Matter of Acosta v. City of New York

Decision Date10 April 2007
Docket Number2006-06397.
Citation834 N.Y.S.2d 267,39 A.D.3d 629,2007 NY Slip Op 03130
PartiesIn the Matter of BERNARDO ACOSTA, Respondent, v. CITY OF NEW YORK, Appellant.
CourtNew York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

Ordered that the order is reversed, on the law, with costs, the petition is denied, and the proceeding is dismissed.

The Supreme Court improvidently exercised its discretion in granting the petition for leave to serve a late notice of claim. In determining whether to permit service of a late notice of claim, the court must consider all relevant facts and circumstances, including whether (1) the movant demonstrated a reasonable excuse for the failure to serve a timely notice of claim, (2) the public corporation acquired actual knowledge of the facts constituting the claim within 90 days of its accrual or a reasonable time thereafter, and (3) the delay would substantially prejudice the public corporation in defending on the merits (see General Municipal Law § 50-e [5]; Matter of Henriques v City of New York, 22 AD3d 847, 848 [2005]; Matter of Hicks v City of New York, 8 AD3d 566, 566-567 [2004]; Matter of Fierro v City of New York, 271 AD2d 608, 609 [2000]; Matter of Gaffney v Town of Hempstead, 226 AD2d 721, 722 [1996]).

Here, the petitioner failed to establish that the City of New York had actual notice of the essential facts constituting his claim. The police accident report did not provide the City with actual notice of the essential facts underlying the petitioner's claim (see Matter of McHugh v City of New York, 293 AD2d 478 [2002]; Rabanar v City of Yonkers, 290 AD2d 428, 429 [2002]), and did not connect the subject accident to any negligence on the City's part (see Matter of Haeg v County of Suffolk, 30 AD3d 519, 520 [2006]; Rabanar v City of Yonkers, supra).

Moreover, the petitioner's delay of more than one year after the subject accident in seeking to serve a notice of claim prejudiced the City's ability to maintain a defense (see Matter of Henriques v City of New York, supra).

Rivera, J.P., Dillon, Angiolillo and Dickerson, JJ., concur.

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  • Williams v. Nyc Health & Hosps.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court
    • November 21, 2018
    ...v. Eastport/South Manor Cent. School Dist. , 50 A.D.3d 138, 147, 851 N.Y.S.2d 218 [2d Dept. 2008] ; Matter of Acosta v. City of New York , 39 A.D.3d 629, 630, 834 N.Y.S.2d 267 [2d Dept. 2007] )."[T[he presence or absence of any one of these factors is not necessarily dispositive" ( Matter o......
  • Abbate v. City of N.Y.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court
    • October 5, 2015
    ...Matter of Felice v. Eastport/South Manor Cent. School Dist., 50 A.D.3d 138, 147, 851 N.Y.S.2d 218; Matter of Acosta v. City of New York, 39 A.D.3d 629, 630, 834 N.Y.S.2d 267).(Rojas v. New York City Health and Hosp. Corp., 127 A.D.3d 870, 6 N.Y.S.3d 294 [2 Dept., 2015]). "While the presence......
  • Wright v. City of New York
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • October 3, 2012
    ...prejudice the municipality in defending on the merits ( seeGeneral Municipal Law § 50–e[5]; Matter of Acosta v. City of New York, 39 A.D.3d 629, 630, 834 N.Y.S.2d 267;Matter of Henriques v. City of New York, 22 A.D.3d 847, 848, 803 N.Y.S.2d 194;Matter of Hicks v. City of New York, 8 A.D.3d ......
  • Destine v. City of N.Y.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • November 6, 2013
    ...§ 50–e[5]; Platt v. New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 105 A.D.3d 1026, 1027, 964 N.Y.S.2d 223;Matter of Acosta v. City of New York, 39 A.D.3d 629, 630, 834 N.Y.S.2d 267;Matter of Henriques v. City of New York, 22 A.D.3d 847, 848, 803 N.Y.S.2d 194). Here, the petitioner did not demonstrat......
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