Halyalkar v. Board of Regents

127 A.D.2d 346, 515 N.Y.S.2d 324, 1987 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 42405
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedApril 30, 1987
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 127 A.D.2d 346 (Halyalkar v. Board of Regents) 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
Halyalkar v. Board of Regents, 127 A.D.2d 346, 515 N.Y.S.2d 324, 1987 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 42405 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Mahoney, P. J.

In May 1975, petitioner immigrated to this country from India and met Upen Patel, an underwriter for New York Life Insurance Company who was also of Indian origin. Thereafter, petitioner became duly licensed to practice medicine in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Between 1976 and 1979, Patel requested petitioner to perform 10 to 12 physical examinations on his clients for purposes of securing life insurance. Petitioner performed the examinations and Patel assisted in filling out the insurance forms.

In June 1979, petitioner received a notice from the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners (hereinafter the New Jersey Board) advising him that a complaint had been filed against him for allegedly submitting insurance forms for persons he had not examined. After a hearing, petitioner was served with a formal administrative complaint charging him with nine counts of submitting false certifications in violation of New Jersey law (see, NJ Stat Annot § 45:9-1 et seq.; § 45:1-14 et seq.). Petitioner waived a formal hearing by signing a consent order wherein he pleaded guilty to the charges. As a [348]*348result, petitioner’s license to practice medicine in New Jersey was suspended for two years with the suspension stayed after three months and petitioner placed on probation.

Thereafter, the Pennsylvania Board of Licensure (hereinafter the Pennsylvania Board) served upon petitioner a citation and order to show cause why his license to practice medicine in that State should not be suspended or revoked in light of the disciplinary action taken against him in New Jersey. After a hearing, it was determined that petitioner had violated the Pennsylvania Medical Practice Act. A letter of reprimand was placed in petitioner’s records with the Pennsylvania Board.

On August 28, 1984, the New York State Board of Professional Medical Conduct (hereinafter the New York Board) served a statement of charges upon petitioner alleging that he had engaged in conduct in violation of Education Law § 6509 (2) and (9). An amended statement of charges was later served upon petitioner which added the allegation that he had testified inconsistently in the prior New Jersey and Pennsylvania proceedings.

After a hearing on October 18, 1984 and November 20, 1984, the hearing committee determined that the consent order signed by petitioner in the New Jersey proceeding should not be given collateral estoppel effect as to the charges in New York because he did not have a full and fair opportunity to be heard in the New Jersey proceeding. Further, the hearing committee found that petitioner did not willfully and knowingly submit false insurance forms in New Jersey and that his testimony in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania proceedings was not inconsistent or false. Accordingly, the hearing committee recommended that petitioner’s license to practice medicine be continued.

On June 21, 1985, the Commissioner of Health issued a separate recommendation wherein he recommended that the New Jersey consent order be given collateral estoppel effect with respect to the New York charges and that petitioner’s license to practice medicine in New York be suspended for two years with execution stayed and petitioner placed on probation. On February 5, 1986, the Regents Review Committee recommended in its report to respondent Board of Regents that the conclusions of the Commissioner of Health be accepted with respect to petitioner’s guilt, but that the penalty be modified by suspending petitioner’s license to practice [349]*349medicine in New York for one year with execution stayed and petitioner placed on probation. On April 2, 1986, respondent Commissioner of Education accepted the recommendations of the Regents Review Committee. Thereafter, petitioner commenced this CPLR article 78 proceeding seeking annulment of the determination of the Commissioner of Education or, in the alternative, modification of the penalty.

We agree with petitioner’s contention that in order to sustain the determination finding him guilty of the New York charges, it must be established that he willfully and knowingly submitted false insurance forms. This court has held that the mere making or filing of a false report, without intent or knowledge of the falsity, could not constitute professional misconduct under either Education Law § 6509 (2) or 8 NYCRR 29.1 (b) (6) (see, Matter of Brestin v Commissioner of Educ. of State of N. Y., 116 AD2d 357). Here, petitioner testified before the Pennsylvania Board on March 5, 1981 and before the hearing committee of the New York Board on October 18, 1984 and November 20, 1984. On each occasion, while petitioner admitted that his signature appeared on insurance forms for persons he did not examine, he insisted that he did not knowingly certify an examination he had not performed and that he never intentionally signed a blank form, it being his position that any blank form containing his signature must have been intentionally included among legitimate forms by Patel. Petitioner had testified in like manner at an informal hearing before the New Jersey Board on June 13, 1979.

A review of the record clearly shows that at none of the hearings held in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or New York did petitioner admit to knowingly or intentionally submitting false insurance forms. He not only denies such conduct, but insists that he was deceived into signing blank insurance forms by Patel and that his consent to examine some insurance applicants as a favor to Patel does not establish fraudulent intent on his part. Accordingly, we hold that there was no evidence developed at any of the hearings to establish that petitioner had the knowledge or intent necessary to sustain the charges against him.

Petitioner, however, signed a consent order wherein he pleaded guilty to the charges against him in the New Jersey proceeding. The consent order stated in pertinent part that "[petitioner] having agreed to waive a formal hearing * * * pleads guilty to each count of the administrative complaint”. [350]*350Petitioner was charged with nine counts of submitting false insurance forms to New York Life in violation of New Jersey Statutes Annotated § 45:1-21 (b) and § 45:9-6. Therefore, if the Commissioner of Education was correct in giving collateral estoppel effect to the New Jersey consent order with respect to the New York charges, the New Jersey consent order would provide a basis for finding that the determination in this proceeding was supported by substantial evidence. Thus, we must examine the collateral estoppel effect of administrative orders between different States.

In the application of collateral estoppel with respect to administrative determinations, the burden rests upon the proponent of collateral estoppel to demonstrate the identically and decisiveness of the issue, while the burden rests upon the opponent to establish the absence of a full and fair opportunity to litigate the issue in the prior action or proceeding (Ryan v New York Tel Co., 62 NY2d 494, 501).

Turning to the first requirement, identity of issue, it is necessary to determine whether, by signing the New Jersey consent order, petitioner pleaded guilty to knowingly or intentionally submitting false insurance forms. In the New Jersey proceeding petitioner was charged, inter alia, with conduct in violation of New Jersey Statutes Annotated § 45:1-21, which addresses specific acts of misconduct that provide grounds for license suspension or revocation.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jeffreys v. Griffin
301 A.D.2d 232 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2002)
Halyalkar v. Board of Regents
527 N.E.2d 1222 (New York Court of Appeals, 1988)
Okereke v. State
129 A.D.2d 373 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1987)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
127 A.D.2d 346, 515 N.Y.S.2d 324, 1987 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 42405, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/halyalkar-v-board-of-regents-nyappdiv-1987.