Senate Bill S7202

                                BILL NUMBER:S7202

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the civil practice law and rules, in relation to exempting
parties liable for failure to obey or
enforce
certain orders of protection or
temporary orders of protection in domestic violence or domestic
relations matters from the provisions of article sixteen of such law,
entitled "limited liability of persons jointly liable"

PURPOSE OF BILL:
This bill would exempt parties liable for failure to
obey or enforce domestic violence orders of protection or temporary
orders of protection from limited liability provisions.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF BILL:
Adds a new paragraph to section 1602 of
the civil practice law and rules to exempt domestic violence from
apportionment of non-economic damages and restore the rule of joint
liability to defendants found liable for failure to obey or enforce
an order of protection,

JUSTIFICATION:
This bill re-enforces New York's zero-tolerance policy
              

about domestic violence. In the last decade New York State has
enacted legislation to give force and effect to orders of protection
- a critical tool against domestic violence. The family court act,
domestic relations laws and criminal procedure laws all have been
amended to compel public intervention to prevent domestic violence,
protect against violence between family members and punish those who
abuse their families. This is a priority for New York State.

Each year thousands of domestic violence victims go to court in New
York State to seek justice and protection. Orders of protection,
however, are effective only if they are enforced, New York has
enacted laws and adopted policies to encourage, even mandate, police
involvement in domestic violence. The Family Court Act gives the
police the authority to investigate and arrest a person who violates
an order of protection.

FCA §168. The 1994 Family Protection and Domestic Violence
Intervention Act goes further: it mandates arrest for violations of
orders of protection as well as felony and some misdemeanor violence
among family members. CPL §140.10. As a result, the police have
explicit authority and "non-delegable" responsibility to enforce
court orders of protection.

This bill permits the victim to recover non-economic as well as
economic damages from any or all defendants found liable by a court
or jury after a trial on the merits of the action. Current law, as
interpreted by the New York State Court of Appeals, does not.
RANGOLAN V COUNTY OF NASSAU, 725 NYS2d 611(2001); MORALES V COUNTY OF
NASSAU, 94 NYS2d 218 (1999).


The Court of Appeals has stated that CPLR 1602 does not establish an
exemption from apportionment of damages for domestic violence. It
further says that courts cannot by judicial fiat create such an
exemption, the legislature must do so.

This bill accepts the Court of Appeals invitation to give domestic
violence victims the civil remedies to make them whole. It gives
victims the same access to any liable defendant for full compensation
for serious psychological and social harm that the law now allows for
medical expenses and lost wages. To deny victims of domestic violence
recovery for all of the injuries that they suffer lessens the
deterrent effect of domestic violence statutes. In light of the
strong public policy against domestic violence expressed by the state
legislature, this result is untenable. Public institutions charged
with enforcement of orders of protection must be held accountable.

It has been a long struggle to establish domestic violence as a crime
and compel police intervention. New York changed the common law rules
about joint and several liability in 1986 before New York passed the
legislation and funded the programs and services to prevent domestic
violence and protect family members against abuse. The legislature,
however, did retain joint and several liability as a matter of public
policy for worker's compensation, automobile accidents, intentional
torts and environmental hazards. Victims of domestic violence deserve
the same consideration. Sipce 1986, much of the legislation about
domestic violence included initiatives to support and promote
enforcement of orders of protection to secure a safe environment for
families plagued by violence. This bill incorporates these recent
policies into the rules and procedures of civil law in personal
injury cases.

This bill deals only with damages after liability has been established
and accepted by a court or jury. It does not change tort laws; in
negligence, a plaintiff must still prove that a defendant owed her
duty of care which was breached and which breach caused her injuries.
This bill does not change the proof required to establish liability
for personal injuries nor does it shift the burden of such proof.
Furthermore, this bill does not remove immunity specifically granted
to the police or public officers by statute. And, it does not assign
liability to municipalities for performance of governmental
functions. The bill only allows a plaintiff who has proven her case
and won damages for her injuries to collect those damages from any
and all defendants.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2009-10: A.5516
John/S.4452 - Passed Assembly/S.Codes
2007-08: A.2078
John A. Cal
2005-06: A.1271
John - A. Cal
2003-04: A.33
John A. Cal
2002: A.10497
John - A. Cal

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:


None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after
it becomes law.