Case Name: Charles W. Ryan, Jr., Appellant, v. State of New York, Respondent
Court: New York Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1982-03-25
Citations: 56 N.Y.2d 561
Docket Number: Claim No. 59804
Parties: Charles W. Ryan, Jr., Appellant, v State of New York, Respondent.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Reports
Volume: 56
Pages: 561–563

Head Matter:
Charles W. Ryan, Jr., Appellant, v State of New York, Respondent.
(Claim No. 59804.)
Argued February 18, 1982;
decided March 25, 1982
APPEARANCES OF COUNSEL
Charles A. Schiano and Charles O. Baisch for appellant.
Robert Abrams, Attorney-General (.Henderson G. Riggs and Shirley Adelson Siegel of counsel), for respondent.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
Memorandum.
The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed, with costs.
According to claimant's theory of liability as stated in his verified bill of particulars, the acts of prosecutorial misconduct complained of were undertaken by the various employees of the State for the purpose of advancing their own personal interests. That being so, the doctrine of prosecutorial immunity and the legal principle that vicarious liability cannot be imposed upon the State as employer under the doctrine of respondeat superior in such circumstances preclude recovery against the State. (Imbler v Pachtman, 424 US 409; Sauter v New York Tribune, 305 NY 442, 444-445; accord Restatement, Agency 2d, § 235; see, also, Cornell v State of New York, 46 NY2d 1032; Johnson v Daily News, 34 NY2d 33; see, generally, Prosser, Law of Torts [4th ed], § 70, pp 464-466; 2 Harper and James, Law of Torts, § 26.9, pp 1391-1392.) Therefore, claimant's action properly was dismissed.