Matter of Farrow v Prack

Matter of Farrow v Prack 2008 NY Slip Op 09522 [57 AD3d 1065] December 4, 2008 Appellate Division, Third Department Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. As corrected through Wednesday, February 11, 2009

In the Matter of Curtis Farrow, Petitioner, v Albert Prack, as Director of Special Housing and Inmate Disciplinary Programs, Respondent.

—[*1] Curtis Farrow, Attica, petitioner pro se.

Andrew M. Cuomo, Attorney General, Albany (Peter H. Schiff of counsel), for respondent.

Proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 (transferred to this Court by order of the Supreme Court, entered in Albany County) to review a determination of the Commissioner of Correctional Services which found petitioner guilty of violating a prison disciplinary rule.

Petitioner, a prison inmate, was charged in a misbehavior report with assaulting another inmate. At the conclusion of a tier III disciplinary hearing, petitioner was found guilty as charged. That determination was affirmed upon administrative appeal and this CPLR article 78 proceeding seeking annulment ensued.

We confirm. The determination of guilt is supported by substantial evidence in the form of the detailed misbehavior report, hearing testimony from the correction sergeant who authored the report, and confidential hearing testimony considered by the Hearing Officer in camera (see Matter of Morris v Goord, 50 AD3d 1327, 1327 [2008]). Although the Hearing Officer did not personally interview the confidential informants, he properly assessed their reliability by making sufficient inquiries of the correction sergeants who received the confidential information (see Matter of Catlin v Gouverneur Correctional Facility, 38 AD3d 1025, 1026 [2007]). Petitioner's remaining contentions, including his claims that the misbehavior report was defective and the penalty imposed was excessive, have been examined and found to be unavailing. [*2]

Cardona, P.J., Carpinello, Rose, Lahtinen and Stein, JJ., concur. Adjudged that the determination is confirmed, without costs, and petition dismissed.