Schilt v. New York City Transit Authority

304 A.D.2d 189, 759 N.Y.S.2d 10, 2003 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4183
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedApril 17, 2003
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 304 A.D.2d 189 (Schilt v. New York City Transit Authority) 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
Schilt v. New York City Transit Authority, 304 A.D.2d 189, 759 N.Y.S.2d 10, 2003 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4183 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Nardelli, J.P.

In this appeal, we are asked to determine, inter alia, whether the actions of the individual defendant New York City transit police officers fall within the scope of their employment with defendant the New York City Transit Authority, and if the motion court, in answering that question in the negative, properly granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff’s claim against the Transit Authority.

Plaintiff Michael Schilt commenced this action in January 1994 by the service of a summons and verified complaint, alleging negligence on the part of defendants the New York City Transit Authority and the New York City Transit Authority Police (collectively to be referred to herein as the Transit Authority), and assault, false arrest and conversion against individual defendants William Illari, Erik Paulsen and James Leghart, the latter two of whom are Transit Authority police officers. Prior to the commencement of this action, and subsequent to the filing of a notice of claim, plaintiff appeared at a General Municipal Law § 50-h hearing, which was conducted on June 21, 1993.

Plaintiff testified that on January 27, 1993, at approximately 8:25 p.m., he was driving alone in his white 1985 Dodge Diplomat on Route 135 (the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, to be referred to herein as the Expressway) in Nassau County, New [191]*191York. Plaintiff claimed that he was alone in his vehicle and proceeding southbound in the left lane when a red Chevrolet Camaro, driven by Paulsen, came up from behind him. Paulsen purportedly began to flash his high beams at plaintiff and, after traveling approximately one-half mile, Paulsen pulled alongside plaintiff’s car and then cut him off. Plaintiff, who testified that he thought he was being carjacked, moved into the center lane but Paulsen repeatedly cut him off.

Plaintiff averred that while he was still in the middle lane, Paulsen once again pulled alongside him and “moved over on me,” causing the vehicles to make contact. Plaintiff, who stated that at that point he “feared for his life,” then made an illegal U-turn across the median at a police turnaround, at which time Paulsen displayed “what looked like a badge.” Paulsen also made the U-turn and as the two vehicles now proceeded northbound on the Expressway, plaintiff testified that Paulsen “came up on my left side and forced me off the road again. As he’s forcing me off the road, the passenger on the side displayed a badge, so I pulled over.”

Plaintiff stated that Paulsen stopped his car approximately 20 yards in front of his vehicle, got out alone, and without saying anything or displaying a badge, punched plaintiff in the face through the open driver’s side window. Paulsen then purportedly opened plaintiff’s door and jumped on top of plaintiff, striking him six or seven more times. Plaintiff contended that he smelled alcohol on Paulsen’s breath, who at the time was yelling “I’m gonna kill you, look what you did to my $20,000 car.” Defendants Illari and Leghart pulled Paulsen out of the car and off of plaintiff, after which Paulsen then pulled plaintiff out of the car, pushed him against the side of the vehicle, and demanded his license.

Plaintiff reached into his pocket to retrieve his license, which was among several credit cards. Plaintiff maintained that one of the defendants grabbed the cards from his hand and as Paulsen wrote down plaintiff’s information, he refused to provide any information or identification of his own, including whether or not he was a police officer, or what agency he worked for. Paulsen also made no effort to issue a citation or summon assistance from the Nassau County Police Department, instead threatening plaintiff that he had seven days to pay for the damage “or else.” Indeed, when a Nassau County Police car approached from the southbound side of the Expressway with its emergency lights and siren activated, plaintiff testified that the defendants “jumped in [Paulsen’s] [192]*192car and took off.” Plaintiff then discovered that three of his credit cards were missing and he subsequently filed a complaint concerning the incident with the Nassau County Police. Plaintiff averred that $57 in unauthorized charges were made on those cards at bars the night of the incident and the following night.

Defendants, as a result of plaintiffs complaint, gave statements to the Nassau County Police during the course of the following week which were substantially similar to each other. Defendants stated that they had been in a bar for approximately two hours, during which time Paulsen maintained that he consumed two beers. Paulsen also stated that after leaving the bar, he was driving to Levittown when he approached plaintiffs car from the rear, which was weaving from side to side and repeatedly hitting its brakes. Paulsen contended that since both cars were in the left lane, he moved into the center lane, passed plaintiff, and returned to the left lane. Plaintiff then purportedly pulled alongside Paulsen again and began moving into Paulsen’s lane until the vehicles made contact.

Paulsen stated that he then pulled up next to plaintiff and displayed his Transit Police badge, but that plaintiff sped off and made a U-turn across the median. Paulsen followed plaintiff, pulled up alongside him and again displayed his shield, at which time plaintiff pulled over. Paulsen alleged that he exited his car, as did plaintiff, and that as they approached each other, plaintiff attempted to punch Paulsen. Paulsen avoided the punch, and claimed he struck plaintiff and restrained him against plaintiff’s car. Plaintiff, while being restrained, allegedly told Paulsen that he did not know he was a police officer, he thought he was being carjacked, and that if he had known Paulsen was a police officer, he would have stopped. Plaintiff then purportedly told Paulsen he was unemployed and did not want to pay for the damage through his insurance, so they exchanged the relevant information.

Leghari’s and Illari’s statements, with minor variations, reflect the statement given by Paulsen. Leghart stated that Paulsen initially pulled up behind plaintiffs car and flashed his lights indicating he wanted to pass because plaintiff was driving in the left lane. Leghart contended that Paulsen passed on the right and then returned to the left lane, after which plaintiff pulled alongside Paulsen and moved into the left lane, causing the vehicles to make contact. Illari’s statement varies from Leghart’s only in that Illari stated that after Paulsen flashed his lights at plaintiff, plaintiff applied his brakes and [193]*193then pulled into the center lane and when Paulsen pulled alongside, plaintiff veered into Paulsen’s lane causing the accident.

The Transit Authority, in January 2001, moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint as to the Transit Authority on the ground that the officers were not acting within the scope of their employment. Leghart cross-moved, pursuant to CPLR 3216 and 3404, to dismiss the complaint as against him due to plaintiffs failure to prosecute. Leghart also interposed opposition to the Transit Authority’s motion, asserting that an issue of fact existed with regard to the scope of his employment. The motion court, in a five-line decision bereft of any analysis, granted the Transit Authority’s motion, noting that the officers were acting “on their own behalf,” and granted Leghart’s cross motion “on the ground that nothing happened in this case from 1996 until this motion.”

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Bluebook (online)
304 A.D.2d 189, 759 N.Y.S.2d 10, 2003 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schilt-v-new-york-city-transit-authority-nyappdiv-2003.