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Case Law Database

Access over workers' compensation decisions, including En Banc, Significant Panel Decisions, and writ-denied cases.

Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Sep 22, 1994

Hess v. B & B Plastics Division of Metal Cladding, Inc.

Plaintiff Carolyn K. Hess sued her former employer B & B Plastics and her union (Local 686 and UAW) for sex discrimination under the New York State Human Rights Law. She alleged discriminatory firing by B & B Plastics and discriminatory refusal by the union to pursue her grievance. The union defendants removed the case to federal court, asserting that Hess's claim against them constituted a breach of the duty of fair representation, which is preempted by the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA). Hess moved to remand the case to state court, arguing her claims were independent state law actions. The court, citing precedent, found that Hess's state law claims against the union were completely preempted by Section 301 of the LMRA. Consequently, the plaintiff's motion to remand those claims to state court was denied, and the court retained supplemental jurisdiction over the state law claim against the employer.

Sex discriminationNew York State Human Rights LawLabor Management Relations ActLMRA Section 301Federal preemptionDuty of fair representationMotion to remandFederal question jurisdictionWell-pleaded complaint ruleCollective bargaining agreement
References
14
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Burgio & Campofelice, Inc. v. New York State Department of Labor

Burgio & Campofelice, Inc. (B&C), a general contractor, sought to prevent the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) from enforcing state prevailing benefit supplement laws. This action stemmed from B&C's subcontractor, Shared Management Group, Ltd., allegedly failing to pay union-related benefit funds, leading the DOL to order the withholding of payments to B&C. B&C argued that New York Labor Law §§ 220 and 223, which impose liability on general contractors for subcontractor non-compliance with prevailing wage laws, are preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The court reviewed various precedents on ERISA preemption, including GE I and GE II, and concluded that New York Labor Law § 223 is fundamentally linked to § 220, which directly relates to ERISA plans. Therefore, the court found § 223 also preempted by ERISA, granting B&C's motion for summary judgment and denying the DOL's cross-motion.

ERISA preemptionLabor LawPrevailing Wage ActBenefit supplementsGeneral contractor liabilitySubcontractor defaultPublic works contractSummary judgmentFederal preemptionEmployee benefit plans
References
13
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Mar 12, 1991

Downing v. B & B Machine Repair, Inc.

Plaintiff William Downing, a lumber yard worker, sued B & B Machine Repair, Inc. after severing his thumb while operating a table saw that lacked a safety guard. The plaintiff alleged negligence, claiming B & B failed to procure a replacement guard as requested by his employer 16 months before the incident. The Supreme Court, Bronx County, denied B & B's motion for summary judgment on the negligence claim, citing material issues of fact regarding the availability of replacement guards, as refuted by the plaintiff's expert. This appellate court affirmed the denial of summary judgment, finding B & B's arguments lacked merit. A dissenting opinion argued for dismissal, contending B & B's contractual obligation was vague, its actions were not the proximate cause of the injury, and the employer was primarily at fault for using an unsafe saw.

Summary JudgmentNegligenceStrict Products LiabilityWorkplace InjuryTable Saw AccidentSafety GuardProximate CauseDuty of CareContractual ObligationExpert Witness
References
3
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
May 03, 2000

RLI Insurance v. New York State Department of Labor

This appeal concerns a dispute between a surety and the Department of Labor over funds held by a school district. The surety, after posting performance and payment bonds for a public improvement project, expended over $176,000 to complete the project and pay laborers following the contractor's default. The Department of Labor sought to withhold funds from the school district for the contractor's underpaid wages on both the subject project and an unrelated one, invoking Labor Law § 220-b (2) (a) (1). The Supreme Court dismissed the surety's application, ruling that the Department of Labor's claim for underpaid wages, even from unrelated projects, was superior. The Appellate Division affirmed this judgment, establishing that Labor Law § 220-b (2) creates a statutory trust for underpaid wages that takes precedence over a surety's subrogation claims.

Surety bondsPerformance bondPayment bondPublic improvement projectSubrogation rightsUnderpaid wagesPrevailing wageStatutory trustLien LawLabor Law
References
3
Case No. 2021 NY Slip Op 02391 [193 AD3d 932]
Regular Panel Decision
Apr 21, 2021

Matter of Zamir F. (Ricardo B.)

The Administration for Children's Services appealed an order from the Family Court, Kings County, which had dismissed petitions alleging that Ricardo B. neglected Zamir F. through sexual abuse and derivatively neglected his other children, Elijah B., Jordan B., Jeremiah B., and Messiah B. The Appellate Division, Second Department, reversed the Family Court's order. It found that the petitioner had sufficiently established neglect and derivative neglect by a preponderance of the evidence, concluding that the testimony of the petitioner's child sexual abuse expert reliably corroborated Zamir's out-of-court statements. The court also determined that the Family Court had erred in its credibility assessment, particularly in preferring the father's expert's testimony. The matter was remitted to the Family Court for a dispositional hearing and the issuance of a dispositional order.

Child NeglectSexual AbuseDerivative NeglectFamily Court Act Article 10Corroboration of Child StatementsExpert TestimonyCredibility AssessmentAppellate ReviewParental DutiesRisk of Harm
References
8
Case No. 2025 NY Slip Op 03609
Regular Panel Decision
Jun 12, 2025

Matter of Tandian (Commissioner of Labor)

Fatou B. Tandian, a registered nurse, was terminated for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine, with her request for religious exemption denied due to a lack of sincerely held religious beliefs. She was subsequently disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits by the Department of Labor and the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board. The Appellate Division, Third Department, affirmed the Board's decision, finding that substantial evidence supported the conclusion that Tandian voluntarily separated from her employment without good cause, as her reasons for refusing the vaccine were personal and secular. The appeal from an earlier Board decision was dismissed as moot.

Unemployment InsuranceCOVID-19 VaccineReligious ExemptionGood CauseVoluntary SeparationAppellate DivisionRegistered NurseHealthcare EmploymentSincere BeliefUnemployment Benefits Disqualification
References
8
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision

Gregory B. v. Gregory F.

This consolidated appeal addresses whether incarcerated parents "permanently neglected" their children under Social Services Law § 384-b (7) (a), thus justifying the termination of parental rights. In Matter of Gregory B., the father, incarcerated since 1980, proposed long-term foster care for his children until his release, which was rejected. Similarly, in Matter of Willie John B. and Matter of Delores B., the father, incarcerated since 1979, also offered indefinite foster care after relatives were found unwilling or unable to provide care. The Court of Appeals affirmed the termination of parental rights in all cases, holding that while 1983 statutory reforms acknowledged special circumstances for incarcerated parents, they did not excuse them from planning for their child's future. The Court concluded that indefinite foster care is not a "viable plan" as it is inconsistent with the purpose of foster care and deprives children of the essential permanency required for proper growth and development.

Permanent NeglectParental Rights TerminationIncarcerated ParentSocial Services LawFoster CareAdoptionChild WelfareFamily LawCourt of AppealsJudicial Review
References
14
Case No. 2018 NY Slip Op 01696 [159 AD3d 1215]
Regular Panel Decision
Mar 15, 2018

Matter of Parron (Commissioner of Labor)

Claimant Louis B. Parron, a central office technician for Verizon, was denied unemployment insurance benefits after refusing to report to an alternate work location during a union strike. Despite his union initiating a strike, the employer provided consolidated work sites and travel allowances, which Parron refused, insisting on reporting to his closed original location. The Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board affirmed the denial of benefits, finding that Parron's benefits were properly suspended under Labor Law § 592 (1) as he ceased working due to a strike and not a lockout by the employer. The Appellate Division affirmed the Board's decision, concluding that substantial evidence supported the suspension of benefits.

Unemployment Insurance BenefitsStrikeIndustrial ControversyAlternate Work SiteRefusal to WorkLabor Law § 592(1)Denial of BenefitsAppellate Division Third DepartmentTelecommunications Company
References
7
Case No. MISSING
Regular Panel Decision
Oct 30, 2018

Matter of Bobbi B. (Bobby B.)

This case concerns an appeal by Bobby B., the father, against an order from the Family Court, Bronx County. The Family Court found the father neglected his child, Bobbi B., by engaging in domestic violence in her presence. The court's finding was based on the testimony of a shelter worker who witnessed the father assaulting the mother while she held their one-month-old child. The Appellate Division affirmed the Family Court's decision, stating that there was no basis to overturn the credibility determinations. The court reiterated that even a single instance of domestic violence can be sufficient for a finding of neglect and properly discredited the father's denial of a domestic violence history due to a prior assault conviction and an existing order of protection.

Child neglectDomestic violenceFamily CourtAppellate DivisionCredibility determinationOrder of protectionChild endangermentThird-degree assaultInfant protectionParental neglect
References
4
Case No. 2024 NY Slip Op 01775 [226 AD3d 403]
Regular Panel Decision
Apr 02, 2024

Matter of D.B. (Larry B.)

The Appellate Division, First Department, affirmed the Family Court's finding that the respondent father, Larry B., neglected his child, D.B. The neglect was based on the father's verbal abuse, harsh behavior, and failure to address the child's serious emotional and psychological needs, including minimizing suicidal ideation and impeding medical and mental health treatment after the child's psychiatric hospitalization. The court found that a preponderance of the evidence supported the neglect finding, corroborated by the father's own testimony and a Child Protective Specialist's report, and upheld the Family Court's credibility determinations.

Child NeglectParental AbuseEmotional TraumaSuicidal IdeationMental Health TreatmentFamily Court ActAppellate ReviewCredibility AssessmentCorroboration of StatementsParental Responsibility
References
9
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