Removal of volunteer officers and volunteer members of a volunteer fire department

Removal of volunteer officers and volunteer members of a volunteer fire department
2014 NY Slip Op 03521, Appellate Division, Second Department

The Board of Fire Commissioners expelled a member of the Fire Department. The member sued and Supreme Court annulled the Board’s determination and remitting the matter for a hearing and a new determination.*  thereafter, and the petitioner cross-appeals from so much of the order as failed to grant the petition in its entirety.

The Appellate Division affirmed the lower court’s ruling, explaining that as the member was entitled to a hearing “upon due notice and upon stated charge” under General Municipal Law §209-l but was not afforded one, “the Supreme Court properly annulled the determination and remitted the matter for a hearing and a new determination thereafter.”

GML §209-l addresses the removal of volunteer officers and volunteer members of volunteer fire departments and, in pertinent part, provides:

1. The authorities having control of fire departments of cities, towns, villages and fire districts may make regulations governing the removal of volunteer officers and volunteer members of such departments and the companies thereof.

2. Such officers and members of such departments and companies shall not be removed from office, or membership, as the case may be, by such authorities or by any other officer or body, except for incompetence or misconduct.**

3. Removals on the ground of incompetence or misconduct, except for absenteeism at fires or meetings, shall be made only after a hearing upon due notice and upon stated charges and with the right to such officer or member to a review pursuant to article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules. Such charges shall be in writing and may be made by any such authority. The burden of proving incompetency or misconduct shall be upon the person alleging the same.

* On a procedural note, in this instance, “on the Court's own motion,” the notice of appeal and the notice of cross appeal from the [Supreme Court’s] order was deemed to be applications for leave to appeal, and cross-appeal, respectively, and leave to appeal and cross-appeal is granted

** N.B. §209-l, however, further provides that  “The    provisions of this section shall not affect the right of members of any fire company to remove a volunteer officer or voluntary member of such company for failure to comply with the constitution and by-laws of such company.”

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2014/2014_03521.htm

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Discourtesy and failure to obey a lawful order

Discourtesy and failure to obey a lawful order

OATH Index No. 851/14

A computer aide was charged with discourtesy, refusal to obey orders, and inefficient performance.

OATH Administrative Law Judge Faye Lewis found that the aide was guilty of misconduct when she was rude and unhelpful to a day care provider who repeatedly called her for assistance and when she frequently failed to return that provider's telephone calls.

The ALJ also found the aide guilty of misconduct when she closed a door in a colleague's face after the colleague approached to say that a client was waiting to see her, and when she failed to obey orders to provide her supervisor with a case folder and to resubmit a form.

Judge Lewis, however, concluded that it was not misconduct for the aide to tell her colleagues she was on her lunch break and did not want to be bothered, as meal periods are not work time.

As the aide did not have any history of formal discipline, ALJ Lewis recommended that she be suspended without pay for 12 days.

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://archive.citylaw.org/oath/00_Cases/14-851.pdf
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Acting beyond the scope of one's duties

Acting beyond the scope of one's duties

2014 NY Slip Op 03586, Appellate Division, First Department

The Police Commissioner of the City of New York terminated the employment of a New York City police officer [Plaintiff] based on substantial evidence Petitioner “unnecessarily acted outside his role as an undercover officer and discharged his firearm in violation of department guidelines.”

The Appellate Division sustained the Commissioner’s decision, commenting that under the circumstances “The penalty of termination is not so disproportionate to the offense as to shock the conscience,” citing Kelly v Safir, 96 NY2d 32.

The decision is posted on the Internet at:

http://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2014/2014_03586.htm

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