Beckles v City of New York

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Beckles v City of New York 2012 NY Slip Op 32864(U) November 7, 2012 Sup Ct, New York County Docket Number: 108098/11 Judge: Geoffrey D. Wright Republished from New York State Unified Court System's E-Courts Service. Search E-Courts (http://www.nycourts.gov/ecourts) for any additional information on this case. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. ~ O N 1 2 1 4 1 2 0 1 2 [* 1] - I , 1 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY - - Index Number : 108098/2011 BECKLES, BETTY VS. MOTION DATE CIW OF NEW YORK SEQUENCE NUMBER : 001 - INDEX NO. MOTION 8EQ. NO. DISMISS ACTION The following papers, numbered I to Notice of MotionlOrder to Show Cause Answerlng Affidavits Replying Affldavits - Exhibits 2 ,were read on this motion Wfor -Affidavits -Exhibits I s/s)I 56 n d b a INo(s)* IN O W INo(s). J.S.C. ..................................................................... CASE DISPOSED 0 NONdFiNAL DISPOSITION 0DENIED [3 GRAN tZiP IN PART 0OTHER 2. CHECK AS APPROPRIATE: ........................... MOTION I: 0GRANTED S 0SUBMIT ORDER 3. CHECK I APPROPRIATE: ................................................OSETTLE QRDER F a 0NOT POST 0FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT Q REFERENCE 1. CHECK ONE: [* 2] SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK: PART 62 Plaintiff, Index No,: 108098/11 DECISION -against- THE CITY OF NEW YORK, POLICE OFFICER JEAN VERDESOTO,P.O. JULIO GONZALEZ, P.O. RAFAEL SANCHEZ, P.O. SEUNGWOO SEO, P.O. FRANK AMILL, P.O. JESSICA CEBALLOS, P.O. THOMAS FABRIZI and FILED f@v 26 2012 RECITATION , AS REQUIRED BY CPLR 2219(A), of the papers considered i the n review of this Motion/Order for summary judgment. NUMBERED PAPERS Notice of Motion and Affidavits Annexed...... Order to Show Cause and Affidavits Annexed Answering Affidavits....................................... Replying Affidavits.. ....................................... Exhibits............................................................. Other.................. cross-rnotion........................... 1 - 2 Upon the foregoing cited papers, the DecisiordOrder on this Motion i s $9 follows: Defendant City of New York (City) moves, pursuant to CPLR 321 1 (a) (5), to dismiss plaintiffs cause of action alleging a Civil Rights violation, pursuant to 42 USC $ 1983 and, pursuant to CPLR 321 1 (a) ( 5 ) and (7), to dismiss all of plaintiffs seven state law causes of 1 [* 3] action: (1) negligent infliction of emotional distress; (2) violation of New York State Constitution Art. 1 5 12; (3) assault and battery; (4) false arrest and imprisonment; ( 5 ) intentional infliction of emotional distress; (6)negligent retention of employment services [negligent hihiring]; and (7) negligence. BACKGROUND The underlying facts of this case involve an internecine altercation between plaintiff, her grandson and one of her grandson s fiiends. The facts have been recited in detail in a federal court s decision involving the same parties, attached as an exhibit to the instant motion (Motion, Ex. A), and will not be reiterated in detail herein. Apparently, plaintiff had promised her grandson and his friend $200 each to move furniture in her apartment, pursuant to having the apartment painted, but when they came to get paid, plaintiff only gave them $100 each, claiming that they did not move the furniture back after the painting. When her grandson and his friend refused to leave without the additional payment, plaintiff called the police and, while waiting far their arrival, plaintiff, her grandson and his friend got into a physical altercation, allegedly including plaintiff threatening them wt a knife. ih When the police arrived, they arrested plaintiff and her grandson. Plaintiff alleges that she was injured as a result of this arrest, which she maintains was unjustified. Plaintiff was arrested on July 3,2007, and she served a notice o f claim on City on August 27,2007. Motion, Ex. B. City states that plaintiff previously filed a lawsuit against it and the individual police orncers in federal court arising out of the same exact incident and it was dismissed as it pertained to plaintiffs federal claims ( B e c k h v City oflvew York, 20 11 WL 722770,2011 US Dist LEXIS 2 [* 4] 21059 [SD NY 201 13, afd ,2012 WL 3553838 [2d Cir 20121). Motion, Fed Appx Ex. A. In reaching its decision to dismiss plaintiffs case, the federal court found that the police officers had probable cause to arrest plaintiff and that the force that they used was not excessive as a matter of law. Id In addition to its res judicata argument, City also maintains that plaintiffs claims must be dismissed because plaintiff failed to comply wt General Municipal Law (GML) 5 50 in failing ih to articulate the theories of liability which she now asserts in the instant complaint. In opposition to the instant motion,plaintiff states that her claims for excessive force, false arrest and false imprisonment are not barred by application of the doctrine of collateral estoppel because the federal court declined to exercise jurisdiction over her state law claims when it dismissed all of her federal causes of action. Motion, Ex.A. Therefore, since the state claims were not decided and were dismissed by the federal court without prejudice, plaintiff contends that they may be asserted herein. With respect to the notice of claim, plaintiff argues that it was sufficient to provide City wt adequate notice of her theories of liability so as to allow her claims to go forward. Plaintiff ih says that City is not prejudiced by any failure to articulate specific theories in her notice of claim. No reply was filed by City. DISCUSSION CPLR 32 11 (a), governing motions to dismiss a cause of action, states that [a] party may move for judgment dismissing one or more causes of action asserted against him on the ground that: * * * ( 5 ) the cause of action may not be maintained because of ... collateral estoppel ....res judicata ...;or 3 P [* 5] * r * * * (7) the pleading fails to state a cause of action; ..* On a motion to dismiss, pursuant to CPLR 32 11, the pleading should be liberally construed, the facts alleged by the plaintiff should be accepted as true, and all inferences should be drawn in the plaintiffs favor (Lean v Martinez, 84 NY2d 83 [19941); however, the court must determine whether the alleged facts fit within any cognizable legal theory. Id at 87-88. Further, [a]llegations consisting of bare legal conclusions .a. are not presumed to be true [or] accorded every favorable inference [internal quotation marks and citation omitted]. Biondi v Beekman Hill House Apartment Corp.,257 AD2d 76,8 1 (1 Dept 1999, afd 94 NY2d 659 (2000). That portion of City s motion seeking to dismiss plaintiff s cause of action based on a violation of 42 USC 4 1983 is granted. [ulnder New York s transactional analysis approach to res judicata, once a claim is brought to a find conclusion, all other claims arising out of the same transaction or series of transactions are barred, even if based upon different theories or if seeking a different remedy [internal citations omitted]. Richter v Sportsmans Properties, Inc., 82 AD3d 733,735 [2d Dept 201 11); see Mutter o Hunter, f 4 NY3d 260,269 (2005);Panagiotou v Samaritan Village, Inc., 88 AD3d 779,780 (2d Dept 201 1). The doctrine of res judicata operates to bar relitigation of the same issues, even if the first decision was not rendered in the same court. See Lopez v Fenn, 90 AD3d 569 (lSt Dept 201 1). In the case at bar, plaintiff asserted the exact same cause of action, against the exact same defendants, based on the exact same set of facts, in the federal court that dismissed her claims. 4 F [* 6] As a consequence, plaintiffs cause of action based on a violation of 42 USC 8 1983 is dismissed. That branch of City s motion seeking to dismiss plaintiffs first cause of action for negligent infliction of emotional distress and her fifth cause of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress is granted and those cldms are dismissed. First and foremost, plaintiff failed to allege these theories in her notice of claim, which bars her raising them in the instant litigation. See Gabriel v City oflvew York, 89 AD3d 982 (2d Dept 20 11). Although plaintiff cites to WiEEiams v City oflvew York (229 AD2d 114 [1 st Dept 19971) for the proposition that it is within the discretion of the court to determine whether City was prejudiced by the omissions appearing in the notice of claim, that case concerned a party s ability to amend a notice of claim. In the case at bar, the notice of claim w s filed in 2007, the a federal decision was rendered in 20 11, and plaintiff has never sought leave to amend her notice of claim. Hence, plaintiffs reliance on WiZZiams is misplaced. Secondly, the conduct complained of is not so outrageous in character, and SO extreme i n degree, as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to be regarded as atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community [internal quotation marks and citations omitted]. Berrios v Our Lady o Mercy Medical Center, 20 AD3d 361,362 (lstDept 2005). Moreover, f public policy bars claims for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress against governmental entities. Lauer v Ct of New York, 95 NY2d 95 (2000); Wli v District Attorney iy yle ofCounty ofKings, 2 AD3d 714 (2d Dept 2003). That branch of City s motion seeking to dismiss plaintiffs second cause of action for \ violation of New York State Constitution Art. 1 5 12 is granted. As previously stated, since this theory of liability was not stated in plaintiff s notice of 5 [* 7] claim, she is precluded from asserting it at this point. Moreover, since plaintiff alleges that she was detained and imprisoned without probable cause or reasonable suspicion, using excessive force, and assaulting her (Complaint) as the basis for this cause of action, and such underIying offenses have already been decided against her in the federal lawsuit, her allegations are insufficient to support this cause of action. As a consequence, plaintiffs second cause of action is dismissed. That branch of City s motion seeking to dismiss plaintiffs third and fourth causes of action, for assault and battery and false arrest and imprisonment respectively, is granted. It is well established that the doctrine of collateral estoppel bars a litigant from disputing an issue in another proceeding when that issue was decided against the litigant in a proceeding in which he had a full and fair opportunity to contest the matter. Feinberg v Boros, -AD3d , 2012 WL 3930558,2012 NY Slip Op 061 14 *5 (1 Dept 2012). In deciding whether or not a litigant has had a full and fair opportunity to be heard in the prior proceeding, the court must evaluate several factors, including, but not limited to, the forum of the prior litigation, the extent of the litigation, and the competence of counsel. Schwurtz v Public Administrator o County of BronxJ24 NY2d 65 (1969). The criterion for barring an f action, pursuant to the doctrine of collateral estoppel, is not whether the issue was actually litigated, but whether the party against whom collateral estoppel is asserted had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the matter, whether or not she chose to do so. Id. 6 [* 8] In the case at bar, the federal court found that the police officers had probable cause to arrest plaintiff and that the use of force was reasonable as a matter of law. Motion, Ex.A. Hence, plaintiff is precluded from raising these issues again in the present action. Ct ofNew iy York v Welsbach Electric Corp., 9 NY3d 124 (2007). Although pldntiff argues that the theories of recovery are different, she was afforded a full and fair opportunity to present those issues in the federal lawsuit. Therefore, she is precluded fiorn presenting them in this forum. Moreover, whereas a cause of action for battery may lie if incident to an unlavvful arrest, it will not lie when the touching is incident to a lawful arrest, as the force applied has been found to be reasonable, as in the instant m t e . See generally Johnson v Sufolk County Police atr Depurfment,245 AD2d 340 (2d Dept 1997), That branch of City s motion seeking to dismiss plaintiff s sixth cause of action for negligent retention of employment services (mgligent hiring) is granted. City has stipulated that the individual defendant police officers were acting within the scope of their employment. [Wlhere m employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment, the employer is liable for the employee s negligence under a theory of respondeat superior and no claim may proceed against the employer for negligent hiring, retention, supervision or training. Quiruz v Zottola, 96 AD3d 1035, 1037 (2d Dept 2012); Karbon v New York City Transit Authority, 241 AD2d 323 ( lSt Dept 1997). Although there is an exception if punitive damages are sought and the cause of action alleges gross negligence, such circumstances have not been alleged in the case at bar. Id. In addition, plaintiff failed to allege this theory in her notice of claim, which also serves 7 [* 9] to bar this cause of action. Mahuse v Manhatian & Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authoriq, 3 AD3d 410 (lstDept 2004). As a consequence, plaintiff s sixth cause of action is dismissed. That branch of City s motion seeking to dismiss plaintiffs seventh cause of action for negligence is similarly granted. \ Plaintiff is seeking damages for injuries resulting from false arrest and detention, md, therefore, [she] cannot recover under broad general principles of negligence ... , Santoro v Town o Smithtown, 40 AD3d 736,738 (2d Dept 2007); Johnson v Kings County District f Attorney s Ofice, 308 AD2d 278 (2d Dept 2003). The court has considered all of the other arguments proffered by plaintiff and has found them to be unpersuasive. Accordingly, it is ORDERED that the City of New York s motion is granted and the complaint is dismissed in its entirety. This constitutes the decision and order of the Court. tL FILED. Dated: November 7,20 12 GEOFFREY D WlUGI#T . NOV 26 2012 AJSC NEW YORK GE GEOFFREY D.WRIGHT Justice of the Supreme Court 8

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