D'Agostino v. DiNapoli

24 Misc. 3d 1090, 879 N.Y.S.2d 284
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 10, 2009
StatusPublished

This text of 24 Misc. 3d 1090 (D'Agostino v. DiNapoli) 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
D'Agostino v. DiNapoli, 24 Misc. 3d 1090, 879 N.Y.S.2d 284 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Gerald W. Connolly, J.

The instant CPLR article 78 proceeding challenges respondents’ letter determination dated August 19, 2008 which terminated petitioner’s pension benefits and his membership in the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System. It further required petitioner to return six years of benefits amounting to $605,874.79 within 30 days. Petitioner had maintained part-time “employment” with various public agencies, including three school districts, the County of Nassau, the Town of Hempstead and the Village of Valley Stream, while also [1093]*1093maintaining a private law practice. For decades, the Comptroller’s predecessors and the retirement system accepted petitioner’s employers’ representations that he was an employee and not an independent contractor. Indeed, all three school district positions and the position with the County of Nassau were formally created and approved by the Nassau County Civil Service Commission. On two different occasions petitioner’s applications to respondents’ predecessors for retroactive service credit were granted, with his tier status changing first from tier 3 to tier 2, and then from tier 2 to tier 1. He was also formally allowed to purchase additional service credit by changing his school district employment from a 10-month basis to a 12-month basis. Based upon the change in tier status, he received reimbursement of his retirement system contributions. In addition, the retirement system conducted an investigation into the issue of whether petitioner was an employee or an independent contractor with respect to his position with Nassau County and determined that he was an employee entitled to service credit. Petitioner thereafter retired and began receiving benefits in 2000.

By letter dated April 23, 2008, respondents suspended petitioner’s pension payments. The letter stated that the determination was based upon a preliminary review of respondents’ records and that an investigation was required of the circumstances under which petitioner received service credit. By letter dated June 27, 2008, respondents made a preliminary determination that petitioner “was registered as an employee when, in fact, [he was] an independent contractor.” The letter stated only that such determination was based upon retirement system records, records provided by the employer and other unspecified documentation. Such letter gave petitioner 15 days to submit information in support of retaining petitioner’s service credit and benefits. The final determination letter of August 19, 2008 merely stated that based upon a review of petitioner’s relationship with the three school districts and the county, including the information provided by petitioner, it was determined that petitioner was an independent contractor rather than an employee. No factual basis or reasoning for the determination was provided.

The petition herein alleges that respondents arbitrarily and capriciously substituted their judgment for that of petitioner’s employers and respondents’ predecessors, that it was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law retroactively to apply new policies, that the suspension and revocation of benefits and [1094]*1094membership violated petitioner’s contractual property rights guaranteed by New York State Constitution, article Y, § 7, that the procedures followed violate petitioner’s due process right to a pre-deprivation hearing, that Retirement and Social Security Law § 74 is not applicable to these circumstances, that petitioner was not provided with adequate notice of the basis for respondents’ actions, that the burden of proof was impermissibly placed upon petitioner to show that he was an employee, that petitioner will be required to present his case without knowledge of the basis for respondents’ actions, that the determination is contrary to 2 NYCRR part 370, and that respondents have no authority to change petitioner’s status absent an error in calculations or fraud.

Respondents have moved to dismiss the petition on the grounds that it fails to state a cause of action, that petitioner has failed to exhaust the administrative remedy of a hearing provided by Retirement and Social Security Law § 74, that the issues are not ripe for judicial review and that there can be no estoppel against respondents. Petitioner’s opposition to the motion to dismiss expressly states that petitioner is not relying upon a theory of estoppel and a review of the petition indicates that no such theory is asserted. Accordingly, the court need not address respondents’ arguments concerning estoppel.

Petitioner contends that he does not have any administrative remedy available because Retirement and Social Security Law § 74 hearings are limited to determinations concerning applications for retirement benefits (see Deputy Sheriff’s Benevolent Assn. of Onondaga County v Regan, 106 Misc 2d 258, 261-262 [1980], affd on other grounds 86 AD2d 680 [3d Dept 1982]). Indeed, the language of the statute provides that an applicant for a retirement allowance or other benefit may demand a hearing following receipt of a determination of such an application. Petitioner contends that his application for retirement was submitted and finally determined eight years ago and thus the statute is inapplicable.

Notwithstanding the restrictive language of Retirement and Social Security Law § 74, there is a long-standing history of providing and/or requiring a hearing upon a determination with respect to retirement system membership or service credit (see Matter of Cole-Hatchard v McCall, 4 AD3d 715 [3d Dept 2004]; Matter of Graham v New York State Police & Fire Retirement Sys., 188 AD2d 826 [3d Dept 1992]; Matter of Brosnahan v New York State Employees’ Retirement Sys., 174 AD2d 954, 955 [3d [1095]*1095Dept 1991]). Such a hearing would be authorized pursuant to the Comptroller’s inherent authority (see Matter of Uniform Firefighters of Cohoes, Local 2562, IAFF, AFL-CIO v City of Co-hoes, 175 Misc 2d 726, 730 [Sup Ct, Albany County 1998], mod on other grounds 258 AD2d 24 [3d Dept 1999], affd 94 NY2d 686 [2000]) as well as the general requirement that statutes be construed to uphold their constitutionality (see McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 1, Statutes § 150), as an administrative hearing may be required to provide procedural due process (see Matter of Brennan v Kaluczky, 226 AD2d 953, 955 [3d Dept 1996]) notwithstanding the absence of any specific statutory provision (see Matter of Economico v Village of Pelham, 50 NY2d 120, 127 [1980], superseded on other grounds by Cleveland Bd. of Ed. v Loudermill, 470 US 532 [1985]). It is therefore determined that petitioner does have an administrative remedy available.

Petitioner contends that even if there is an available administrative remedy, because he has raised constitutional issues he is not required to exhaust such remedy (see e.g. Watergate II Apts. v Buffalo Sewer Auth., 46 NY2d 52, 57 [1978]). Petitioner contends that his retirement benefits are constitutionally protected, and as such, he has raised a constitutional claim sufficient to except the proceeding from the exhaustion requirement. However, New York State Constitution, article V, § 7 merely provides that retirement system benefits are contractual in nature and may not be impaired or diminished by state action. Such guarantee does not render an individual retirement system member’s benefits inviolate. Rather,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 Misc. 3d 1090, 879 N.Y.S.2d 284, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dagostino-v-dinapoli-nysupct-2009.