Opinion ID: 541068
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Proof of Special Relationship

Text: 14 This Court, in reviewing the denial of motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, must determine whether the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the party that secured the verdict, was sufficient to allow a reasonable juror to arrive at the verdict rendered. Schwimmer v. Sony Corp. of Am., 677 F.2d 946, 952 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1007, 103 S.Ct. 362, 74 L.Ed.2d 398 (1982). Viewing the evidence in this case in the light most favorable to Ms. Raucci, the evidence was sufficient to prove each element of the special relationship. See Bauer v. Raymark Indus., Inc., 849 F.2d 790, 792 (2d Cir.1988); Mallis v. Bankers Trust Co., 717 F.2d 683, 688-89 (2d Cir.1983). 15 Generally, a municipality is not liable under New York law for failing to provide an individual with police protection. Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 260, 505 N.E.2d at 939, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 374. [I]n order for liability to be imposed upon a municipality ... there must be proof of a 'special relationship' between that person and the municipality. Kircher v. City of Jamestown, 74 N.Y.2d 251, 253, 543 N.E.2d 443, 444, 544 N.Y.S.2d 995, 996 (1989) (citing Cuffy). The special duty imposed by that relationship is recognized only in a narrow class of cases. See Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 260, 505 N.E.2d at 940, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 375; Sorichetti v. City of New York, 65 N.Y.2d 461, 468, 482 N.E.2d 70, 75, 492 N.Y.S.2d 591, 596 (1985). The reason for limiting this exception is that a municipality's duty to provide police protection is owed to the public at large rather than to any individual or class of citizens, and questions of resource allocation, such as how much protection a municipality must provide to an individual or class, are left to the discretion of the municipal policy makers. See Kircher, 74 N.Y.2d at 256, 543 N.E.2d at 445, 544 N.Y.S.2d at 997; Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 260, 505 N.E.2d at 939-40, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 374. 16 The elements of the special relationship are 17 (1) an assumption by the municipality, through promises or actions, of an affirmative duty to act on behalf of the party who was injured; (2) knowledge on the part of the municipality's agents that inaction could lead to harm; (3) some form of direct contact between the municipality's agents and the injured party; and (4) that party's justifiable reliance on the municipality's affirmative undertaking. 18 Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 260, 505 N.E.2d at 940, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 375 (citations omitted). Once the special relationship is found to exist between the municipality and the injured person, the actions of the municipality's agents will be subject to a reasonableness standard. Sorichetti, 65 N.Y.2d at 470, 482 N.E.2d at 76, 492 N.Y.S.2d at 597. Whether a special duty has been breached is generally a question for the jury to decide, and whether the municipality has acted reasonably depends upon the circumstances of the particular case. De Long v. County of Erie, 60 N.Y.2d 296, 306, 457 N.E.2d 717, 722, 469 N.Y.S.2d 611, 616 (1983) (citations omitted).
19 Defendants assert that there was no evidence of Rotterdam assuming a duty to act through promises or actions of the Rotterdam Police Department. They contend that they fulfilled any obligation they had to Ms. Raucci by arresting her husband on June 23. 20 The evidence, however, supports the verdict as to this first element. Deputy Chief DeCarlo told Ms. Raucci that the police could do more than what she had requested of them and suggested the taping of the harassing telephone calls. The Rotterdam Police trained her to record these calls. Despite the acknowledgment that the tapes provided sufficient evidence for a charge of aggravated harassment, and despite the fact that they evidenced the lethal character of Mr. Raucci's threats, the police did nothing with them. The June 23 information the police drafted for Ms. Raucci merely referred to numerous telephone calls by Mr. Raucci but only as background for the charge arising from the incident that took place on that day. Neither the tapes nor their contents were presented to Justice O'Connor during Raucci's arraignment. DeCarlo said on June 28 that he was still working on the tapes, implying that the June 23 arrest was not the end of the police department's role. The police also knew, beginning in late May, that Ms. Raucci had an order of protection (having suggested that she obtain the order) and that these harassing telephone calls constituted violations of the order. [W]hen the police are made aware of a possible violation [of an order of protection], they are obligated to respond and investigate, and their actions will be subject to a 'reasonableness' review in a negligence action. Sorichetti, 65 N.Y.2d at 470, 482 N.E.2d at 76, 492 N.Y.S.2d at 597. 21
22 Defendants claim that the record is barren of any proof that the Rotterdam Police Department knew that Mr. Raucci was a violent person or otherwise harmful and therefore they were unaware that inaction would lead to harm. The Rotterdam Police Department, however, was well aware of Mr. Raucci's threats against Ms. Raucci's life: from her statements to them; from the recorded telephone conversations which revealed that Mr. Raucci was armed and threatening; and from physical injuries which corroborated her allegations. At the suggestion of Officer Bethmann, Ms. Raucci obtained an order of protection against Mr. Raucci, and she reminded the Rotterdam Police Department of this order whenever she contacted them concerning Raucci's harassment. An order of protection 23 evinces a preincident legislative and judicial determination that its holder should be accorded a reasonable degree of protection from a particular individual. It is presumptive evidence that the individual whose conduct is proscribed has already been found by a court to be a dangerous or violent person and that violations of the order's terms should be treated seriously. 24 Sorichetti, 65 N.Y.2d at 469-70, 482 N.E.2d at 75-76, 492 N.Y.S.2d at 596-97. The police thus were aware of Mr. Raucci's dangerousness. The situation here thus is distinguishable from that described in Yearwood v. Town of Brighton, 101 A.D.2d 498, 499-500, 475 N.Y.S.2d 958, 959-60 (4th Dep't), aff'd mem., 64 N.Y.2d 667, 474 N.E.2d 612, 485 N.Y.S.2d 252 (1984), where the Brighton Police Department had only one contact with plaintiff and her husband before he set fire to her home. In the case at bar, the police were familiar with the marital situation from their substantial contacts with both parties. Cf. id. at 502, 475 N.Y.S.2d at 961. The jury had sufficient evidence of the department's knowledge that its inaction could lead to harm.
25 Defendants concede that there was proof of direct contact between the Rotterdam Police Department and Ms. Raucci. They assert, however, that there was no contact between Chad and the police department and that, in fact, there was no threat against Chad's life by Mr. Raucci. They distinguish this case from Sorichetti, noting that the New York City Police Department there was aware of Sorichetti's threats against both the mother and the child, while in the case at bar there was no indication that Chad's life was ever in danger. 26 One reason for the direct contact requirement is to provide a rational limit on the number of citizens to whom the municipality's 'special duty' extends. Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 261, 505 N.E.2d at 940, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 375. [T]he proper application of the 'direct contact' requirement depends on the peculiar circumstances of each case, all of which must be considered in light of the policies underlying the narrow 'special duty' doctrine. Id. at 262, 505 N.E.2d at 941, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 376. 27 Sorichetti deviated from the direct contact element to allow an injured child to recover though only her mother contacted the New York City Police Department. Sorichetti, 65 N.Y.2d at 469, 482 N.E.2d at 75, 492 N.Y.S.2d at 596; Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 261-62, 505 N.E.2d at 940-41, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 375. The New York Court of Appeals in Sorichetti found that orders of protection issued for the mother protected the equally threatened daughter in her custody. Sorichetti, 65 N.Y.2d at 469, 482 N.E.2d at 75, 492 N.Y.S.2d at 596. In later cases, that court has explained that in Sorichetti it was applying the direct contact requirement with some flexibility by using the mother's contact as a substitute for the child's direct contact with the police, Kircher, 74 N.Y.2d at 257, 543 N.E.2d at 446, 544 N.Y.S.2d at 998, and by recognizing the close relationship between the interests of the mother and those of the child, Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 261, 505 N.E.2d at 941, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 375. The outstanding judicial order of protection in Sorichetti signifi[ed] the municipality's prior involvement in the domestic turmoil that ultimately led to the infant's injuries, thus providing a justification for relaxing the direct contact requirement. Kircher, 74 N.Y.2d at 257-58, 543 N.E.2d at 446-47, 544 N.Y.S.2d at 998-99. The court in Cuffy held that the injured mother and son had sufficient contact with the police to create a special relationship because the father, who actually talked to the police about harassment by his tenants, was concerned about his family's safety when he contacted the police. Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 262, 505 N.E.2d at 941, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 376. 28 In this case, Ms. Raucci initially approached the Rotterdam Police Department with Chad. She obtained an order of protection which, under Sorichetti and its progeny, extended to her children insofar as her contacts with the Rotterdam Police Department were concerned. Officers of the Rotterdam Police Department had seen Chad and knew who he was. They also knew from the tapes and from observing Mr. Raucci in the police station on June 28 that Chad was the object of a custody dispute between the couple. The district court did not err in determining that the element of direct contact was established as to Chad as well as his mother. 3 29
30 Defendants contend that their arrest of Mr. Raucci on June 23 fulfilled any obligation owed to Ms. Raucci, and that DeCarlo's June 28 statements did not create any promises which Ms. Raucci could rely upon. They contend that her actions after June 28 belie any assertion of reliance on DeCarlo's statements, since she permitted Mr. Raucci to visit the children in her presence. 31 The reliance element is critical in establishing the existence of a 'special relationship'  because it provides the essential causative link between the 'special duty' assumed by the municipality and the alleged injury. Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 261, 505 N.E.2d at 940, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 375. Defendants' contention rests on the fact that Ms. Raucci did not change her routine for the seven days between Mr. Raucci's release on bail and the shooting. According to defendants, Ms. Raucci had to avoid Mr. Raucci in order to establish reliance on the Rotterdam Police Department's assurances. The district court found, to the contrary, that the failure of Ms. Raucci to change her routine was a true indicator of her reliance on a perceived promise of police protection. On June 28, DeCarlo told Ms. Raucci that he was still working on the tapes, implying that the case was not closed with the police after Raucci's arrest and release as far as the police were concerned. Obviously, the tapes would have been key evidence in any further proceeding against Mr. Raucci. Ms. Raucci relied on DeCarlo's statement, believed that the police either would arrest Mr. Raucci again or would otherwise protect her, and was lulled ... into a false sense of security by DeCarlo's statement. See Cuffy, 69 N.Y.2d at 261, 505 N.E.2d at 940, 513 N.Y.S.2d at 375. 32 Based on the foregoing, there was sufficient evidence of all of the elements of a special relationship between Ms. Raucci and Rotterdam not to grant judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Further, the court correctly found that the verdict was not against the weight of the evidence. See Smith v. Lightning Bolt Prod., Inc., 861 F.2d 363, 370 (2d Cir.1988).