Hecht v. New York State Teachers' Retirement System

138 Misc. 2d 198, 523 N.Y.S.2d 742, 1987 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2791
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 31, 1987
StatusPublished

This text of 138 Misc. 2d 198 (Hecht v. New York State Teachers' Retirement System) 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
Hecht v. New York State Teachers' Retirement System, 138 Misc. 2d 198, 523 N.Y.S.2d 742, 1987 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2791 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Daniel F. Luciano, J.

This is a CPLR article 78 proceeding commenced by the [199]*199petitioner, Elaine Hecht, to compel the respondent, New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, to pay a death benefit allegedly due occasioned by the death of the decedent, Conrad Hecht. The article 78 proceeding was commenced in the Supreme Court, Suffolk County. The respondent has moved "for an order pursuant to CPLR 511 (b) changing the venue of the subject proceeding to Albany County, [and] staying all proceedings pursuant to CPLR 511 (c)”. The basis for the motion is CPLR 506 (b) which specifies proper venue for a proceeding against a body or officer. The request for a change of venue is further expanded in the supporting affirmation to include a request to change venue pursuant to CPLR 510 (convenience of witnesses — subd 3).

The decedent, Conrad Hecht, was an employee of the Massapequa Union Free School District and a member of the respondent, New York State Teachers’ Retirement System. The decedent, Conrad Hecht, died on November 1, 1986. The parties dispute whether the decedent’s, Conrad Hecht, last day of employment with the Massapequa Union Free School District was October 1, 1986 or October 3 (eff date Oct. 4), 1986. Resolution of this disputed fact is critical to the question of whether the petitioner, Elaine Hecht, is entitled to recover death benefits since to recover such death benefits it is necessary that a decedent die within thirty days after retirement. (Education Law § 513.)

The respondent, New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, asserts that the proper venue for this article 78 proceeding is in Albany County. CPLR 506 (b) provides, in part: "Proceeding against body or officer. A proceeding against a body or officer shall be commenced in any county within the judicial district where the respondent made the determination complained of or refused to perform the duty specifically enjoined upon him by law, or where the proceedings were brought or taken in the course of which the matter sought to be restrained originated, or where the material events otherwise took place, or where the principal office of the respondent is located”. CPLR 7804 (b) provides: "A proceeding under this article shall be brought in the supreme court in the county specified in subdivision (b) of section 506 except as that subdivision otherwise provides.”

In 8 Weinstein-Korn-Miller (NY Civ Prac ][ 7804.03) the authors state, in part:

"The opening paragraph of CPLR 506 (b), which states the [200]*200general venue rule for Article 78 proceedings, provides for three alternative bases for venue. The first basis, referring to the place of the official action being challenged, is framed in terms of the tri-partite distinctions among certiorari and mandamus attacking action involving discretion ('where the respondent made the determination’), mandamus involving no discretion ('where the respondent . . . refused to perform the duty specifically enjoined upon him by law’) and prohibition ('where the proceedings were brought or taken in the course of which the matter sought to be restrained originated’). See U 7803.03. This formulation might appear to raise some problems because of the apparent need to characterize the relief in order to determine venue. However, such a problem does not in fact arise. Whatever the nature of the relief sought, the place where the action challenged by petitioner actually occurred will not vary, regardless of whether the question is framed as the place of the 'determination’ or 'refusal to perform the duty’ or 'where the proceedings were brought.’
"The third general basis for venue, 'the principal office of the respondent,’ is a place that is readily identifiable, and has caused few interpretive problems for courts or litigants.
"The second general basis for venue, 'where the material events took place,’ has, however, raised several problems of interpretation. It is clear that this provision does not limit venue to the place where acts by the official whose conduct is challenged occurred. Such a limited interpretation would make the material events’ basis of venue superfluous, since the place where the challenged action occurred is already a proper venue under the first alternative of CPLR 506 (b). Therefore, 'material events’ forming a proper basis of venue include all such underlying facts and events which give rise to the official action challenged by petitioner. Thus, it has been held that a proceeding to review a determination of the State Liquor Authority could be maintained in the county where the premises involved were located, even though respondent’s determination was made in a different county; and that a determination of the Department of Conservation to acquire land could be challenged in the judicial district where the land was located, since many acts preparatory to the Department’s determination occurred in such district, even though the Department’s ultimate determination was made in Albany County.
"Since the underlying facts and events which give rise to a challenged action can occur in more than one judicial district, [201]*201it follows that each such judicial district in which a 'material event’ takes place provides a proper venue as to any county therein.” (Emphasis added.)

The respondent, New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, in paragraph 9 of its moving affirmation asserts that "where, as here, the determination complained of was made in Albany County and where the act Petitioner seeks to compel Respondent to perform, viz, payment of a death benefits claim, can only be done in Albany County where Respondent’s principal and only office is located, venue is properly laid in Albany County pursuant to CPLR 506 (b).”

The petitioner, Elaine Hecht, in opposition contends that, "[o]n the contrary, Petitioner received advice of this determination in Suffolk County. Further, all material events occurred in Nassau and Suffolk Counties and not in Albany County.”

In deciding this motion it may be observed first that the place of receiving the notice of the respondents, New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, determination is not a place "where the material events took place”. Indeed, all the material events would necessarily have preceded the notification given to the petitioner, Elaine Hecht. The decedent, Conrad Hecht, however, was employed in the County of Nassau which is in the same Judicial District as is Suffolk County where this proceeding was commenced. Certainly the decedent’s employment and retirement are the material events which are the subjects of this dispute. (See, Ronco Communications & Elecs. v Valentine, 70 AD2d 773; Matter of Daley v Board of Estimate, 258 App Div 165.)

To be distinguished are cases such as Cohen v Department of Social Servs. (37 AD2d 626, affd 30 NY2d 571) and Semple v Miller (67 Misc 2d 545, affd 38 AD2d 174). In those cases, although the decisions to close schools would certainly have had an effect where the schools were located, there is no indication that any material events occurred in the Judicial Districts in which the schools were located resulting in the determination which was made in Albany County. A similar analysis was made in Matter of Franklin Natl. Bank v Superintendent of Banks (40 Misc 2d 315).

The respondent, New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, has supplied, inter alia,

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

Related

Daley v. Board of Estimate
258 A.D. 165 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1939)
Cohen v. Department of Social Services
37 A.D.2d 626 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1971)
Semple v. Miller
38 A.D.2d 174 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1972)
Ronco Communications & Electronics, Inc. v. Valentine
70 A.D.2d 773 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1979)
Franklin National Bank v. Superintendent of Banks
40 Misc. 2d 315 (New York Supreme Court, 1963)
Semple v. Miller
67 Misc. 2d 545 (New York Supreme Court, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
138 Misc. 2d 198, 523 N.Y.S.2d 742, 1987 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2791, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hecht-v-new-york-state-teachers-retirement-system-nysupct-1987.