Case Name: In the Matter of Richard Berger, Appellant, v. Delmar E. Leach, as Chief of Police of Rochester Police Department, Respondent
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1984-07-13
Citations: 103 A.D.2d 1018
Docket Number: 
Parties: In the Matter of Richard Berger, Appellant, v Delmar E. Leach, as Chief of Police of Rochester Police Department, Respondent.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 103
Pages: 1018–1018

Head Matter:
In the Matter of Richard Berger, Appellant, v Delmar E. Leach, as Chief of Police of Rochester Police Department, Respondent.

Opinion:
— Judgment unanimously affirmed without costs. Memorandum: Petitioner appeals from a judgment dismissing his petition in a CPLR article 78 proceeding seeking to set aside a determination by respondent Rochester Chief of Police, denying petitioner's application for a second-hand dealer's license. Respondent complied with the dictates of section 96-9 of the Rochester Municipal Code when he determined that petitioner was not "a fit and proper person" to hold a license, considering petitioner's prior activities in the towing business which were the subject of an investigation by both the Rochester Police Department and the State Attorney-General's office. The law is well settled that a licensing authority has discretion to deny a license application for good cause (see Matter of Barton Trucking Corp. v O'Connell, 7 NY2d 299). The court will intervene only when, as a matter of law, no valid ground exists for denial (Matter of Barton Trucking Corp. v O'Connell, supra, p 308), or when the determination was clearly arbitrary and capricious (see Matter of Howell v Benson, 90 AD2d 903, mot for lv to app den 58 NY2d 611; Matter of Davis v Broderick, 25 AD2d 851). (Appeal from judgment of Supreme Court, Monroe County, Curran, J. — art 78.) Present — Callahan, J. P., Denman, Boomer, O'Donnell and Schnepp, JJ.