Bones v. Caban

2025 NY Slip Op 31978(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedJune 4, 2025
DocketIndex No. 156972/2023
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2025 NY Slip Op 31978(U) (Bones v. Caban) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, New York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bones v. Caban, 2025 NY Slip Op 31978(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2025).

Opinion

Bones v Caban 2025 NY Slip Op 31978(U) June 4, 2025 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 156972/2023 Judge: Judy H. Kim Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2025 04:43 PM INDEX NO. 156972/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 33 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/04/2025

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. JUDY H. KIM PART 04 Justice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X INDEX NO. 156972/2023 ANGEL M. BONES, MOTION DATE 07/12/2023 Petitioner, MOTION SEQ. NO. 001 -v- EDWARD CABAN, AS INTERIM POLICE COMMISSIONER OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE POLICE PENSION FUND, ARTICLE II, BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE NEW DECISION + ORDER ON YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND, ARTICLE II, NEW MOTION YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE CITY OF NEW YORK,

Respondents. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 were read on this motion for ARTICLE 78 (BODY OR OFFICER) .

Upon the foregoing documents, the petition is denied and this proceeding is dismissed.

Petitioner Angel M. Bones, a retired New York Police Department (“NYPD”) officer,

brings this special proceeding to reverse the denial of his application for accidental disability

retirement (“ADR”) under the World Trade Center (“WTC”) Disability Law by the Board of

Trustees of the Police Pension Fund (the “Board of Trustees”) or, alternatively, to remand

petitioner’s application to the Board of Trustees for further investigation. He also seeks an order

directing respondents to produce various documents connected to the ADR hearing and his work

as an NYPD officer. Respondents oppose the petition.

156972/2023 BONES, ANGEL M vs. EDWARD CABAN, AS INTERIM POLICE COMMISSIONER Page 1 of 8 OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE POLICE PENSION FUND, ARTICLE II ET AL Motion No. 001

1 of 8 [* 1] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2025 04:43 PM INDEX NO. 156972/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 33 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/04/2025

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The World Trade Center Disability Law, codified at Administrative Code §13–252.1,

mandates that first responders who worked at a “World Trade Center site” (as relevant here, the

area of lower Manhattan south of Canal Street and Pike Street and bounded by the Hudson and

East Rivers)1 (see Retirement and Social Security Law §2[36][[f]) for “any period of time within

the forty-eight hours after the first airplane hit the towers” or for forty hours between September

11, 2021 and September 12, 2022 (id. at §2[36][g]) and, thereafter, developed a “qualifying

condition” (as defined in Retirement and Social Security Law §2[36][b]) are entitled to a

presumption that their presence at the World Trade Center site caused the qualifying condition

(see Matter of Bitchatchi v Bd. of Trustees of New York City Police Dept. Pension Fund, 20 NY3d

268, 275-77 [2012]). In other words, once a claimant establishes that he or she worked the requisite

number of hours at a WTC site, it is presumed that their injury was incurred in the line of duty (see

Matter of Bitchatchi v Bd. of Trustees of New York City Police Dept. Pension Fund, 20 NY3d 268,

275-77 [2012]).

Petitioner retired from the New York City Police Department on November 12, 2014, with

Accident Disability Retirement (“ADR”), based upon permanent physical injuries from a line of

duty motor vehicle accident (NYSCEF Doc No. 1, petition at ¶3). On April 27, 2021, petitioner

applied to reclassify his “regular” ADR to World Trade Center-related ADR based upon qualifying

psychological conditions (id. at ¶9). In connection with this application, petitioner filed a Notice

of Participation stating that he was stationed at “Broadway-Liberty Street” on September 12, 2021,

on “Broadway-Canal Street” on September 13, 2021, on “Broadway-Rector” on September 14,

1 “There are other sites, such as in Staten Island, but these are not relevant here” (In re Salerno v Kelly, 2011 NY Slip Op 30693[U] [Sup Ct, NY County 2011]).

156972/2023 BONES, ANGEL M vs. EDWARD CABAN, AS INTERIM POLICE COMMISSIONER Page 2 of 8 OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE POLICE PENSION FUND, ARTICLE II ET AL Motion No. 001

2 of 8 [* 2] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2025 04:43 PM INDEX NO. 156972/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 33 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/04/2025

2021, in the “Wall Street Area” on September 15, 2021, on “Rector Street” on September 20, 2021,

in the “Wall Street Area” on September 21, 2021 and on “Rector-West Side” on September 27,

2021 (NYSCEF Doc No. 6, notice of participation). Petitioner also submitted copies of available

excerpts of the 44th Precinct’s command logs for September 12, 14, 15, 16, 2001 and October 2,

2001, which mark his overtime under the WTC overtime code, and portions of the 44 Precinct’s

September 13, 2001 roll call (see NYSCEF Doc No. 8, 11, 14).

Petitioner also submitted the affidavit of NYPD Sergeant John Fredericks attesting that:

On the dates from September 12, 2001 to September 15, 2001 (inclusive) I was working as a patrol sergeant in the 44th Precinct located at 2 East 169th Street, Bronx, NY 10452. Mr. Angel Bones who was then a police officer worked with me directly at that location at the time. Mr. Bones and myself were deployed after the events of September 11, 2001 to security posts on Broadway/Liberty, Broadway/Canal, Broadway/Rector, and a Security Post near the ESU temporary headquarters. These were our posts for the twelve to fourteen hour tours for the dates in question …

(NYSCEF Doc No. 15). Sergeant Fredericks separately submitted copies of his memo book pages

for this period to the PPF (NYSCEF Doc No. 31).

Finally, petitioner submitted his own affidavit to the Board of Trustees, in which he stated

that:

On September 11, 2001, I was assigned as an NYPD police officer, shield #27325, to the 3rd platoon at the 44th Precinct in The Bronx. The following day, September 12, 2001, while assigned to the 3rd platoon, I was re-assigned to the Ground Zero, World Trade Center site. That day, I first reported to the 44th Precinct at the start of my tour. I was then transported via a New York City Police Department vehicle to the 48th Precinct. Once I arrived at the 48th Precinct, I was then transported again via an NYPD bus, along with other uniformed officers of the 44th Precinct, to Canal Street in Manhattan. Upon arrival at Canal Street, we were mustered up, and assigned to a security post on Broadway and Liberty Streets. Later that evening (September 12th), I was also assigned to another security post on Broadway in front of a Burger King. I was never provided any protective equipment during this entire tour nor had any of my own.

The following day, September 13, 2001, while assigned to the 3rd platoon at the 44th Precinct, I was again reassigned to the Ground Zero, World Trade Center site. 156972/2023 BONES, ANGEL M vs. EDWARD CABAN, AS INTERIM POLICE COMMISSIONER Page 3 of 8 OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE POLICE PENSION FUND, ARTICLE II ET AL Motion No. 001

3 of 8 [* 3] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 06/04/2025 04:43 PM INDEX NO.

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2025 NY Slip Op 31978(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bones-v-caban-nysupctnewyork-2025.