Authority to determine that there is "probable cause" to file disciplinary charges pursuant Education Law §3020-a against an individual

The principal of a New York City Department of Education [DOE] school filed disciplinary charges pursuant to Education Law §3020-a against a tenured teacher [Educator] employed at the school alleging Educator was guilty of "various instances" of incompetence, misconduct, and neglect of duty.

At the §3020-a disciplinary hearing Educator moved to dismiss the disciplinary charges on the ground that they were "defective as they fail to adhere to Education Law §3020-a(2)(a)." Educator relied on the fact that the finding of probable cause to file the disciplinary charges was made by the Educator's school principal rather than by the "employing school board."*

The §3020-a hearing officer (1) denied Educator's motion to dismiss the charges; (2) sustained the charges and specifications alleged by the school principal; and (3) determined that the appropriate penalty to be imposed on the Educator was dismissal from the position. 

Educator appealed the hearing officer's determination pursuant to CPLR Article 75 while DOE moved to dismiss Educator's appeal and to confirm the hearing officer's findings, determination and award.

Supreme Court denied DOE's to dismiss Educator's appeal and ultimately granted Educator's petition, explaining that "DOE's failure to submit the charges against [Educator] to the employing board to determine whether probable cause existed [to go forward with the disciplinary action] constitutes a procedural defect depriving [the] Hearing Officer ... of jurisdiction to consider the charges." In the words of the Supreme Court: "[The] Hearing Officer ...  rejected [Educator's] argument, but this Court does not."* DOE appealed the court's ruling.

CPLR 7511(b) sets grounds for vacating an arbitration award. The Appellate Division said that as relevant here, "[t]he award shall be vacated on the application of a party who ... participated in the arbitration ... if the court finds that the rights of that party were prejudiced by ... an arbitrator" who "exceeded his [or her] power."

Rejecting the argument advanced by Educator, the Appellate Division held that "the absence of a vote on probable cause by the 'employing board' (Education Law §3020-a[2]), did not deprive the hearing officer of the jurisdictional authority to hear and determine the underlying disciplinary charges." Rather, as the hearing officer determined, the Chancellor was vested with the authority "[t]o exercise all of the duties and responsibilities of the employing board as set forth in [Education Law §3020-a]."

Further, the Appellate Division determined that "Supreme Court erred to the extent that it concluded, in effect, as an alternative ground for its determination in the order ... that the DOE was required to submit evidence to prove that the Chancellor actually delegated the relevant authority to the principal of [Educator's] school. That issue was not raised before the hearing officer in [Educator's] motion to dismiss, was not asserted in the petition, and was not properly before the Supreme Court."

Under the circumstances, the Appellate Division concluded that "in the absence of any cognizable basis for relief asserted in [Educator's] petition [Supreme Court] should have granted the DOE's motion pursuant to CPLR 404(a) and 3211(a)(7) to dismiss the petition and, pursuant to CPLR 7511(e), to confirm the arbitration award."

* The Appellate Division's decision notes that the hearing officer concluded that a probable cause determination need not be made after a vote by the employing board on probable cause and §2590-h of the Education Law provides the Chancellor of the DOE with "the statutory authority to make a probable cause determination, and to delegate that authority to subordinate individuals within the DOE, including, as relevant here, to the principal of a school."

Click HERE to access the Appellate Division's decision.

 

Employee's complaint alleging constructive dismissal and violation of the Freedom of Information Law dismissed

Plaintiff was employed by the New York City Department of Transportation [DOT] in 1997. In 2014 he resigned from his position and in 2017 commenced this action alleging that [1] he had been constructively discharged from his employment by DOT as the result of his reporting "other employees' misconduct," and [2] that the City of New York had failed to respond to his request to disclose certain records in violation of New York State's Freedom of Information Law [FOIL].

Supreme Court denied DOT's motion to dismiss Plaintiff's causes of action and DOT appealed. The Appellate Division reversed the lower court's order "on the law."

Addressing Plaintiff's complaint alleging constructive dismissal, the Appellate Division, citing Golston-Green v City of New York, 184 AD3d 24, explained that an "employee is constructively discharged when her or his employer, rather than discharging the plaintiff directly, deliberately created working conditions so intolerable that a reasonable person in the plaintiff's position would have felt compelled to resign."

Here, however, the Appellate Division, "accepting the facts as alleged to be true, and according the [Plaintiff] the benefit of every possible favorable inference," opined that Plaintiff's complaint "fails to state a cause of action alleging constructive discharge, as the allegations are either vague and conclusory" or involve events that allegedly occurred after the Plaintiff had resigned from DOT.

Addressing Plaintiff's complaints contending that New York City had violated FOIL, the Appellate Division said that a person alleging the denial of requested information within the meaning of Public Officers Law §89(4)(a), "must appeal the denial in writing to the head of the entity or other designated person within 30 days." Finding that Plaintiff did not submit an appeal within 30 days of the alleged denial, the Appellate Division said that Plaintiff had "failed to exhaust his administrative remedies" and because of this failure "could not resort to a judicial forum to gain relief."

Accordingly, the Appellate Division held that Supreme Court should have granted those branches of the City's motion seeking dismissal of Plaintiff's causes of action to recover damages for constructive discharge and to compel disclosure of certain records pursuant to FOIL.

Click HEREto access the Appellate Division's decision posted on the Internet.

Negligent hiring and, or, retention of employees

One of the issues considered by the Appellate Division in this action was the Plaintiff's allegation that the employer was negligent in its appointment and retention of certain employees.

A majority of the court, Judge Friedman dissenting in part in a separate Opinion, sustained this branch of Plaintiff's cause of action, noting:

1. "A cause of action for negligent hiring and retention requires allegations that an employer knew of its employee's harmful propensities, that it failed to take necessary action, and that this failure caused damage to others;

2. "The cause of action does not need to be pleaded with specificity; and  

3. "Liability for negligent hiring and retention does not require a special relationship between the defendant and the alleged victim."

Further, opined the Appellate Division, "[l]iability for negligent hiring and retention is not limited to employees' actions within their scope of employment," explaining it obtains where the employer's negligence is a proximate cause of a plaintiff's injury.

Click HEREto access the Appellate Division's opinion.