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New York State Inspection v. Cuomo

64 N.Y.2d 233 Court N.Y. Decision date 1984-12-18 English

Delivered by Jasen, J.

Contents

Majority

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In the Matter of New York State Inspection, Security and Law Enforcement Employees, District Council 82, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, et al., Appellants, v Mario M. Cuomo, as Governor and Chief Executive Officer of the State of New York, et al., Respondents.
Argued November 14, 1984;
decided December 18, 1984
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POINTS OF COUNSEL
Mark T. Walsh, Jr., for appellants.
I. Petitioners’ assertion of their specific statutory rights to a safe work environment as well as their other claims present justiciable controversies. The court below erred in dismissing the petition. (Klostermann v Cuomo, 61 NY2d 525 ; Flushing Nat. Bank v Municipal Assistance Corp., 40 NY2d 731 ; Rankin v Shanker, 23 NY2d 111 ; Jones v Beame, 45 NY2d 402 ; Board of Educ. v Nyquist, 57 NY2d 27 ; Bruno v Codd, 47 NY2d 582 ; Matter of Anderson v Krupsak, 40 NY2d 397 ; Baker v Carr, 369 US 186 ; New York Moratorium on Prison Constr. v New York State Dept. of Correctional Servs., 91 Misc 2d 674 ; Matter of Town of Yorktown v New York State Dept. of Mental Hygiene, 92 AD2d 897 .) II. Petitioners have a right to a work environment “as free from hazards and risks to their safety as is practicable.” Closing the Long Island Correctional Facility (LICF) violates that right. Petitioners state a cause of action and are properly before this court seeking injunctive relief. (American Textile Mfrs. Inst. v Donovan, 452 US 490 ; American Smelting & Refining Co. v Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm., 501 F2d 504 ; Red Hook Cold Stor. Co. v Department of Labor, 295 NY 1 ; National Realty & Constr. Co. v Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm., 489 F2d 1257 ; Baroid Div. of NL Inds. v Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm., 660 F2d 439 ; Usery v Marquette Cement Mfg. Co., 568 F2d 902 ; Babcock & Wilcox Co. v Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm., 622 F2d 1160 ; General Dynamics Corp. v Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm., 599 F2d 453 ; Titanium Metals Corp. v Usery, 579 F2d 536 .) III. The decision to close LICF rests upon other than a substantial basis or professional opinion and is arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion. (Matter of Pell v Board of Educ., 34 NY2d 222 ; Goodman v State of New York, 37 AD2d 703 .) IV. The Governor does not have authority to exercise management and control of the correctional facilities. That authority rests with the Commissioner of Correctional Services. The Governor does not have the authority to close or direct the closing of LICF. In purporting to do so, the Governor is acting in excess of his jurisdiction. (Gaynor v Rockefeller, 21 AD2d 92 , 15 NY2d 120 ; Rapp v Carey, 44 NY2d 157 ; People v Tremaine, 252 NY 27 ; Matter of New York City School Bds. Assn. v Board of Educ., 39 NY2d 111 ; Matter of County of Oneida
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v Berle, 49 NY2d 515 ; Nydick v Suffolk County Legislature, 81 Misc 2d 786 , 47 AD2d 241 , 36 NY2d 951 ; Rebeor v Wilcox, 58 AD2d 186 .) V. Commissioner Coughlin did not make an independent determination based upon a review of all the facts and circumstances, but instead made his determination solely to honor a commitment made by Governor Cuomo during his campaign. (Matter of Winkler v State Liq. Auth., 3 AD2d 1011 , 4 NY2d 856 ; Matter of Board of Educ. v Ambach, 81 AD2d 691 ; Matter of Circus Disco v New York State Liq. Auth., 51 NY2d 24 ; Matter of Kelly v Monaghan, 9 AD2d 92 .) VI. Respondents are equitably estopped from closing Long Island Correctional Facility. (Bender v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 38 NY2d 662 ; Eden v Board of Trustees, 49 AD2d 277 ; Matter of Moritz v Board of Educ., 60 AD2d 161 ; Matter of 1555 Boston Rd. Corp. v Finance Administrator, 61 AD2d 187 ; Franks v Bowman Transp. Co., 424 US 747 ; Humphrey v Moore, 375 US 335 .) VII. Petitioners state a cause of action for violation of their contra ctual rights to safe working conditions and are properly before the courts asserting the same. (Port Chester Elec. Constr. Corp. v Atlas, 40 NY2d 652 ; Underwriters at Lloyd’s v Richards Frgt. Lines, 12 NY2d 334 ; Boryszewski v Brydges, 37 NY2d 361 ; Matter of Bradford Cent. School Dist. v Ambach, 56 NY2d 158 ; Matter of Morgenthau v Cooke, 56 NY2d 24 ; Matter of Douglaston Civic Assn. v Galvin, 36 NY2d 1 ; National Organization for Women v State Div. of Human Rights, 34 NY2d 416 ; Matter of Building Contrs. Assn. v Tully, 65 AD2d 199 ; Matter of National Elevator Ind. v State Tax Comm., 65 AD2d 304 ; Watergate II Apts. v Buffalo Sewer Auth., 46 NY2d 52 .) VIII. The order of the court below which reversed the lower court’s grant of preliminary injunction should be reversed and the preliminary injunction should be reinstated. (Grant Co. v Srogi, 52 NY2d 496 ; Poling Transp. Corp. v A&P Tanker Corp., 84 AD2d 796 ; Albini v Solork Assoc., 37 AD2d 835 ; Tucker v Toia, 54 AD2d 322 ; Konishi v Por Kung Lin, 88 AD2d 905 .)
Robert Abrams, Attorney-General (Ann Horowitz, Robert Hermann and O. Peter Sherwood of counsel), for respondents.
I. The decision to close LICF is nonjusticiable because it is committed to executive discretion and is part of the over-all plan for managing the State correctional system, and because petitioners can invoke no legislatively mandated program, the proper enforcement of which could result in the relief they seek. (Jones v Beame, 45 NY2d 402 ; Matter of Lorie C., 49 NY2d 161 ; James v Board of Educ., 42 NY2d 357 ; Abrams v New York City Tr. Auth., 39 NY2d 990 ; Klostermann v Cuomo, 61 NY2d 525 .) II.
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The court below properly held that the claims in the nature of mandamus and prohibition, and the equitable estoppel claim, fail to state a cause of action. (Matter of Legal Aid Soc. v Scheinman, 53 NY2d 12 ; Matter of Marburg v Cole, 286 NY 202 ; Matter of Burr v Voorhis, 229 NY 382 ; Matter of Hamptons Hosp. & Med. Center v Moore, 52 NY2d 88 ; Matter of Vasquez v Town Bd. of Town of Waterford, 72 AD2d 883 .) III. Special Term erred in granting a preliminary injunction because there was no showing that the necessary elements were met. (Graves v Lombardi, 42 AD2d 700 ; Russian Church of Our Lady of Kazan v Dunkel, 34 AD2d 799 ; Rohauer v Killian, 37 AD2d 547 ; Barricini, Inc. v Barricini Shoes, 1 AD2d 905 ; People v Cleague, 22 NY2d 363 ; People v Razezicz, 206 NY 249 ; Matter of Vasquez v Town Bd. of Town of Waterford, 72 AD2d 883 .)

OPINION OF THE COURT

The statutory right to a safe workplace may not be enforced by means of a remedy at law which would require the judiciary to preempt the exercise of discretion by the executive branch of government.

In 1982, the Long Island Correctional Facility (LICF), situated on the grounds of the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center, was opened as part of a plan to meet the immediate and long-term needs of the State correction system. The decision partially to convert the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center to a medium security correctional facility was made by former Governor Carey, and was met with early opposition. (See Cohalan v Carey, 88 AD2d 77 , app dsmd 57 NY2d 672 .) In January 1984, in his annual message to the Legislature, Governor Cuomo announced that the LICF would be closed as a part of the over-all capital expansion plan of the New York State Department of Correctional Services (DOCS). In a subsequent press release, the Governor stated that the LICF would be closed on October 1, 1984, in view of the availability of 3,500 new prison spaces over the next year under the State’s prison expansion program and an analysis of prison population growth projections.

Thereupon, petitioners commenced this article 78 proceeding, seeking to enjoin the scheduled closing of the LICF. The proceeding was brought on behalf of two classes of correctional personnel: correction officers, sergeants, lieutenants and civilian employees of DOCS currently employed at LICF (Class I); and, individuals employed in similar capacities at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility and other facilities maintained and operated by DOCS (Class II). The gravamen of this proceeding is that

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the closing of the LICE would exacerbate the risk of serious bodily injury and death to persons employed at prison facilities, in violation of their statutory right to a safe workplace pursuant to section 27-a of the Labor Law.[1]

Two motions were submitted to Special Term: petitioners’ motion for a preliminary injunction and respondents’ motion to dismiss the petition. Special Term granted petitioners’ motion for a preliminary injunction on June 5,1984, thus enjoining the scheduled closing of the LICE pending a determination on the merits. Respondents moved to dismiss the petition pursuant to CPLR 7804 (subd [f]) and CPLR 3211 (subd [a], pars 2, 7) upon the ground, inter alia, that the decision to close the LICE involves the exercise of executive discretion and therefore presents a nonjusticiable controversy. By order dated July 9, 1984, Special Term denied respondents’ motion to dismiss, finding that the claim advanced by petitioners under section 27-a of the Labor Law was justiciable by reason of this court’s recent decisions in Klostermann v Cuomo and Joanne S. v Carey ( 61 NY2d 525 ). Upon motion by respondents, the Appellate Division, Second Department, granted permission to appeal. In a decision dated September 21, 1984, the Appellate Division reversed both orders of Special Term, on the law, and entered an order dismissing the petition and vacating the preliminary injunction. We affirm for the following reasons.

The doctrine of justiciability, developed to identify appropriate occasions for the exercise of judicial authority, represents perhaps the most significant and least comprehended limitation upon the judicial power. (See Jackson, The Supreme Court in the American System of Government, p 11.) Justiciability is the generic term of art which encompasses discrete, subsidiary concepts including, inter alia, political questions, ripeness and advisory opinions. At the heart of the justification for the doctrine of justiciability lies the jurisprudential canon that the power of the judicial branch may only be exercised in a manner consistent with the “judicial function” (Matter of State Ind. Comm., 224 NY 13 , 16 [Cardozo, J.]), upon the proper presentation of matters of a “Judiciary Nature” (2 Farrand, Records of Federal Convention of 1787 [1911], p 430). Recognizing that we have no more right to usurp the authority conferred upon a

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coordinate branch of government than to decline the exercise of jurisdiction which is granted, we turn to the critical inquiry presented by this appeal — whether petitioners’ claims are justiciable.

As a reflection of the pattern of government adopted by the State of New York, which includes by implication the separation of the executive, legislative andjudicial powers (Matter of LaGuardia v Smith, 288 NY 1 , 5-6; Matter of Guden, 171 NY 529 , 531), it is a fundamental principle of the organic law that each department of government should be free from interference, in the lawful discharge of duties expressly conferred, by either of the other branches (People ex rel. Burby v Howland, 155 NY 270 , 282). With respect to the distribution of powers within our system of government, it has been said that no concept has been “more universally received and cherished as a vital principle of freedom”. (Dash v Van Kleeck, 7 Johns 477 , 509 [Kent, Ch. J.].) Within our tripartite governmental framework, the Governor, as chief executive officer, has the responsibility to manage the operations of the divisions of the executive branch, including the Department of Correctional Services. (Saxton v Carey, 44 NY2d 545 , 549.) The lawful acts of executive branch officials, performed in satisfaction of responsibilities conferred by law, involve questions of judgment, allocation of resources and ordering of priorities, which are generally not subject to judicial review. (Matter of Lorie C., 49 NY2d 161 ,171; Matter of Abrams v New York City Tr. Auth., 39 NY2d 990 , 992; Jones v Beame, 45 NY2d 402 , 408; James v Board of Educ., 42 NY2d 357 , 368; Matter of Smiley, 36 NY2d 433 ,441.) This judicial deference to a coordinate, coequal branch of government includes one issue of justiciability generally denominated as the “political question” doctrine. (Jones u Beame, 45 NY2d 402 , 408, supra; Benson Realty Corp. v Beame, 50 NY2d 994 , 996, app dsmd 449 US 1119 ; Klostermann v Cuomo, 61 NY2d 525 , 535, supra.)

By seeking to vindicate their legally protected interest in a safe workplace, petitioners call for a remedy which would embroil the judiciary in the management and operation of the State correction system. The primary responsibility for administering the system is vested in the Commissioner of Correctional Services (Correction Law, § 112), who is appointed by and holds office at the pleasure of the Governor. The responsibility for maintaining, establishing and closing any correctional facility operated by DOCS is expressly conferred upon the Commissioner of Correctional Services. (Correction Law, § 70, subd 3, par [a].) While it is within the power of the judiciary to declare

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the vested rights of a specifically protected class of individuals, in a fashion recognized by statute (Klostermann v Cuomo, 61 NY2d 525 , supra), the manner by which the State addresses complex societal and governmental issues is a subject left to the discretion of the political branches of government (Klostermann v Cuomo, 61 NY2d 525 , supra; Matter of Abrams v New York City Tr. Auth., 39 NY2d 990 , 992, supra). Where, as here, policy matters have demonstrably and textually been committed to a coordinate, political branch of government, any consideration of such matters by a branch or body other than that in which the power expressly is reposed would, absent extraordinary or emergency circumstances (James v Board of Educ., 42 NY2d 357 , 367, supra), constitute an ultra vires act.

Even if the relief sought by petitioners were not rendered nonjusticiable by reason of the controversy being a political question, consideration of the matter would, nevertheless, be barred by the doctrine of ripeness. On the facts presented, and in absence of the tender of evidence indicating the intended destination of the current inmate population of the LICE, it cannot be said that a realistic danger confronts the petitioners of either Class I or Class II. Under petitioners’ theory of the case, Class I, the current employees of the LICE, could only be exposed to an increased hazard if transferred to the same facilities to which the current inmates are to be sent. There has been no showing that the destinations of petitioners of Class I will parallel those of the current inmate population of the LICE. The risk to petitioners of Class II is similarly conditional. Class II would not be subjected to an increased risk of hazard if the process of attrition as applied to the LICE proved effective, if the creation of new prison spaces as the result of the over-all capital expansion plan was achieved, or if an adequate number of vacancies occurred at DOCS facilities other than the LICE. The claims set forth by petitioners are only supportable upon a theory of contingent justiciability — a standard which is contrary to the requirement of the Labor Law that a condition or practice may be enjoined only where “a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before the imminence of such danger can be eliminated through the abatement procedures otherwise provided for” (Labor Law, §27-a, subd 7 [emphasis added]). Where the harm sought to be enjoined is contingent upon events which may not come to pass, the claim to enjoin the purported hazard is nonjusticiable as wholly speculative and abstract.[1] (See New York Public Interest Research Group v Carey, 42 NY2d 527 .)

2 Holding, as we do, that consideration of the matter is barred by the doctrine of ripeness, any further consideration would require this court, to *241 render an advisory opinion, a practice not in accord with the settled policy in this State.

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We do not, by our decision today, suggest that petitioners’ claims seeking safe working conditions are strictly beyond the realm of judicial consideration. On the contrary, section 27-a (subd 7, par c) of the Labor Law establishes automatic standing for petitioners to enjoin working conditions which are hazardous, or present an imminent danger, in those instances where the Industrial Commissioner fails to seek relief upon notice of such condition. This remedy is essential to the protection of the basic right of all employees to work in an environment that is as free from hazards and risks to their safety as practicable. (Legislative Findings, L 1980, ch 729, § 1.) To warrant judicial intervention, the threat to petitioners’ legally protected interest in a safe workplace must be of sufficient immediacy and reality, and the remedy sought must not seek judicial action which would necessarily impinge upon the prerogative and authority of a coordinate branch of government. Under the circumstances of this case, the Appellate Division correctly dismissed the petition and vacated the preliminary injunction.* *[2]

Accordingly, the order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed, with costs.

Chief Judge Cooke and Judges Jones, Wachtler, Meyer, Simons and Kaye concur.

Order affirmed, with costs.

3 Since nonjusticiability, whether by reason of political question or non-ripeness, implicates the subject matter jurisdiction of the court, respondents properly predicated their motion to dismiss upon CPLR 3211 (subd [a], par 2). (Siegel, Practice Commentaries, McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 7B, C3001:4.) CPLR 3211 (subd [a], par 2) is the proper vehicle to dismiss a nonripe controversy, even though the conceptual focus of the ripeness doctrine is upon the maturity of the claim asserted. (See Duke City Lbr. Co. v Butz, 539 F2d 220 , 221, n 2, cert den 429 US 1039 .)

Cases cited

Statutes and regulations cited