Governmental Liability

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Personal injury lawsuits arising from car accidents are quite common, and liability is typically determined by assessing whether the defendant (often a driver) behaved negligently – that is, by failing to exercise that degree of care that a reasonably prudent person would have used under the same circumstances. As recently illustrated in the Second Department’s…

Read More Pedestrian Injured by Police Car Presents Sufficient Evidence to Overcome Summary Judgment
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In Garcia v. New York City Transit Authority, the Appellate Division, Second Department held that the trial court should have granted the Transit Authority’s CPLR 4401 motion for judgment as a matter of law on the issue of liability. Here are the facts: At approximately 9:50 a.m. on May 22, 2006, the plaintiff’s decedent fell…

Read More Court Dismisses Subway Overcrowding Death Lawsuit
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In a lawsuit filed on December 12, 2013 in the Southern District of New York, Zayas v. City of New York et al. (SDNY 13-cv-8808), plaintiff – photojournalist Angel Zayas – alleges that he was “forced out of the subway for trying to photograph police performing a stop-and-frisk and was then arrested for complaining about…

Read More Photojournalist’s False Arrest Lawsuit Against the City of New York
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In Alvarado v. City of New York, the Supreme Court, Richmond County recently held that the City of New York was not liable for injuries sustained by a plaintiff who tripped and fell on the sidewalk in front of Dependable Auto Body in Staten Island. Plaintiff claimed that she fell after her foot became wedged…

Read More City of New York Absolved of Liability for Sidewalk Trip and Fall
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In Freeman v. City of New York (decided November 20, 2013), the Appellate Division, Second Department held that plaintiff failed to state a claim for relief. Plaintiff alleged that her mother Yvonne Freeman died after the December 27, 2010 blizzard because defendants “were negligent in failing to provide emergency services, and in failing to prepare for,…

Read More Trial Court Should Have Dismissed Blizzard Death Lawsuit Due to Absence of “Special Relationship”
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In a lawsuit captioned Thomas v. City of New York, EDNY 13-cv-6139 (filed 11/6/13), plaintiff Justin Thomas – a School of Visual Arts senior – alleges that he was unlawfully arrested while filming the exterior of the NYPD’s 72nd Precinct station house for his senior class video project. Here is the Gothamist article with embedded video footage…

Read More Visual Arts Student Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Following Arrest for Filming NYPD Precinct
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Today the Second Circuit held, in Velez v. City of New York (LYNCH, Lohier, Carney) that plaintiff, the mother of representative for her deceased son Anthony Velez, was not entitled to a new trial following a verdict for defendants. Mr. Velez was murdered after the police officers searched an apartment based on a confidential tip from him.…

Read More City Not Liable for Negligence Following Murder of Confidential Informant
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The words “technicality” and “loophole” are frequently used to describe certain legal developments or results that, for one reason or another, don’t “seem” right. Unfortunately, they are often used irresponsibly and in a way that perpetuates both ignorance of the law and unfair stereotypes of lawyers as sleazy manipulators. Take, for example, the New York…

Read More On “Technicalities” and “Loopholes”
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In Carpinone v. City of New York, No. 11 Civ. 2074 (PAE), the SDNY recently clarified the pleading requirements for a claim under Monell v. Dep’t of Social Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 694 (1978).  SDNY Judge Engelmayer dismissed plaintiff’s complaint on the pleadings under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c). Plaintiff alleged that he was…

Read More SDNY Reiterates Section 1983 / Monell Pleading Requirements
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