Seabrook v. Johnson

173 Misc. 2d 15, 660 N.Y.S.2d 311, 1997 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 227
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMay 5, 1997
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 173 Misc. 2d 15 (Seabrook v. Johnson) 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
Seabrook v. Johnson, 173 Misc. 2d 15, 660 N.Y.S.2d 311, 1997 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 227 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1997).

Opinion

[16]*16OPINION OF THE COURT

Joseph N. Giamboi, J.

In this proceeding brought pursuant to CPLR article 78, the petitioners seek an order pursuant to CPLR 7803 (2) prohibiting respondents, Robert T. Johnson, as District Attorney, and the District Attorney’s office, of Bronx County, from performing or taking any further acts or proceedings to prosecute petitioners on the indictments and the charges contained therein upon the grounds that petitioners are immune from criminal prosecution and are being deprived of their right against compelled self-incrimination as secured by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution and by article I, § 6 of the New York Constitution. Petitioners further request that the court set the matter down for a hearing pursuant to CPLR 7804 (h) to determine: (1) if evidence obtained under threat of job forfeiture was used to obtain the indictment against the correction officers; (2) if evidence derived from the compelled testimony was used to focus on the petitioners; (3) if evidence derived from the compelled testimony was used to prepare the witnesses and testimony for the Grand Jury; and (4) if the compelled testimony was used in violation of various rulings of the United States Supreme Court. Respondents cross-move, pursuant to CPLR 7804 (f), for an order dismissing the petition on the objection in point of law that petitioners fail to demonstrate a clear legal wrong. In the event that the cross motion is denied, respondents state their intention to exercise their right to serve an answer to the petition. The petitioners’ application and respondents’ cross motion are decided as set forth below.

Petitioner Norman Seabrook is the elected president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, Inc. which is the collective bargaining representative for approximately 10,000 correction officers employed by the City of New York and the Department of Correction of the City of New York. It is alleged in the petition that petitioners John Mickel, John Barnes, Douglas Brophy, Henry Neil, and Maurice Gilliard are permanently appointed civil service correction officers who, under threat by the Department of Correction of job forfeiture, were compelled to provide evidence against themselves. It is further alleged that this evidence was then provided by the Department of Correction to the District Attorney of Bronx County who used that information to obtain indictments against the five officers in Supreme Court, Bronx County.

Petitioner Brophy was indicted on July 9, 1996 for the charges of assault in the third degree, falsifying business rec[17]*17ords in the first degree, and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. Petitioners Gilliard and Mickel were each indicted on September 20, 1996 for the charges of assault in the third degree, falsifying business records in the first degree, and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. On October 2, 1996, petitioner Neil was indicted for the charges of falsifying business records in the first degree and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. On October 4, 1996, petitioner Barnes was indicted for the charges of assault in the third degree, falsifying business records in the first degree, and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.

It is petitioners’ contention that the above indictments were the direct result of compelled evidence obtained, under threat of job forfeiture, during a departmental investigation conducted by the Department of Correction into allegations of misconduct allegedly committed by the five indicted petitioners during the course of their employment at the Central Punitive Segregation Unit at Rikers Island. It is stated in paragraph 11 of the petition that all five indicted officers had been required to provide incriminating evidence pursuant to Mayor’s Executive Order No. 16, which provides in pertinent part, in section 4 (b) as follows:

"4. Investigations

"(b) The Commissioner and, with the approval of the Commissioner, the Inspectors General and any person under the supervision of the Commissioner or the Inspectors General, may require any officer or employee of the City to answer questions concerning any matter related to the performance of his or her official duties or any person dealing with the City, concerning such dealings with the City, after first being advised th[at] neither their statement nor any information or evidence derived therefrom will be used against them in a subsequent criminal prosecution other than for perjury or contempt arising from such testimony. The refusal of an officer or employee to answer questions [under] the condition described in this paragraph shall constitute cause for removal from office or employment or [other] appropriate penalty.” The petitioners maintain, however, that they had not been advised prior to giving their statements, as required by section 4 (b) of Executive Order No. 16, that neither their statements nor any information or evidence derived therefrom would be used against them in a subsequent criminal prosecution.

In their memorandum of law, the petitioners appear to step back from the above argument as they seem to acknowledge [18]*18that Executive Order No. 16 is not directly applicable to their case. By way of analogy, however, petitioners urge that they are entitled to a grant of immunity similar to that available under Executive Order No. 16; they contend that when a public employee is compelled to answer questions or face removal upon refusing to do so the resulting responses are automatically cloaked with immunity.

The petitioners continue that in direct contravention of their constitutionally protected rights, the District Attorney’s office conveyed to the Grand Jury evidence obtained in whole or in part from compelled immunized statements or the leads derived therefrom, or was able to plan Grand Jury strategy and focus questioning based upon evidence derived from the compelled testimony. It is argued that since the indictments were derived from immunized evidence or leads, the indictments were fatally tainted and defective, in violation of petitioner’s rights against self-incrimination and their rights under due process and equal protection of law.

Pursuant to CPLR 7801 (2), the use of an article 78 proceeding to challenge a determination made in a civil action or criminal matter is generally precluded. The extraordinary remedy of prohibition, however, as embodied in CPLR 7803 (2), is a traditional exception to the above rule. Prohibition serves to prevent or control a body or officer acting in a judicial or quasi-judicial capacity from proceeding or threatening to proceed without or in excess of its jurisdiction (Matter of Town of Huntington v New York State Div. of Human Rights, 82 NY2d 783). Prohibition lies only when the petitioner has established a clear legal right to such relief (Matter of Molea v Marasco, 64 NY2d 718). Use of the writ of prohibition is never available merely to correct or prevent trial errors of substantial law or procedure, no matter how grievous. The orderly administration of justice requires that correction of litigation errors be left to the ordinary channels of appeal or review (La Rocca v Lane, 37 NY2d 575).

Even in those rare instances where an arrogation of power would justify burdening the judicial process with collateral intervention and summary correction, the writ of prohibition does not issue as of right, but only in the sound discretion of the court.

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5 Misc. 3d 227 (Nassau County District Court, 2004)

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Bluebook (online)
173 Misc. 2d 15, 660 N.Y.S.2d 311, 1997 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 227, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seabrook-v-johnson-nysupct-1997.