Peresluha v. City of New York

60 A.D.2d 226, 400 N.Y.S.2d 818, 1977 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 14378
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedDecember 27, 1977
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 60 A.D.2d 226 (Peresluha v. City of New York) 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
Peresluha v. City of New York, 60 A.D.2d 226, 400 N.Y.S.2d 818, 1977 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 14378 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Lane, J.

Two cars and a tractor-trailer were involved in an accident on the Cross-Bronx Expressway on March 21, 1969 at approximately 3:30 a.m. The driver of one of the cars immediately left the scene of the accident. Edmund John Peresluha alleged that he observed the accident and chased after the car which left the scene, overtook it, and recorded its license-plate number. He passed the vehicle and went to telephone the information to the police. The driver of the car he was pursuing followed him. The driver of the allegedly pursued car, Gerald Prezio, interrupted Peresluha’s telephone call and told Peresluha that he was a police officer. Peresluha finally did complete the phone call to the police.

Prezio claimed that it was he who observed Peresluha [229]*229leaving the scene of the accident. He therefore arrested Peresluha and, in a criminal complaint, charged Peresluha with leaving the scene of an accident without reporting personal injury, and with reckless driving. Peresluha was arraigned on these charges on March 21, 1969. The criminal action was dismissed on motion of the Assistant District Attorney on April 15, 1970 after numerous adjournments were granted because of the nonappearance of Prezio.

On June 10, 1970, Peresluha filed a notice of claim against the City of New York and instituted this lawsuit against the City of New York, the Police Department of the City of New York, and Gerald Prezio, by service of a summons and complaint on October 26, 1970, alleging, in essence, causes of action for false arrest and malicious prosecution based on the March 21, 1969 events and the subsequent dismissal of the charges against Peresluha.

After Peresluha filed his notice of claim, the owner of the tractor-trailer and the driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the March 21, 1969 incident instituted an independent action (hereinafter referred to as the "tractor-trailer action”) to recover for personal injury and property damage which they incurred. They named as defendants Edmund John Peresluha, Gerald Prezio, and Thomas Robinson (the driver of the other car involved in the accident). A jury trial in the tractor-trailer action resulted in a unanimous general verdict finding that only Edmund John Peresluha was guilty of negligence.

The City of New York, on behalf of all named defendants, moved in the action at bar to dismiss the complaint on the grounds of the bar of collateral estoppel worked by the tractor-trailer action and the failure of Peresluha to comply with the time limitations contained in sections 50-e and 50-i of the General Municipal Law.

Special Term granted the motion. We hold that the cause of action for false arrest should have been dismissed; the cause of action for malicious prosecution should not.

The false arrest claim arose on March 21, 1969, the date of Peresluha’s arrest and arraignment (Molyneaux v County of Nassau, 22 AD2d 954, affd 16 NY2d 663; Allee v City of New York, 42 AD2d 899). The notice of claim filed by Peresluha on June 10, 1970—more than 90 days after March 21, 1969—was therefore untimely filed (General Municipal Law, § 50-e). The action based thereon, commenced on October 26, 1970—more than one year and 90 days after March 21, 1969—was likewise [230]*230untimely brought (General Municipal Law, § 50-i). Special Term therefore properly dismissed the cause of action in the complaint alleging false arrest.

However, Special Term found that the cause of action for malicious prosecution, though timely brought,

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Bluebook (online)
60 A.D.2d 226, 400 N.Y.S.2d 818, 1977 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 14378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/peresluha-v-city-of-new-york-nyappdiv-1977.