Pirov v. Caban

2025 NY Slip Op 31202(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedApril 8, 2025
DocketIndex No. 161426/2023
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2025 NY Slip Op 31202(U) (Pirov v. Caban) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, New York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pirov v. Caban, 2025 NY Slip Op 31202(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2025).

Opinion

Pirov v Caban 2025 NY Slip Op 31202(U) April 8, 2025 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 161426/2023 Judge: J. Machelle Sweeting Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/09/2025 10:55 AM INDEX NO. 161426/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 24 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2025

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. J. MACHELLE SWEETING PART 50 Justice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X INDEX NO. 161426/2023 AMNUN PIROV, MOTION DATE 11/21/2023 Petitioner, MOTION SEQ. NO. 001 -v- EDWARD A. CABAN, AS POLICE COMMISSIONER OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND, KEVIN HOLLORAN, AS DECISION + ORDER ON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF MOTION THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND, THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Respondents. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 were read on this motion to/for ARTICLE 78 (BODY OR OFFICER) .

Petitioner filed this article 78 petition seeking:

1) a judgment pursuant to Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules (“CPLR”):

a. reviewing and annulling the action of respondents herein (collectively, the “City”) in denying petitioner an accidental disability retirement pursuant to New York City Administrative Code 13- 252, and declaring said action to be arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable and unlawful; and

b. directing and ordering the City to award petitioner a line of duty accidental disability retirement pension; or in the alternative

c. directing and ordering the City, by way of remand, to review petitioner’s application for a line of duty accidental disability retirement benefit.

161426/2023 PIROV, AMNUN vs. EDWARD A. CABAN, AS POLICE COMMISSIONER OF THE Page 1 of 10 CITY OF NEW YORK, AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND ET AL Motion No. 001

1 of 10 [* 1] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/09/2025 10:55 AM INDEX NO. 161426/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 24 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2025

2) an order, pursuant to CPLR 7804(e), directing the City to serve and file upon the date hereof: a. all reports, recommendations, certificates and all other documents submitted to the Police Pension Fund Board of Trustees, in connection with the retirement of the petitioner herein; and

b. copies of any and all records, reports or notes relating to petitioner which are on file with the Police Pension Fund and/or Police Department.

Relevant Facts

Petitioner, a police officer with the New York Police Department (“NYPD”), claims to

have suffered disabling injuries on October 5, 2020, while responding on foot to a 911 call.1

Plaintiff alleges that as he went in search of a perpetrator, he tripped over what he described as a

defective broken part of a speed bump which created a tripping hazard. Petitioner claims that the

speed bump was defective due to a broken indentation in its middle, and the defect was unexpected

and out of the ordinary. Petitioner claims that he was not familiar with the area he was patrolling

and did not anticipate the defect at the time. As a result of his fall, he sustained severe injuries to

his right hand, his right shoulder and his right ankle.

Petitioner was examined by the Medical Board of the Police Pension Fund (“the Board”)

and submitted an application seeking Accidental Disability Retirement (“accidental disability”).

The Police Commissioner submitted a different application seeking that petitioner be granted

Ordinary Disability Retirement (“ordinary disability”).

1 While the City raises in its opposition papers challenges to the precipitating cause of petitioner’s injuries - in that the City argues that the trip and fall did not occur while petitioner was searching the premises for a perpetrator, but he tripped and fell after exiting a building and the job had already been completed - there is no indication on this record that the manner in which the incident occurred was raised before the Trustees or that it was a factor in their determination. 161426/2023 PIROV, AMNUN vs. EDWARD A. CABAN, AS POLICE COMMISSIONER OF THE Page 2 of 10 CITY OF NEW YORK, AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND ET AL Motion No. 001

2 of 10 [* 2] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/09/2025 10:55 AM INDEX NO. 161426/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 24 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2025

On September 13, 2022, the Board reviewed both applications. The Board recommended

approval of petitioner’s application for Accidental Disability Retirement and denied the Police

Commissioner’s application for Ordinary Disability Retirement.

The Board of Trustees of the Police Pension Fund (the “Trustees”)2 considered this matter

on May 10, 2023, June 14, 2023, July 13, 2023, and August 9, 2023. The minutes from the

meetings were submitted by petitioner at NYSCEF Doc. No. 4. The Trustees did not follow the

Board’s recommendation, and on August 10, 2023, they sent petitioner a letter (NYSCEF Doc.

No. 10) stating:

At the 08/09/2023 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the New York City Police Pension Fund, your application for Accidental Disability Retirement was reconsidered resulting in a 6/6 split decision amongst the Board of Trustees. However, in that meeting. the Board of Trustees voted to approve the Police Commissioners application for Ordinary Disability.

On November 21, 2023, petitioner commenced the instant Article 78 proceeding.

Arguments Made by the Parties

Petitioner argues that the Trustees are always bound by the Medical Board’s finding of a

disability and that the Trustees’ denial of petitioner’s application for an Accidental Disability

Retirement was arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, unlawful and contrary to the provisions of the

Constitution of the United States and the State of New York statutes, laws, ordinances, rules and

regulations applicable in these circumstances.

2 The Board of Trustees is comprised of 12 members, four from City government, and eight from the police labor unions. Voting power is weighted such that the City representatives have a total of six votes and the union representatives have six votes. An accidental disability application must be approved by a majority of the Trustees, and anything less than a majority results in the denial of accidental disability benefits and an award of ordinary disability benefits. 161426/2023 PIROV, AMNUN vs. EDWARD A. CABAN, AS POLICE COMMISSIONER OF THE Page 3 of 10 CITY OF NEW YORK, AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE PENSION FUND ET AL Motion No. 001

3 of 10 [* 3] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 04/09/2025 10:55 AM INDEX NO. 161426/2023 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 24 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/09/2025

Petitioner argues that the definition of what constitutes an accident is well-settled, and has

been deemed to be “a sudden, fortuitous mischance, unexpected, out of the ordinary, and injurious

in impact.” Petitioner argues that the injuries he sustained were accidental in that he tripped and

fell “on a defective broken up piece of the speed bump” while he was searching for a perpetrator.

In his line of duty report (NYSCEF Doc. Nos.

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Bluebook (online)
2025 NY Slip Op 31202(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pirov-v-caban-nysupctnewyork-2025.