Month: July 2020

As someone who has been accused of a drug crime, it's important for you to build a defense. Whether you were selling drugs or were simply caught up in a sting accidentally, it's vital that you protect your own best interests. In New York, you can face serious penalties for even being in possession of drugs. Offenses can be harshly penalized with time in jail, heavy fines or other punishments. To obtain a conviction, the prosecution has to: Show that you were in possession of a controlled substance Show that your possession of that controlled substance was unlawful Prove that you knowingly...

Written by Kate Belsito, Legal Intern at Sivin, Miller & Roche, LLP In November 2019, the New York State Court of Appeals handed down its decision in Rivera v. State of New York, effectively setting forth a major hurdle for recovery under the theory of respondeat superior liability: the decision’s “so egregious” standard. In its 4-3 decision, the Court concluded that the actions of three corrections officers—actions which resulted in permanent and serious injuries to an inmate—fell outside the scope of their employment, thus shielding New York State from liability. The majority reached...

The New York Court of Appeals, in deciding Rivera v. State, 34 N.Y.3d 383 (2019), altered how pro se litigants and attorneys approach the “scope of employment” issue in prison cases.  The following case examines the impact of the Rivera decision. In March of 2020, an inmate (our client: I’ll call him John Doe 2) housed in a New York State correctional facility alleged that correctional officers took him to an area without video surveillance and brutally assaulted him. Mr. Doe was slammed into a wall, punched multiple times across the face, choked, kicked, and pepper sprayed.  During this...

By: Brendan Gilmartin   Correctional facilities are stressful environments where tensions often run high. These facilities create situations that often lead to the use of excessive force by correctional officers for myriad reasons.  When excessive force is used, correctional officers may violate an inmate’s Eighth Amendment right to be free from “cruel and unusual punishment”. When a correction officer uses excessive force on an inmate, oftentimes the State of New York (State) is also sued for the actions of the correction officer. Holding the State liable for the actions of the...

Written by Edwin C. Torres, Legal Intern at Sivin, Miller & Roche, LLP This is the first in a series of blogs addressing the issues raised in Rivera v. State of New York.  There will be a number of blogs following this that discuss, in depth, cases that the firm is currently handling and the issues that are present because of the Rivera decision. Before the end of 2019, the highest court in the State, the New York Court of Appeals, handed down its decision on a case that has likely remained under the radar for most.  The case is Rivera v. State of New York, 142 N.E.3d 641 (2019), and I...