Almeida v. Hernandez

9 Misc. 3d 986
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 12, 2005
StatusPublished

This text of 9 Misc. 3d 986 (Almeida v. Hernandez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Almeida v. Hernandez, 9 Misc. 3d 986 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Wayne P. Saitta, J.

Petitioner commenced this CPLR article 78 proceeding to challenge the termination of her section 8 rent subsidy by respondent Hernandez. Petitioner seeks a judgment: (1) reviewing and annulling the decision to terminate her section 8 rent subsidy; (2) restoring petitioner’s rent subsidy; (3) prohibiting respondent Anis Realty from proceeding in a nonpayment proceeding commenced in Kings County Housing Court; as well as (4) for such other and further relief as may be just and proper. Respondent Hernandez as Chairman of the New York City Housing Authority (hereinafter NYCHA.) cross-moves to dismiss the petition as untimely and on the grounds that NYCHA properly complied with its termination procedures.

Upon the reading of the order to show cause and verified petition of Marcia Almeida dated June 24, 2005, the affirmation of Deanna Clark dated June 23, 2005 and the exhibits annexed thereto, the supplemental affirmation of Deanna Clark dated June 27, 2005, respondent NYCHA’s notice of cross motion to dismiss dated July 26, 2005, the affirmation in support of Joaquin Yordan dated July 26, 2005, the affidavit in support of the cross motion of Susan Smolowitz dated July 22, 2005, the affidavit in support of the cross motion of Robin Wall dated July 22, 2005 and the exhibits annexed thereto, and respondent Hernandez’ memorandum of law dated July 25, 2005, and after hearing argument of counsel and all proceedings heretofore had herein and after due deliberation, the petition is granted for the reasons set forth below.

Petitioner Marcia Almeida is a tenant at 693 Flatbush Avenue, apartment 10, Brooklyn, New York. Prior to moving to 693 Flatbush Avenue she lived for six months with her two children in a shelter for victims of domestic violence operated by Safe [988]*988Horizon. Safe Horizon assisted her in obtaining a section 8 certificate for her current apartment. She entered into a lease for the apartment with respondent Anis Realty. The rent for the apartment is $1,104 of which $943 is paid for by the section 8 subsidy.

In October of 2004, petitioner hand delivered her annual recertification papers to respondent NYCHA’s offices. While NYCHA admits that petitioner did deliver her recertification forms, NYCHA claims that the forms were not signed and were missing some information.

NYCHA states that it sent a “Notice of Termination of Section 8 Subsidy” dated November 15, 2004, in both English and Spanish, to respondent by certified and regular mail. NYCHA further states that having received no response from petitioner it mailed a “Notice of Default: Termination of Section 8 Subsidy,” in both English and Spanish, by certified and regular mail on December 15, 2004. The notice of default, which was part of the termination process mandated by the consent judgment entered into in Williams v New York City Hous. Auth. (US Dist Ct, SD NY, 81 Civ 1801), stated that if petitioner did not request a hearing, her section 8 subsidy would be terminated 45 days after the date of the notice.

Petitioner asserts that she did not receive either notice by certified or by regular mail.

Petitioner’s subsidy was terminated on February 28, 2005. Safe Horizon wrote a letter on petitioner’s behalf dated March 7, 2005 asking NYCHA not to terminate her subsidy and explaining that without the subsidy she would become homeless.

NYCHA denied the request. In denying the request, NYCHA did not contend that petitioner no longer meets the eligibility requirement for a section 8 subsidy, but terminated her subsidy solely for failing to fully complete her recertification forms and for not responding to the notice of termination and notice of default.

After her subsidy was terminated petitioner was unable to pay the rent for her apartment and respondent Anis Realty commenced summary proceedings to evict her and her two children. The eviction proceeding is stayed pending the determination of this petition.

NYCHA cross-moves to dismiss the petition on the grounds that it is barred by the statute of limitations and that NYCHA [989]*989complied with the termination procedure imposed by the consent judgment in Williams.

Statute of Limitations

The statute of limitations for article 78 proceedings is four months, and runs from the time the determination to be reviewed becomes final and binding on petitioner. Petitioner commenced this proceeding on June 24, 2005. Respondent NYCHA argues that the determination became final and binding on December 20, 2004, five days after the date the notice of default was alleged to have been mailed, and that the statute of limitations expired on April 30, 2005. Petitioner’s position is that she never received the December 15th notice of default.

The Williams consent judgment provides in paragraph 22 (f) that “for the purposes of Section 217 and Article 78 of the CPLR the determination to terminate a subsidy shall in all cases, become final and binding upon receipt of . . . the Notice of Default, pursuant to paragraph ‘3 (e)’ above . . . .”

Thus, it is the date of the receipt of the notice, not the mailing of the notice, which starts the running of the four-month statute of limitations period.

Paragraph 22 (g) of the Williams consent judgment further provides that there is a rebuttable presumption of receipt of the notices on the fifth day following the date of the mailing. If the notice of default was mailed out on December 15, 2004 then there would be a presumption of receipt on December 20, 2004.

Petitioner, however, denies receipt of the notice of default. It is not contested that the copy of the notice of default sent by certified mail was in fact not received by petitioner, and was returned to NYCHA as unclaimed. Therefore, the presumption of receipt of the notice sent by certified mail has been rebutted. Under the Williams consent judgment, the statute of limitations runs from receipt rather than service of the notice. The fact that petitioner did not go to the post office to claim the notice does not establish receipt or start the statute of limitations period running.

Respondent NYCHA claims to have sent a second copy by regular mail, but offers no evidence in admissible form to contradict petitioner’s denial of receipt. Nor does it offer any evidence that the first-class mailing was made. In contrast to the log for certified mail, NYCHA has not adduced a certificate of first-class mail to establish that the notice of default was sent to petitioner by regular mail. Nor has NYCHA submitted an affi[990]*990davit by anyone with personal knowledge attesting that the notice was sent by regular mail.

Although in her affidavit Susan Smolowitz swears that the notice was mailed out of the mail room by regular mail, it is clear from the rest of her affidavit that she has no personal knowledge whether, after the envelopes left her office for delivery to the mail room, personnel in the mail room in fact mailed a copy of the notice of default to petitioner by regular mail. Ms. Smolowitz is merely reciting NYCHA’s general procedure.

More significantly, the affidavit by Robin Wall, a mail room employee who presumably would have personal knowledge, does not state that the notice was sent to petitioner by regular mail. The Wall affidavit discusses generally what the office procedures are, and it appears only to discuss the procedures for certified mail.

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Related

Fowler v. Marks
241 A.D.2d 928 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1997)
Yancey v. Hernandez-Pinero
158 Misc. 2d 514 (New York Supreme Court, 1993)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 Misc. 3d 986, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/almeida-v-hernandez-nysupct-2005.