Knight v. Maybee

44 Misc. 2d 152, 253 N.Y.S.2d 59, 1964 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1382
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 14, 1964
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 44 Misc. 2d 152 (Knight v. Maybee) 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
Knight v. Maybee, 44 Misc. 2d 152, 253 N.Y.S.2d 59, 1964 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1382 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1964).

Opinion

Carman F. Ball, J.

The complaint herein is verified and alleges that the plaintiff sustained injuries as a result of a collision between a truck, in which he was a passenger, and an automobile owned by defendant, Beatrice Maybee, and being operated with her consent by the defendant, David L. Maybee, (Beatrice Maybee and David L. Maybee will be referred to hereafter as “ defendants ”).

The complaint contains the following paragraphs:

seventh: That on or about the 12th day of September, 1963, at or about 9:40 p.m. thereof, while the plaintiff, John J. Knight, was a passenger in the truck of the defendant, Samuel Caico, and while said truck was being operated and driven by Allan A. Hoopengarner, the agent, servant, and employee of the defendant, Samuel Caico, said truck in which plaintiff was riding violently collided and crashed with the automobile being operated by the defendant, David L. Maybee, on Jefferson Avenue at or near the intersection of Utica Street in the City of Buffalo, County of Erie and State of New York.
eighth : That the vehicles of the defendants violently crashed, struck, and collided with each other and that said collision was caused by the recklessness, [153]*153carelessness, and negligence of the defendants in the operation, control, and management of their respective vehicles and without any fault, carelessness, or negligence on the part of the plaintiff contributing thereto.
eleventh : That at all times herein mentioned, the defendant, David L. Maybee, was operating an automobile while under the influence of alcohol and in violation of Section 1192 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York.
twelfth : That the defendant, David L. Maybee, did voluntarily drive an automobile while so drunk that his muscular and nervous reactions were retarded and the perfect co-ordination of eye, brain, and muscle so essential for driving a ear, were impaired.
thirteenth : That while incapable of operating a ear after voluntarily getting intoxicated, the defendant, David L. Maybee, wantonly, grossly, wilfully, and negligently did operate an automobile in a distinctly anti-social manner, all the circumstances considered, to plaintiff’s grave detriment.
fourteenth: That on the 8th day of November, 1963, defendant, David L. Maybee, after trial by jury, in the City Court of Buffalo, was found guilty and convicted of violation of Section 1192-2 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York.
fifteenth: That the charge of drunken driving of which the defendant, David L. Maybee, was found guilty and convicted as set out in paragraph numbered Fourteenth ’ of this complaint arose from the circumstances as set out in paragraph numbered 1 Seventh ’ of the complaint.
seventeenth : That because of the defendant, David L. Maybee’s, wilful and wanton negligence as aforesaid, and in consideration of the premises, the plaintiff is entitled to recover punitive damages against the defendant, David L. Maybee, in the amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) over and above the sum of his compensatory damages.

Heretofore, the defendants moved for an order striking paragraphs ‘ ‘ fourteenth ’ ’ and ‘ ‘ fifteenth ’ ’ from the complaint or, in the alternative, staying further proceedings in the action until a final determination of the pending appeal from the conviction alleged in paragraphs 1 ‘ fourteenth ’ ’ and ‘1 fifteenth ’ ’. Apparently, the basis for the motion was that said allegations set forth evidence which would not be admissible in the action, and on the further ground that it was not proper to set forth such evidence in the complaint. This motion was heard by Hon. Frank J. Kronenberg, a Justice of this court, who denied the motion in all respects.

After the denial of the said motion, the defendants served an unverified answer. The answer was deemed unacceptable by plaintiff’s attorney on the ground that it was unverified and plaintiff’s attorney returned it to defendants’ counsel immediately.

The defendants thereupon served the unverified answer herein, in which they denied the allegations contained in paragraphs ‘ ‘ ELEVENTH, ” “ TWELFTH, ” “ THIRTEENTH ’ ’ and ‘ ‘ SEVENTEENTH ” of the complaint; denied knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to paragraph “ seventh ” of the [154]*154complaint, but admitted ‘ that an automobile owned by the defendant, Beatrice Maybee, collided with a truck owned by Samuel Caico and driven by Allan A. Hoopengarner at about 9:40 p.m. on the 12th day of September, 1963. ’ ’ The answer also admitted the allegation contained in paragraph 11 eighth ’ ’ of the complaint, but denied that part of paragraph eighth ” which alleges ‘ ‘ that said collision was caused by the recklessness, carelessness, and negligence of the defendants in the operation, control, and management of their respective vehicles and without any fault, carelessness, or negligence on the part of the plaintiff contributing thereto.”

Simultaneously with the service of this answer, the defendants served upon the attorney for the plaintiff a notice of motion for an order to compel the plaintiff to accept the same, which motion was duly argued before me.

In support of this motion, defendants contend that if defendant, David L. Maybee, is successful in his pending appeal from the judgment convicting him of operating the motor vehicle while in an intoxicated condition, and in the event that a new trial is ordered, he would be privileged, on the ground of self incrimination, from testifying on such a new trial as to any of the matters contained in the paragraphs of the complaint which have been set out verbatim above and he would also be privileged from testifying to such matter in the within civil action, under CPLR 4501. (Counsel have advised the court that the defendant did not plead guilty; that the defendant did not testify during the trial, and that the appeal from the judgment of conviction is still pending.)

In opposition, the plaintiff contends that the privilege against testifying on the ground of self incrimination terminates with a judgment of conviction. That this is, the rule, as it is usually stated, must be conceded.

However, what does the phrase “ judgment of conviction” mean when used with the relation to the question as to when a privilege against incrimination terminates after a judgment of conviction? The court said in Matter of Richetti v. New York State Bd. of Parole (300 N. Y. 357, 360): “ We have had occasion to point out that the word conviction ’ is of equivocal meaning and that the use of the term may vary with the particular statute involved. It presents a question of legislative intent.”

The reason which is the basis for the statement that a judgment of conviction terminates the privilege against self incrimination is that, generally, a judgment of conviction effectively removes the danger of further prosecution, and, consequently, the privilege cannot properly and legally be asserted.

[155]*155Thus, in People v. Riela (14 Misc 2d 213, 219, affd. 9 A D 2d 481, revd. on other grounds 7 N Y 2d 571, cert. den. 364 U. S.

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Bluebook (online)
44 Misc. 2d 152, 253 N.Y.S.2d 59, 1964 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knight-v-maybee-nysupct-1964.