Abelove v. Cuomo

57 Misc. 3d 668, 61 N.Y.S.3d 837
New York Supreme Court·Decided August 11, 2017·Published

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Richard L. Mott, J.

Respondents in this combined CPLR article 78 proceeding and action for declaratory judgment move for summary judgment on the first cause of action1 and for dismissal of the second cause of action, pursuant to CPLR 7804 (f) and 7806. Petitioner, District Attorney of Rensselaer County, opposes.

Background

In July 2015 respondent New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo issued Executive Order (Cuomo) No. 147 (9 NYCRR [670]*6708.147) (hereinafter EO 147) authorizing respondent Eric Schneiderman, New York State Attorney General (hereinafter AG), to act as a Special Prosecutor in “matters involving the death of an unarmed civilian, whether in custody or not, caused by a law enforcement officer” and “where, in his [the AG’s] opinion, there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time of his or her death.” EO 147 states that “recent incidents involving the deaths of unarmed civilians . . . have challenged the public’s confidence and trust in our system of criminal justice,” and cites public concerns raised that “such incidents cannot be prosecuted at the local level without conflict or bias, or the public perception of conflict or bias.”

EO 147 was later supplemented by AG’s Designation No. 1, dated July 2015 (hereinafter Designation), which followed discussions at a conference of the District Attorney’s Association of the State of New York. It establishes a protocol “to ensure best practices in the collection and preservation of evidence in the initial hours following an incident,” by designating local district attorneys

“to exercise such powers and perform such duties in [their] county of jurisdiction as [they] deem appropriate under the circumstances until . . . [they] are directed otherwise in writing by the Special Prosecutor. This includes, but is not limited to, questioning witnesses, drafting search warrants, preserving evidence and supporting the investigation of the incident, but does not include, without prior authorization from the Special Prosecutor or his designee, conferring immunity on any witness, eliciting witness testimony in grand jury proceedings, or entering plea or cooperation agreements”

On April 17, 2016 Edson Thevenin was shot and killed by a police officer following an altercation after Thevenin fled from a traffic stop. On April 19, 2016, the AG wrote petitioner requesting certain evidence and information “to ascertain whether . . . jurisdiction over this matter properly lies with your office or the OAG.”2

On April 21, 2016, petitioner responded in a letter, sent by regular mail, that he had been informed, following conversations with Assistant Attorney General Paul Clyne, that the OAG would not claim jurisdiction over the Thevenin matter, [671]*671but would, continue its assessment of the facts. Petitioner outlined his case analysis, stating his conclusion that the incident was not subject to AG jurisdiction because Thevenin used his vehicle as a dangerous instrument to threaten the shooting officer. In addition, while petitioner stated that he recognized that the AG wanted to pursue its investigation and that it was within his discretion to do so, he reiterated his conclusion that EO 147 does not apply and stated his intent to continue exercising jurisdiction.

On April 22, 2016, petitioner presented the case of Thev-enin’s death to a grand jury which voted a no true bill. On April 27, 2016, the AG commenced an article 78 proceeding seeking to prohibit petitioner from continuing to purport to exercise jurisdiction and compelling the production of investigative materials. The proceeding was resolved by a stipulation of settlement and discontinuance, dated May 9, 2016, wherein petitioner agreed to transfer his case file and cease his investigation and prosecution.

On April 29, 2016, Cuomo issued Executive Order (Cuomo) No. 147.4 (9 NYCRR 8.147.4), specifically naming the AG as Special Prosecutor regarding unlawful acts or omissions or allegations thereof “by any law enforcement officer” related in any way to Thevenin’s death. On February 1, 2017, citing significant concerns raised regarding the investigation into Thev-enin’s death, Cuomo issued Executive Order (Cuomo) No. 163 (9 NYCRR 8.163) (hereinafter EO 163) requiring the AG to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute: “unlawful acts or omissions or alleged unlawful acts or omissions by any person ... in any way connected with [Thevenin’s death] and its subsequent investigation, including its grand jury presentation.”

Upon that authority, the AG obtained a search warrant for petitioner’s mobile phone based upon its investigation of potential obstruction of governmental administration or official misconduct. No charges have been brought against petitioner thus far.

The Petition

The first cause of action seeks a declaration that EO 147, insofar as it permits the Special Prosecutor to act where, “in his opinion, there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time of his or her death,” is unconstitutionally vague and impermissibly delegates [672]*672the determination whether to supersede to the AG. It further seeks a declaration that EO 147 is preempted by state law and illegal, insofar as it disqualifies all district attorneys from acting in an entire class of cases based only upon a perceived conflict of interest, contrary to the legislative scheme for disqualifying district attorneys, thereby violating the separation of powers doctrine.

The second cause of action seeks a writ prohibiting the AG from pursuing the investigation against petitioner on authority of EO 163 due to a conflict of interest, pursuant to County Law §701.

First Cause of Action

Parties’ Contentions

Respondents claim that Executive Law § 63 (2)’s grant of discretionary authority to the Governor to supersede a district attorney is unreviewable unless there is clear violation of a constitutional mandate, which is lacking here. Further, they maintain that EO 147 is rationally based and not subject to a vagueness analysis because it does not define a substantive crime.

Petitioner claims that EO 147 violates the separation of powers doctrine because the legislature has already determined that a disqualifying conflict of interest must be proved on a case by case basis and EO 147 violates same when it disqualifies all district attorneys merely upon a perceived conflict of interest. Further, he insists that such perceived conflict is not a rational basis for supersession. Finally, he insists that EO 147⅛ deferral to the AG’s opinion to determine whether he has jurisdiction renders it unconstitutionally vague because it is insufficient to apprise district attorneys of when jurisdiction will lie with the AG under EO 147.

Discussion

Summary Judgment

To prevail on a motion for summary judgment, the moving party must establish entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by adducing sufficient competent evidence to show that there are no issues of material fact. (Alvarez v Prospect Hosp., 68 NY2d 320, 324 [1986].) “Only when the movant bears this burden and the nonmoving party fails to demonstrate the existence of any material issue of fact will the motion be properly granted.” (Staunton v Brooks, 129 AD3d 1371, 1372 [3d Dept [673]

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Abelove v. Cuomo, 57 Misc. 3d 668, 61 N.Y.S.3d 837 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2017).

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