Trustees of the State University v. Edelman

76 Misc. 2d 820, 351 N.Y.S.2d 838, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1537
CourtCivil Court of the City of New York
DecidedDecember 27, 1973
StatusPublished

This text of 76 Misc. 2d 820 (Trustees of the State University v. Edelman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Civil Court of the City of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trustees of the State University v. Edelman, 76 Misc. 2d 820, 351 N.Y.S.2d 838, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1537 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1973).

Opinion

Salvatore T. De Matteo, J.

This action is a joint trial of four holdover summary proceedings. The petitioner in each instance is the State of New York. The object of the proceedings is to remove respondents from their respective apartments at premises 440 Lenox Road, Brooklyn, New York.

The instant situation, in effect, represents oñe of the major problems confronting a sovereign in attempting to maintain the continuous operation of a public hospital, namely, the Downstate Medical Center.

After an exhaustive search of the law the court genuinely suggests it may be one of prime impression.

On August 30, 1968 the Commissioner of Education, pursuant to section 307 of the Education Law, acquired title in the name of the State of New York to the subject apartment building directly across the street from the hospital center. The sole object of said condemnation was to acquire housing for nursing personnel employed at the hospital.

It appears that prior to admitting patients the hospital center must hire three shifts of nurses to be employed through [822]*822the night, and because of such late working hours, they require for both the need of personal safety and convenience as it exists in the surrounding neighborhood, living quarters adjacent to the hospital.

There are 108 apartments in the subject premises of which 14 are still occupied by persons whose occupancy predates the State’s “ takeover ” in 1968. Holdover proceedings have been commenced against only 7 of the 14 tenants. From the inception petitioner has offered, and continues to offer payment of moving, packing, and unpacking expenses of respondents. Former tenants who vacated prior to April 1, 1973 received in addition $1,500, said sum being offered to all tenants at the time. Petitioner made prior offers by phone calls and circulating teams of assistants on the premises to assist tenants in relocating. Petitioner’s efforts in providing relocation to former tenants, who have since vacated, have been unquestionably overwhelmingly successful. The above offers of aid have been rejected by respondents. Petitioner’s offer to help respondents relocate remains available.

In or about December of 1972 and January of 1973, respondents were duly served with a 10-day notice to quit said premises (Education Law, § 307, subd. 11), and, after failing to vacate same, these proceedings were commenced some eight to nine months later. Mr. George D. Peters, director of housing for petitioner, had testified during the course of these proceedings as to the hospital’s crisis in hiring nursing personnel due to a critical shortage of apartments near the hospital. He cited an instance wherein only a single one-bedroom apartment was available as against nine nurses on its waiting list. His testimony remained uncontroverted.

Admittedly, petitioner has not provided respondents with any preliminary hearing. Hence, respondents now contend that State action herein is arbitrary and capricious being in violation of the concept of due process as it was pronounced by our Court of Appeals in Matter of Fuller v. Urstadt (28 N Y 2d 315).

Due to the ever-increasing role of State omnipresence with the lives of our citizens, it is inevitable that Fuller (supra), a 4:3 opinion, will spawn a spate of decisions concerning the quantum of due process to be accorded persons even remotely affected by its action. The court has expressed itself at length herein to show respondents were not denied due process of the law as guaranteed by the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment.

The principle expounded in Fuller, a relatively recent case, antedates Magna Carta. Lest it forgets, the State is reminded [823]*823it is the benevolence of its subjects that empowers it to act. Thus, when State involvement dominates, it will not be permitted to overrun and subjugate its creator in frankenstein fashion. Before it can act detrimentally to persons directly affected, the State must first invite them to 1 ‘ talk things over ’ ’, as it were, within a manner satisfying constitutional due process.

Courts have and continue to disagree as to the requirements of minimal due process under the Fourteenth Amendment within a given situation. Some have held a full adversary hearing is a necessary prerequisite. (See Williams v. White Plains Housing Auth., 35 A D 2d 965; Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U. S. 254; Matter of Vinson v. Greenburgh Housing Auth., 29 A D 2d 338, affd. 27 N Y 2d 675.) Others have held the submission of relevant material to a review board without oral argument suffices. (Burr v. New Rochelle Mun. Housing Auth., 479 F. 2d 1165.) In one instance the New York Court of Appeals had the opportunity to determine whether the issue of a readable transcribed record was a necessary element of due process (Wallace v. Murphy, 21 N Y 2d 433, 437), and there are cases where an administrative agency has rendered a determination without a stenographic record, relying upon other sources to make an informed decision (Matter of Taub v. Pirnie, 3 N Y 2d 188; Patton v. Sugarman, N. Y. L. J., Nov. 30,1973, p. 16, col. 2).

In the Fuller case (28 N Y 2d 315, supra), it appeared a cursory hearing would suffice on the limited issue of arbitrariness ”. Also, to avoid time-consuming delays, courts have by-passed the " preliminary hearing ’ ’ concept, and have held the trial of the action itself suffices the opportunity of providing a proper forum to meet the adequacy of a minimal standard prescribed by due process. (Matter of Sherman v. Kopach, 75 Misc 2d 18; Tompkins Sq. Neighbors v. Zaragoza, 43 A D 2d 551.)

Hence, courts will enjoin State action which directly or indirectly deprives tenants of their right to remain in continued occupancy without being accorded the minimal guarantees of due process under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Query: Are the facts in the instant case independent, and if so, inapplicable to the rule laid down in Fuller %

This court answers in the affirmative. Fuller is not violated wherein the State, acting under the power of eminent domain as enacted in our Condemnation Law, acquires private housing to assist in meeting the critical needs of a public hospital in attracting nursing personnel.

Fuller declares State action, without explanation, is arbitrary and capricious wherein it seeks to cancel several leases and not [824]*824others. In the instant proceedings, all apartments become occupied by nurses as they are made available by attrition. It is significant to note at this posture, that with the exception of respondents and a few others, all of the original tenants have removed without court action on the terms the State has offered to all occupants.

Moreover, in Fuller, tenants reasonably anticipated renewing their leases, but in the proceedings at bar, tenants could not reasonably expect to remain indefinitely, being fully apprised, removal by attrition must occur as the necessity for nursing quarters arise. Additionally, in Fuller the State housed the tenants, but here the State must de-house them!

The Condemnation Law of this State provides notice to the “ owner ” only of private property taken for a public purpose.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Goldberg v. Kelly
397 U.S. 254 (Supreme Court, 1970)
People v. . Griswold
106 N.E. 929 (New York Court of Appeals, 1914)
Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. v. Hostetter
45 Misc. 2d 956 (New York Supreme Court, 1965)
Sherman v. Kopach
75 Misc. 2d 18 (New York Supreme Court, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
76 Misc. 2d 820, 351 N.Y.S.2d 838, 1973 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1537, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trustees-of-the-state-university-v-edelman-nycivct-1973.