Robinson v. State

40 Misc. 3d 1034, 972 N.Y.S.2d 834
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedMay 6, 2013
DocketClaim No. 117140
StatusPublished

This text of 40 Misc. 3d 1034 (Robinson v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robinson v. State, 40 Misc. 3d 1034, 972 N.Y.S.2d 834 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Diane L. Fitzpatrick, J.

Claimant brings a motion to compel the production of certain documents pursuant to CPLR 3126.1 Defendant opposes the motion. Defendant has provided some of the demanded documents for in camera inspection.

[1036]*1036This claim arises from a serious assault within the confines of Five Points Correctional Facility on October 13, 2008. Claimant, an inmate, was attacked by his cell-mate and stabbed in the eye. Claimant also asserts that he failed to receive proper medical care for his injuries due to the State’s alleged medical malpractice.

As relevant to this motion, claimant alleges that the State knew or should have known of the foreseeable risk of attack by his cell-mate and failed to take reasonable precautions to protect him from the risk of injury. Claimant alleges the State negligently assigned him to share a cell with an inmate the State knew suffered from mental illness, and was serving a life sentence for the stabbing death of his wife, and the stabbing and attempted murder of his wife’s roommate. Claimant also asserts that he made three written requests to be moved to a different cell before he was stabbed, all of which were denied.

As part of the process of discovery pursuant to CPLR article 31, claimant served upon defendant a third supplemental notice for discovery and inspection seeking among other things:

“(4) Any pre-sentencing report upon which the Dept, of Correctional Services (DOCS)[2] relied in connection with a determination to double-bunk Clifford Damon; and
“(5) Any sentencing minutes upon which the Dept, of Correctional Services (DOCS) relied in connection with a determination to double-bunk Clifford Damon; and . . .
“(8) The names and DIN numbers of any inmates who double-bunked with Clifford Damon prior to his being double-bunked with claimant.”3

A fourth supplemental notice for discovery and inspection was also served upon defendant, seeking:

“(7) All documents generated in connection with the development of DOCS Directive No.4003, including but not limited to any ‘drafts’ of the directive, any correspondence or memoranda to or from superintendents of correctional facilities regarding proposed language in the directive, all correspondence or memoranda to or from legal counsel regarding the directive, and any other documents [1037]*1037concerning the formulation of the directive.”4

Defendant refused to provide the requested information. Defendant asserted, in response to the third supplemental notice for discovery and inspection, that the presentence report and minutes were confidential relying upon Criminal Procedure Law § 390.50 and 9 NYCRR 8000.5 (c) (2) (i). Defendant also asserted that the court previously ruled in a prior decision and order that identifying information regarding inmate Damon’s prior cell-mate, before claimant, should not be released. In response to the fourth supplemental notice, defendant argues that preliminary information and correspondence related to the creation of DOCCS Directive No. 4003 are not relevant and subject to the public interest privilege and deliberative process privilege.

CPLR 3101 directs that “[t]here shall be full disclosure of all matter material and necessary” to the prosecution or defense of an action (CPLR 3101 [a]). There are only three classes of protected materials: privileged matter which is absolutely immune from discovery, attorney work-product, also immune from disclosure, and materials prepared for trial which may be discoverable upon a showing of “substantial need and undue hardship.” (Spectrum Sys. Intl. Corp. v Chemical Bank, 78 NY2d 371, 376-377 [1991].) The burden is on the party objecting to disclosure to establish its entitlement to protection (id. at 377). These are the underlying principles for this decision and order.

Presentence Report and Minutes

It is claimant’s position that the crimes that inmate Damon committed made it inappropriate for him to be double-bunked according to DOCCS Directive No. 4003. Claimant maintains that the State acknowledged that it considered the presentence report and, if available, the presentencing minutes when it determined that inmate Damon was appropriate for double-bunking.5 Since the State relied upon this information in justifying its placement of inmate Damon in a cell with claimant, he argues, the information is material and necessary to the prosecution of this action, and defendant should be directed to produce these documents.

Defendant, in opposition, argues that presentencing information — the report and minutes — are confidential and may not [1038]*1038even be released to the subject inmate without authorization from the sentencing court. Defendant relies upon Holmes v State of New York (140 AD2d 854 [3d Dept 1988]) in support of its position. In Holmes, an inmate was assaulted by another inmate and sued the State alleging that the perpetrator should not have been housed in general population because he was a “known mental patient.” (Holmes, 140 AD2d at 854.) The trial court withheld materials relating to the perpetrator’s social, psychological, and psychiatric background because they were part of the presentence report, and pursuant to Criminal Procedure Law § 390.50 were confidential. The appellate court affirmed and emphasized that no other court other than the sentencing court is statutorily authorized to permit disclosure of this presentencing information.

Section 390.50 of the Criminal Procedure Law entitled, “Confidentiality of pre-sentence reports and memoranda” provides in part:

“[a]ny pre-sentence report or memorandum submitted to the court pursuant to this article and any medical, psychiatric or social agency report or other information gathered for the court by a probation department, or submitted directly to the court, in connection with the question of sentence is confidential and may not be made available to any person or public or private agency except where specifically required or permitted by statute or upon specific authorization of the court.” (CPL 390.50 [1].)

Pursuant to subdivision (3) of CPL 390.50, the probation department must make available a copy of the presentence report and any medical, psychiatric, or social agency report submitted to it in connection with its presentence investigation or its supervision of a defendant to the state agency with whom the criminal defendant is committed. That section further provides that “[i]n any such case, the court or agency receiving such material must retain it under the same conditions of confidentiality as apply to the probation department that made it available” (CPL 390.50 [3]).

It seems clear that the presentence report and any memoranda related to the presentencing investigation are absolutely privileged from disclosure (CPL 390.50 [3]; Holmes v State of New York, 140 AD2d 854 [1988]). Even if DOCCS has the report and accompanying memoranda in its possession, the statute places the same restrictions on that state department to keep the information confidential as on the probation depart[1039]*1039ment that performs the investigation or provides the report to DOCCS (CPL 390.50 [3]).

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Bluebook (online)
40 Misc. 3d 1034, 972 N.Y.S.2d 834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-state-nyclaimsct-2013.