Davis v. County of Westchester

42 A.D.3d 791, 840 N.Y.S.2d 211
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJuly 19, 2007
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 42 A.D.3d 791 (Davis v. County of Westchester) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. County of Westchester, 42 A.D.3d 791, 840 N.Y.S.2d 211 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

Lahtinen, J.

Appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court (Lamont, J.), entered September 14, 2006 in Albany County, which, in a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78, granted respondents’ motions to dismiss the petition.

Petitioner commenced employment as a correction officer for respondent County of Westchester in November 1990. He reportedly injured his back at work in May 1993 when he tripped on the leg of a desk. Thereafter, he did not return to work, but he continued receiving full pay and benefits pursuant to General Municipal Law § 207-c (1). In February 2004, the County submitted an application on behalf of petitioner to respondent New York State and Local Retirement System seeking disability retirement benefits for petitioner under Retirement and Social Security Law article 15. The application was approved by respondent Comptroller in December 2005 and the Comptroller informed the County that petitioner would receive disability retirement benefits once he was removed from the [792]*792county payroll, which was to be done within 30 days. The County removed petitioner from its payroll in January 2006. He thus began receiving disability retirement benefits, but his full-salary benefits under General Municipal Law § 207-c (1) ceased.

A timely request was made by petitioner to the Comptroller for a hearing and redetermination of the Retirement and Social Security Law article 15 disability application (see Retirement and Social Security Law § 74 [d]). Petitioner also commenced this CPLR article 78 proceeding alleging, among other things, that his due process rights were violated by the manner in which the County applied for him to receive disability retirement benefits and also when the County discontinued his General Municipal Law § 207-c (1) benefits pursuant to the direction of the Comptroller. Respondents moved to dismiss the petition asserting that petitioner failed to exhaust his administrative remedies and that the petition did not state a cause of action. Supreme Court granted the motions determining that, as to the Retirement System and the Comptroller (hereinafter collectively referred to as the state respondents), petitioner had not exhausted his administrative remedies, and further holding that the petition failed to state a cause of action as to the County and respondent Rocco A. Pozzi, the Commissioner of the County Department of Correction (hereinafter collectively referred to as the County respondents). Petitioner appeals.

Initially, we agree with Supreme Court that dismissal was appropriate as to the state respondents upon the ground that petitioner had not exhausted his administrative remedies. With certain exceptions that do not apply here, “[t]hose who wish to challenge agency determinations under [CPLR] article 78 may not do so until they have exhausted their administrative remedies” (Walton v New York State Dept. of Correctional Servs., 8 NY3d 186, 195 [2007]; see Watergate II Apts. v Buffalo Sewer Auth., 46 NY2d 52, 57 [1978]). Petitioner stated in his petition that he was challenging the actions of the county respondents and that he was not contesting the determination made by the state respondents. Indeed, the Comptroller’s preliminary decision to grant disability retirement benefits is currently being reviewed pursuant to Retirement and Social Security Law § 74 (d) and a “final determination” under that statute has not yet been rendered. To the extent that petitioner now seeks to assert a ground to avoid the requirement to exhaust administrative remedies, we need only note that such argument was not advanced before Supreme Court and, accordingly, is not properly before us (see Matter of Horvath [Residence Inn/Buffalo Lodging Assoc., L.L.C.—Commissioner of Labor], 32 AD3d 1089, [793]*7931089 [2006]; Wagner v Town of Ticonderoga, 88 AD2d 1011, 1011 [1982]).

We turn next to petitioner’s argument that Supreme Court erred in dismissing, upon the ground of failure to state a cause of action, his claim that the county respondents violated his due process rights.

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Bluebook (online)
42 A.D.3d 791, 840 N.Y.S.2d 211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-county-of-westchester-nyappdiv-2007.