Mohl v. Town of Riverhead, 62 A.D.3d 969 (N.Y. App. Div. 2009). · Go Syfert
Mohl v. Town of Riverhead, 62 A.D.3d 969 (N.Y. App. Div. 2009). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
25 citation events (25 in the last 25 years) across 2 distinct courts.
Strongest positive: Pales v. New York City Health & Hosps. Corp. (nyappdiv, 2023-05-10)
Treatment trajectory · 2009 → 2026 · click a year to view as-of
2009 2017 2026
Top citers, strongest first. 13 distinct citers. How cited ↗
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Pales v. New York City Health & Hosps. Corp.
N.Y. App. Div. · 2023 · confidence medium
Where a plaintiff fails to timely serve a notice of claim or to timely move for leave to extend the time to serve a notice of claim ( see General Municipal Law § 50-e[5]), the court is without authority to grant the plaintiff [*2]leave absent a finding of equitable estoppel ( see Watts v City of New York , 186 AD3d at 1575). "'[E]stoppel against a municipal defendant will lie only when the municipal defendant's conduct was calculated to, or negligently did, mislead or discourage a party from serving a timely notice of claim and when that conduct was justifiably relied upon by that party'" ( K…
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Accadia Site Contr., Inc. v. Town of Pendleton
N.Y. App. Div. · 2023 · confidence medium
Town Law § 65 (3) requires that a written verified claim be filed with the town clerk "within six months after the cause of action shall have accrued." "[I]n contrast to other notice statutes, Town Law § 65 (3) contains no provision allowing the court to excuse noncompliance with its requirements" ( Mohl v Town of Riverhead , 62 AD3d 969, 970 [2d Dept 2009] [internal quotation marks omitted]; see generally Putrelo Constr.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Incorporated Vil. of Freeport v. Freeport Plaza W., LLC
N.Y. App. Div. · 2022 · confidence medium
Dist. , 180 AD3d 828, 830 [internal quotation marks omitted]). "'[E]stoppel against a [municipality] will lie only when the [municipality's] [*2]conduct was calculated to, or negligently did, mislead or discourage a party from serving a timely notice of claim and when that conduct was justifiably relied upon by that party'" ( Khela v City of New York , 91 AD3d 912, 914 , quoting Mohl v Town of Riverhead , 62 AD3d 969, 970 [internal quotation marks omitted]).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Konner v. New York City Transit Authority
N.Y. App. Div. · 2016 · confidence medium
Corp., 38 NY2d 662, 668 [1976]; Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970 [2009]; Wade v New York City Health & Hosps.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Hayon v. Carrion
N.Y. Sup. Ct. · 2013 · confidence medium
Accordingly, petitioners’ failure to file specifications before the Board cannot be excused under any estoppel theory, as nothing in the rule can be read as an affirmative misrepresentation regarding the need to file specifications of objections for purposes of standing, and, in light of the case law and clear statutory requirements, it would be unreasonable for petitioners to rely on the rule as a basis for concluding that there was no need to file specifications of objections to bring a fraud claim (see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970 [2d Dept 2009]).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Putrelo Construction Co. v. Town of Marcy
N.Y. App. Div. · 2013 · confidence medium
Inasmuch as the notice of claim was not filed within six months of that date, it was untimely, and the court therefore properly granted the motion for partial summary judgment dismissing the second cause of action (see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970 [2009]).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Putrelo Construction Co. v. Town of Marcy
N.Y. App. Div. · 2013 · confidence medium
Inasmuch as the notice of claim was not filed within six months of that date, it was untimely, and the court therefore properly granted the motion for partial summary judgment dismissing the second cause of action (see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970 [2009]).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Khela v. City of New York
N.Y. App. Div. · 2012 · confidence medium
Corp., 122 AD2d 793, 794 [1986]). “ ‘[E]stoppel against a municipal defendant will lie only when the municipal defendant’s conduct was calculated to, or negligently did, mislead or discourage a party from serving a timely notice of claim and when that conduct was justifiably relied upon by that party’ ” (Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970 [2009], quoting Wade v New York City Health & Hosps.
discussed Cited "see" KENNEDY, WALTER v. OSWEGO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
N.Y. App. Div. · 2017 · signal: see · confidence high
Co. v Town of Marcy, 105 AD3d 1406 , 1408; see Glasheen v Valera, 116 AD3d 505, 505-506 ) and, in any event, claimant’s purported reliance upon the FOIL responses in delaying the notice of claim was not justifiable under the circumstances (see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970-971 ; Dowdell v Greene County, 14 AD3d 750, 750-751 ; Wilson v City of Buffalo, 298 AD2d 994, 995-996 , lv denied 99 NY2d 505 ).
discussed Cited "see" Kennedy v. Oswego City School District
N.Y. App. Div. · 2017 · signal: see · confidence high
Co. v Town of Marcy, 105 AD3d 1406 , 1408 [2013]; see Glasheen v Valera, 116 AD3d 505, 505-506 [2014]) and, in any event, claimant’s purported reliance upon the FOIL responses in delaying the notice of claim was not justifiable under the circumstances (see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970-971 [2009]; Dowdell v Greene County, 14 AD3d 750, 750-751 [2005]; Wilson v City of Buffalo, 298 AD2d 994, 995-996 [2002], lv denied 99 NY2d 505 [2003]).
discussed Cited "see" Kennedy v. Oswego City School District
N.Y. App. Div. · 2017 · signal: see · confidence high
Co. v Town of Marcy, 105 AD3d 1406 , 1408 [2013]; see Glasheen v Valera, 116 AD3d 505, 505-506 [2014]) and, in any event, claimant’s purported reliance upon the FOIL responses in delaying the notice of claim was not justifiable under the circumstances (see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970-971 [2009]; Dowdell v Greene County, 14 AD3d 750, 750-751 [2005]; Wilson v City of Buffalo, 298 AD2d 994, 995-996 [2002], lv denied 99 NY2d 505 [2003]).
discussed Cited "see" McCulloch v. Town of Milan
N.Y. App. Div. · 2010 · signal: see · confidence high
Although the plaintiff cross-moved, inter alia, for leave to file a late notice of claim, “[i]n contrast to other notice statutes, Town Law § 65 (3) contains no provision allowing the court to excuse noncompliance with its requirements” (ADC Contr. & Constr., Inc. v Town of Southampton, 45 AD3d 614, 615 [2007]; see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969, 970 [2009]).
discussed Cited "see" In re Enforcement of Tax Liens by County of Orange
N.Y. App. Div. · 2010 · signal: see · confidence high
“The doctrine of estoppel will be applied against governmental agencies only in exceptional cases” in which there has been “a showing of fraud, misrepresentation, deception, or . similar affirmative misconduct, along with reasonable reliance thereon” (Yassin v Sarabu, 284 AD2d 531 [2001]; see Mohl v Town of Riverhead, 62 AD3d 969 [2009]).
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
Christopher J. Mohl
v.
Town of Riverhead
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
May 26, 2009.
62 A.D.3d 969
Cited by 19 opinions  |  Published

In an action, inter alia, to recover damages for breach of contract, the defendants appeal, as limited by their brief, from so much of an order of the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (Cohalan, J.), dated October 16, 2008, as denied their motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to CPLR 3211 and Town Law § 65 (3) for failure to file a timely notice of claim.

Ordered that the order is reversed insofar as appealed from, on the law, with costs, and the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to CPLR 3211 and Town Law § 65 (3) is granted.

Under Town Law § 65, “no action shall be maintained against a town upon or arising out of a contract entered into by the town” unless, inter alia, “a written verified claim shall have been filed with the town clerk within six months after the cause of action shall have accrued” (Town Law § 65 [3]). “A properly verified notice of claim is a condition precedent to maintaining an action to recover damages for breach of contract against a town” (ADC Contr. & Constr., Inc. v Town of Southampton, 45[*970] AD3d 614, 615 [2007]; see Town Law § 65 [3]; Walter H. Poppe Gen. Contr. v Town of Ramapo, 280 AD2d 667, 667 [2001]).

Here, it is undisputed that the plaintiff never filed a notice of claim with the town clerk as mandated by Town Law § 65 (3). Based on his failure to comply with the requirements of Town Law § 65 (3), the Supreme Court should have granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint (see e.g. Walter H. Poppe Gen. Contr. v Town of Ramapo, 280 AD2d at 667).

The plaintiff cross-moved, in effect, for leave to file a late notice of claim. However, “[i]n contrast to other notice statutes, Town Law § 65 (3) contains no provision allowing the court to excuse noncompliance with its requirements” (ADC Contr. & Constr., Inc. v Town of Southampton, 45 AD3d at 615; see Perritano v Town of Mamaroneck, 170 AD2d 443 [1991]; Aqua Dredge v Little Harbor Sound Civic Improvement Assn., 114 AD2d 825, 826 [1985]). Town Law § 65 (3) does not provide courts with the authority to extend the time for the filing of a notice of claim (see County of Rockland v Town of Orangetown, 189 AD2d 1058, 1059-1060 [1993]; Franza’s Universal Scrap Metal v Town of Islip, 89 AD2d 843 [1982]). Therefore, the Supreme Court lacked the authority to grant the plaintiff’s cross motion, in effect, for leave to file a late notice of claim.

Contrary to the plaintiffs contention, the defendants are not estopped from asserting a defense based on the plaintiffs failure to comply with Town Law § 65 (3). “[A] municipality may be estopped from asserting plaintiffs noncompliance with a notice of claim statute” (Aqua Dredge v Little Harbor Sound Civic Improvement Assn., 114 AD2d at 826; see Bender v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 38 NY2d 662, 668 [1976]). “[E]stoppel against a municipal defendant will lie only when the municipal defendant’s conduct was calculated to, or negligently did, mislead or discourage a party from serving a timely notice of claim and when that conduct was justifiably relied upon by that party” (Wade v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 16 AD3d 677 [2005]; see Bender v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 38 NY2d 662, 668 [1976]; see also Yassin v Sarabu, 284 AD2d 531 [2001]; Conquest Cleaning Corp. v New York City School Constr. Auth., 279 AD2d 546, 546-547 [2001]). While making no express finding as to whether the defendants’ conduct was improper or negligent, we find that the plaintiffs reliance thereupon was not justifiable under the particular circumstances of this case (see Walter H. Poppe Gen. Contr. v Town of Ramapo, 280 AD2d at 667; Aqua Dredge v Little Harbor Sound Civic Improvement Assn., 114 AD2d at 826; see generally Simcuski v Saeli, 44 NY2d 442, 449 [1978]; Bender v New York City Health [*971] & Hosps. Corp., 38 NY2d at 668; Wade v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 16 AD3d at 677; Yassin v Sarabu, 284 AD2d 531 [2001]).

The plaintiffs remaining contention is without merit. Mastro, J.P., Dillon, Dickerson and Leventhal, JJ., concur. [See 2008 NY Slip Op 33556(D).]