Findings of fact in support of the appointing authority’s decision to terminate an employee required to survive the employee’s judicial challenge seeking reinstatement to his or her former position.

Holding that Schoharie County failed to make any findings of fact in support of its decision terminating a County employee, the Appellate Division said it could not conduct a meaningful review of the County’s determination in response to the employee’s Article 78 challenge to the County’s action. The court explained that “[A]dministrative findings of fact must be made in such a manner that the parties may be assured that the decision is based on the evidence in the record, uninfluenced by extralegal considerations, so as to permit intelligent challenge by an aggrieved party and adequate judicial review” and remitted the matter to the County Board of Supervisors “for further proceedings not inconsistent with this Court's decision.”

Ethington v County of Schoharie, 2016 NY Slip Op 07908, Appellate Division, Third Department

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