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Smart Summary

Factual and Procedural Background

On July 30, 2001, a six-year-old child was brought to a hospital emergency department for treatment of a finger laceration sustained the previous day while visiting the plaintiff. The defendant, a registered nurse, concluded that the child had not received proper care and, after consulting her supervisor and an emergency-room physician, reported suspected maltreatment to Child Protective Services. CPS later deemed the report unfounded. [1]

The plaintiff sued, alleging that the defendant willfully made false statements intending to harm him. County Court granted the defendant summary judgment based on qualified immunity under Social Services Law § 419 and the plaintiff’s failure to overcome the presumption of good faith. The appellate court affirmed. [2]

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the defendant was entitled to qualified immunity under Social Services Law § 419 for reporting suspected child abuse or maltreatment. [3]
  2. Whether the plaintiff submitted sufficient evidence to create a triable issue that the defendant acted with willful misconduct, gross negligence, or outside the scope of her employment. [4]

Arguments of the Parties

Defendant's Position

  • The defendant submitted evidence that she had reasonable cause to suspect maltreatment and reported the matter while performing her statutory duties and following hospital policy in good faith. [5]

Plaintiff's Position

  • The plaintiff claimed that the defendant knowingly made false statements to CPS with the intent to cause him harm. [2]
  • In opposition to summary judgment, he relied on his affidavit, medical records, CPS documents, and an uncertified medical-record remark suggesting that his initial treatment of the injury was appropriate. [4]

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Van Emrik v. Chemung County Dept. of Social Servs. Qualified immunity applies to persons reporting or investigating suspected child abuse when acting within employment duties without willful misconduct or gross negligence. The court relied on the case in defining the statutory immunity and in concluding that the plaintiff had not overcome it. [3][4]
Kempster v. Child Protective Servs. of Dept. of Social Servs. of County of Suffolk Mandatory reporters are protected when they have reasonable cause to suspect abuse and act in good faith; actual or conclusive proof is unnecessary. The court applied this principle to the defendant’s reasonable suspicion and good-faith report. [3][4]
Escalera v. Favaro Good faith is presumed for mandatory reporters under Social Services Law § 419. The court treated the defendant as entitled to the statutory presumption. [3]
Rine v. Chase Immunity applies when a reporter performs statutory duties within the scope of employment without gross negligence or willful misconduct. The court relied on the case in evaluating both the defendant’s prima facie showing and the plaintiff’s insufficient opposition. [3][5][4]
Ferrante v. American Lung Assn. A movant’s evidentiary showing may establish entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. The court found that the defendant’s affidavits and medical records established a prima facie entitlement to summary judgment. [5]
Dunham v. Hilco Constr. Co. Evidence opposing summary judgment must raise a triable issue of fact. The court found the plaintiff’s submissions insufficient to raise such an issue concerning misconduct or gross negligence. [4]
Parmisani v. Grasso Uncertified medical records and unsworn letters or reports have no probative value. The court rejected the plaintiff’s reliance on the uncertified, unsworn medical-record remark. [4]
Ross v. City of New York Speculative claims unsupported by competent medical or other probative evidence do not overcome summary judgment. The court held that the plaintiff’s unsupported assertions did not rebut the presumption of good faith or establish misconduct. [4]

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

Social Services Law § 419 protects persons who report suspected child abuse or maltreatment when they act within the scope of employment and do not engage in willful misconduct or gross negligence. For mandatory reporters such as registered nurses, good faith is presumed. Immunity depends on reasonable cause to suspect abuse and good-faith performance of statutory duties, not on actual or conclusive proof of abuse. [3]

The defendant supported her motion with her affidavit, her supervisor’s affidavit, and the child’s hospital records. These materials showed reasonable cause for the suspicion and indicated that she acted pursuant to statutory duties and hospital policy. Accordingly, she established a prima facie entitlement to summary judgment. [5]

The plaintiff’s opposing submissions did not establish a triable issue concerning willful misconduct, gross negligence, or conduct outside the scope of the defendant’s duties. The uncertified and unsworn medical-record statement lacked probative value, while the plaintiff’s assertions about other medical professionals were unsupported by competent evidence. Even if the defendant’s initial diagnosis was incorrect, the plaintiff offered no medical affidavit, affirmation, or other probative proof demonstrating misconduct, gross negligence, groundless suspicion, or bad faith. [4]

Holding and Implications

The order granting the defendant summary judgment and dismissing the complaint was affirmed, with costs. [6]

The direct effect was dismissal of the plaintiff’s claims because the defendant’s statutory immunity remained intact. [2][4][6] The opinion discusses no broader implications or new legal rule beyond applying the existing statutory immunity principles to these facts.

JAMES P. LENTINI, Appellant, v. FRANCES PAGE, Respondent.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

SPAIN, J.

On July 30, 2001, plaintiff's six-year-old son (hereinafter the child) was brought to the emergency department of a hospital by his mother for treatment of a laceration to his right ring finger which had occurred the previous day while the child was visiting plaintiff. Defendant, a registered nurse on triage duty at the hospital, examined the child and concluded that he had not received proper care from plaintiff, a podiatrist, and should have received emergency care the day before. After consulting with her nursing supervisor and the emergency room physician, defendant reported to Child Protective Services (hereinafter CPS) her suspicion of plaintiff's maltreatment/abuse of the child. Following an investigation, CPS determined that there was no credible evidence to support the allegations and designated the report as "unfounded."

Plaintiff thereafter commenced this action in County Court, claiming that defendant had willfully made false statements against him with the intent of inflicting harm by reporting her suspicion to CPS. The court later granted defendant's motion for summary judgment and dismissed the complaint, finding that defendant is entitled to qualified immunity per Social Services Law § 419 and that plaintiff failed to submit evidence to overcome defendant's presumed good faith. Plaintiff appeals and we affirm, agreeing with County Court's wellreasoned decision.

Social Services Law § 419 affords immunity to those who participate in the investigation of or make a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment, provided "they act within the scope of their employment and do not engage in willful misconduct or gross negligence" ( Van Emrik v. Chemung County Dept. of Social Servs., 220 A.D.2d 952, 953, lv dismissed 88 N.Y.2d 874). For mandatory reporters such as defendant, a registered nurse ( see Social Service Law § 413; Kempster v. Child Protective Servs. of Dept. of Social Servs. of County of Suffolk, 130 A.D.2d 623, 625), their good faith "shall be presumed" (Social Services Law § 419; see Escalera v. Favaro, 298 A.D.2d 552, 553), provided they were discharging their duties and acting within the scope of their employment without gross negligence or willful misconduct ( see Rine v. Chase, 309 A.D.2d 796, 797). "The reporting requirements which trigger the qualified immunity provision contained in Social Services Law § 419 are not predicated upon actual or conclusive proof of abuse or maltreatment. Rather, immunity attaches when there is reasonable cause to suspect that the [child] might have been abused and when the party so reporting has acted in good faith in discharging the obligations and duties imposed by the statute" ( Kempster v. Child Protective Servs. of Dept. of Social Servs. of County of Suffolk, supra at 624; see Rine v. Chase, supra at 797-798).

Here, in support of her motion, defendant submitted her own affidavit and that of her nursing supervisor and the child's hospital medical records establishing that she had reasonable cause to suspect that this child had been maltreated by plaintiff, and that in reporting to CPS she was discharging her statutory duties and following hospital policy, all in good faith ( see Social Services Law §§ 413, 419; Rine v. Chase, supra). In so doing, defendant made a prima facie showing of entitlement to judgment, as a matter of law, dismissing the complaint ( see Ferrante v. American Lung Assn., 90 N.Y.2d 623, 630).

In opposition, plaintiff submitted only his own affidavit, the child's medical records and various CPS documents. This evidence was patently insufficient to raise a triable issue of fact as to whether defendant had engaged in willful misconduct or acted with gross negligence or outside the scope of her nursing duties, so as to overcome the statutory immunity shield afforded by Social Services Law § 419 ( see Dunham v. Hilco Constr. Co., 89 N.Y.2d 425, 430; Rine v. Chase, supra; Van Emrik v. Chemung County Dept. of Social Servs., supra at 953-954; Kempster v. Child Protective Servs. of Dept. of Social Servs. of County of Suffolk, supra at 625-626). Plaintiff's reliance on a remark in the uncertified, unsworn medical records of the plastic surgeon who treated the child that plaintiff's described initial treatments of the injury "sound perfectly appropriate" does not overcome defendant's entitlement to summary judgment, as "[u]ncertified medical records and unsworn letters or reports are of no probative value" ( Parmisani v. Grasso, 218 A.D.2d 870, 872). Plaintiff's claims in his affidavit that the emergency room physician and radiologist agreed that the suspicion of inappropriate care was groundless are not supported by any competent evidence in this record. Moreover, despite the fact that defendant's initial diagnosis of "partial amputation" of the tip of his finger may well have been incorrect, plaintiff submitted no medical affidavits or affirmations or other probative proof supporting his speculative claims that defendant had engaged in any misconduct or gross negligence, that defendant's suspicions had been groundless, or to rebut the presumption of good faith ( see Ross v. City of New York, 302 A.D.2d 232, 233). Thus, County Court correctly granted defendant's motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

Cardona, P.J., Crew III, Peters and Lahtinen, JJ., concur.

ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.

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LENTINI v. PAGE
(Mar 11, 2004)