City’s Claim for Tree Damage Dismissed

Sidewalk contractor injured City trees during sidewalk reconstruction. A property owner hired Tri-Rail Construction, Inc., to repair the sidewalk adjacent to the owner’s property. During the course of the sidewalk repair work Tri-Rail injured City-owned trees. The City sued Tri-Rail for money damages for the injury to the City trees.


Needed: Large Venues for Large Protest/Rallies in New York City

Peaceful protests, protected by the First Amendment, are fundamental to our constitutional system and to democracy. Peaceful protest marches and rallies have been instrumental in bringing about significant change in racial, gender, LGBTQ and economic equality; reproductive rights; climate policy; capital punishment; housing; criminal justice, and voting rights. Yet in recent years appropriate venues have been unavailable for large peaceful protests, raising the question of whether City practices inappropriately limit the exercise of First Amendment … <Read More>


Pedicab Operator Fined $750

Unlicensed owner left pedicab in the “No Standing” area of Central Park. Shakhboz Muzafforov left his pedicab unattended in front of the Loeb Boat House at East 73rd Street in Central Park at 12:22 p.m. on May 16, 2017.  A Parks officer served Muzafforov a summons for unlawfully leaving a pedicab in a prohibited location.  Later that day at 2:05 p.m., a Parks officer asked Muzafforov for his license and upon review of the … <Read More>



Trees: Tort Liability For Injuries Involving Trees

Trees under the common law were considered natural conditions with the result that possessors of land were not liable for injuries caused trees. Professor William Prosser wrote in the first edition of the hornbook on Torts (1941) that the traditional common law rule was that the possessor of land was under no affirmative duty to make safe dangerous conditions on the land that were natural in origin. Prosser went on to say, however, that there … <Read More>


City-Owned and Leased Property Database Launched

municipal art society of new yorkThe Municipal Art Society launches a dynamic database for searching city-owned and leased property. On November 21, 2016, the Municipal Art Society of New York (“MAS”) issued a report entitled Public Assets: City-Owned and Leased Properties (Public Assets) which aggregated information on city-owned and leased properties and how they relate to the environment, infrastructure, landmarks, population, and local rezonings. The report was accompanied by the first-ever interactive city map that compiles information for more than … <Read More>