In re Allen Children

30 Misc. 3d 634
CourtNew York Family Court
DecidedOctober 6, 2010
StatusPublished

This text of 30 Misc. 3d 634 (In re Allen Children) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Family Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Allen Children, 30 Misc. 3d 634 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Kimberly M. Seager, J.

Petitioner, Department of Social Services (DSS), seeks in its motion to have the court reopen the trial of this matter to offer in evidence a certificate of conviction filed in the Town of Sandy Creek Justice Court. The criminal nonjury trial commenced after the conclusion of the trial before this court. Respondent father opposes the motion on several grounds.

The motion raises several issues that must be considered by the court: whether it is appropriate for the court to give petitioner an opportunity to submit additional evidence after trial testimony and summations have been completed, and what factors the court should consider in determining whether the matter should be reopened.

On July 6, 2010, the petitioner and respondent rested after two days of trial. The court adjourned the matter until August [636]*63619, 2010 in order to render its decision. On August 16, 2010, petitioner filed a motion to reopen the trial to have a certificate of conviction entered as proof of the alleged neglect. Motion arguments were scheduled for a date after the decision was to be rendered in order to give respondent’s and the children’s attorneys their statutory time to respond. On August 19, 2010, the court rendered its decision dismissing the neglect petition without considering petitioner’s motion or offer of proof.

The introduction of evidence and the time when it may be introduced are matters generally resting in the sound discretion of the trial court (see Matter of Julia BB., 42 AD3d 208 [3d Dept 2007], lv denied 9 NY3d 815 [2007], citing Feldsberg v Nitschke, 49 NY2d 636 [1980], rearg denied 50 NY2d 1059 [1980]). Further, after a party has produced all of its evidence and rested its case, it has been held to be within the discretion of the court whether to allow reopening of the case (see id.).

In its motion, DSS relies on the holding in Kay Found v S & F Towing Serv. of Staten Is., Inc. (31 AD3d 499 [2d Dept 2006]), wherein the trial court denied plaintiffs motion to reopen.1 In Kay, the Second Department found the lower court erred by not allowing the submission of what was “considered to be crucial evidence” (id. at 501). The Kay Court held that in deciding whether leave should be granted to reopen a nonjury trial “the trial court should consider whether the movant has provided a sufficient offer of proof, whether the opposing party is prejudiced, and whether significant delay in the trial will result if the motion is granted” (id.).

In Julia BB. (42 AD3d 208 [2007]), the Third Department considered a motion following the close of proof but prior to the issuance of Family Court’s fact-finding decision. In that case, it was respondents who moved by order to show cause to have the child examined by two expert physicians and to reopen the proof in order to admit their testimony. Family Court denied respondents’ motion to reopen, but granted the request to have the child examined, holding that the resulting testimony would be beneficial at the dispositional hearing. The Third Department’s determination on whether the Family Court abused its discretion in denying respondents’ motion to reopen was a resounding “yes,” since the record reflected that the movant offered a cogent explanation as to why the requested testimony had not [637]*637been offered sooner and specified who would be testifying, what the proof would be, and how it related to the central dispute (see id. at 215).

Even after a decision has been rendered, it has been considered proper for a Family Court to reopen the proof (see Matter of Chendo O., 193 AD2d 1083 [4th Dept 1993]). In Chendo O., the trial court, after a fact-finding hearing, found the respondent not responsible for the abuse of his daughters, but instead found that he had neglected them by permitting their sexual abuse (see id.). In a motion made pursuant to Family Court Act § 1061, petitioner’s attorney asserted in a supporting affidavit that the children had not been in counseling at the time of trial and that the counselor who worked with them after the fact-finding order believed that respondent was the abuser. Petitioner’s attorney attached a list of statements made by the children to their counselor to support that they were abused by respondent. He also attached a letter from a social worker who, after meeting with respondent alone, and then with the children, concluded that the children had been abused by the respondent. The Fourth Department found that Family Court Act § 1061 authorizes the court to allow this additional information based on a showing of good cause.

It is also well within the trial court’s discretion to deny additional evidence where there is an absence of any indication that the evidence would add anything to the record, given the clear and convincing evidence already adduced at fact-finding (see generally Matter of Pandozy v Dwayne OO., 144 AD2d 739 [3d Dept 1988]).

Based upon the foregoing analysis, in order for this court to determine if petitioner has made the requisite showing of good cause and allow the reopening, it must consider several factors. Among the factors to be considered are whether petitioner has provided a sufficient offer of proof; whether there will be any significant delay if the motion is granted; whether the petitioner has offered a cogent explanation as to why the requested evidence had not been offered sooner; whether the respondent will be prejudiced; and how the offer of proof relates to the central issue or whether it will add anything to the record in light of the evidence already adduced at fact-finding.

In the case at bar, petitioner has clearly established the nature of the additional proof, specifically, a certificate of conviction. Further, the court does not believe that any significant delay would result in reopening the trial to allow the certificate to be [638]*638admitted, as respondent has indicated that he would not seek to offer any further evidence in response. The certificate clearly was not available at the close of trial, as the criminal matter did not commence until after the completion of the Family Court matter.

As to the matter of prejudice, respondent’s counsel argues that to allow petitioner to reopen would be akin to giving it a second bite of the apple and could result in never-ending litigation. While respondent is correct that some finality is required, the court does not find any prejudice to respondent in this case, given the close proximity in time between the two trials and the promptness of petitioner’s motion.

Finally, in order to grant petitioner’s motion, the court must find that the certificate of conviction would add something to the record, given the extensive evidence already adduced during the two-day fact-finding trial.

Petitioner argues that it should be allowed to reopen the matter to add the certificate of conviction as “the determination of guilt in the parallel criminal action has collateral estoppel effect in these Family Court proceeding” (see petitioner’s affirmation, point 8). In opposition, respondent argues that neglect and endangering the welfare of a child are not interchangeable, as if comparing “apples and oranges” (see respondent’s affirmation, points 8-11).

“The doctrine of collateral estoppel, a narrower species of res judicata,

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Related

Suffolk County Deptartment of Social Services v. James M.
630 N.E.2d 636 (New York Court of Appeals, 1994)
Nicholson v. Scoppetta
820 N.E.2d 840 (New York Court of Appeals, 2004)
Feldsberg v. Nitschke
404 N.E.2d 1293 (New York Court of Appeals, 1980)
Kay Foundation v. S & F Towing Services of Staten Island, Inc.
31 A.D.3d 499 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2006)
In re Diana N.
34 A.D.3d 1058 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2006)
In re Julia BB.
42 A.D.3d 208 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2007)
In re Derrick C.
55 A.D.3d 1320 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2008)
In re Ajay P.
60 A.D.3d 681 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2009)
In re New York State Urban Development Corp.
63 A.D.3d 1719 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2009)
In re Aaron H.
72 A.D.3d 1602 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
Pandozy v. Dwayne OO.
144 A.D.2d 739 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1988)
In re Chendo O.
193 A.D.2d 1083 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1993)
In re Denise GG.
254 A.D.2d 582 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1998)
In re Peterson Children
185 Misc. 2d 351 (NYC Family Court, 2000)
In re Jasmine R.
8 Misc. 3d 904 (NYC Family Court, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
30 Misc. 3d 634, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-allen-children-nyfamct-2010.