making a connection between the petitioner’s injuries and negligent conduct on the part of the public corporation will not be sufficient to constitute actual notice of the essential facts constituting the claim” … . Here, since the police accident report does not connect any injuries sustained by the petitioners to any negligent conduct on the part of the operator of the respondents’ vehicle, it was not sufficient to provide the respondents with actual notice of the essential facts constituting the claim. Moreover, the direct involvement of the respondents’ employee in the accident itself, without more, is also not sufficient to establish that the respondents acquired actual notice of the essential facts constituting the claim … . Matter of D’Agostino v City of New York, 2017 NY Slip Op 00302, 2nd Dept 1-18-17

MUNICIPAL LAW (ACCIDENT REPORT WHICH DID NOT INDICATE PETITIONER WAS INJURED DID NOT NOTIFY THE CITY OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS, THEREFORE LEAVE TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED)/NEGLIGENCE (MUNICIPAL LAW, ACCIDENT REPORT WHICH DID NOT INDICATE PETITIONER WAS INJURED DID NOT NOTIFY THE CITY OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS, THEREFORE LEAVE TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED)/NOTICE OF CLAIM (MUNICIPAL LAW, ACCIDENT REPORT WHICH DID NOT INDICATE PETITIONER WAS INJURED DID NOT NOTIFY THE CITY OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS, THEREFORE LEAVE TO FILE LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED)

RESOLUTION IMPOSING A SURCHARGE ON DEVELOPERS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF WATER MAINS DECLARED VOID, WATER AUTHORITY FAILED TO PROVIDE PROPER NOTICE BEFORE ENACTING THE RESOLUTION.

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the county water authority did not provide the property developers (called “beneficial owners”) with sufficient notice of a resolution which imposed a surcharge upon the developers for the cost of construction of water mains to service the project. The resolution was declared void:

Pursuant to Public Authorities Law § 1078(6), the Water Authority is authorized, generally, to impose a surcharge, such as the surcharge at issue in this matter (see Public Authorities Law § 1078[6]; see also id. § 1078[9], [13]). Nonetheless, the record shows that the Water Authority, in enacting the 2009 resolution, failed to provide proper prior notice of the proposed action to the beneficial owners and an opportunity to be heard. Where a municipality seeks to impose a special tax assessment upon a property owner, due process requires that the property owner be granted prior notice and a right to appear … .

Under the circumstances here, the “surcharge” imposed by the 2009 resolution is analogous to a special tax assessment, requiring that the property owner be given prior notice and a right to appear … . A representative of the beneficial owners averred in an affidavit that they received no prior notice of the Board meeting at which the 2009 resolution was adopted. The Water Authority submitted a copy of a meeting notice and agenda, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Water Authority averred that, prior to the meeting, that agenda was published in a newspaper and posted on the Water Authority website; however, the Water Authority failed to provide proof of publication of the agenda or any evidence of service of the agenda upon the beneficial owners, although the addresses of the beneficial owners were known to the Water Authority. Matter of 22-50 Jackson Ave. Assoc., L.P. v Suffolk County Water Auth., 2017 NY Slip Op 00299, 2nd Dept 1-18-17

 

MUNCIPAL LAW (RESOLUTION IMPOSING A SURCHARGE ON DEVELOPERS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF WATER MAINS DECLARED VOID, WATER AUTHORITY FAILED TO PROVIDE PROPER NOTICE BEFORE ENACTING THE RESOLUTION)/SURCHARGES (MUNICIPAL LAW, RESOLUTION IMPOSING A SURCHARGE ON DEVELOPERS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF WATER MAINS DECLARED VOID, WATER AUTHORITY FAILED TO PROVIDE PROPER NOTICE BEFORE ENACTING THE RESOLUTION)/WATER MAINS (MUNICIPAL LAW, RESOLUTION IMPOSING A SURCHARGE ON DEVELOPERS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF WATER MAINS DECLARED VOID, WATER AUTHORITY FAILED TO PROVIDE PROPER NOTICE BEFORE ENACTING THE RESOLUTION)

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