Matter of Relyea v Metropolitan Transp. Auth.
2012 NY Slip Op 00381 [91 AD3d 787]
January 17, 2012
Appellate Division, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, February 29, 2012


In the Matter of Joseph Relyea, Appellant,
v
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Respondent.

[*1] Joseph Relyea, Brooklyn, N.Y., appellant pro se.

James B. Henly, New York, N.Y. (Ching Wah Chin of counsel), for respondent.

In a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 to review a determination of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority dated November 7, 2007, which denied the petitioner's application for a disability pension, the petitioner appeals from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Solomon, J.), dated October 22, 2010, which, without a hearing, denied the petition and, in effect, dismissed the proceeding.

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed, with costs.

"Generally, in a CPLR article 78 proceeding, [courts] examine whether the action taken by the agency has a rational basis" and will overturn that action only "where it is 'taken without sound basis in reason' or 'regard to the facts' " (Matter of Wooley v New York State Dept. of Correctional Servs., 15 NY3d 275, 280 [2010], quoting Matter of Peckham v Calogero, 12 NY3d 424, 431 [2009]; see Matter of Pell v Board of Educ. of Union Free School Dist. No. 1 of Towns of Scarsdale & Mamaroneck, Westchester County, 34 NY2d 222, 232 [1974]), or where it is "arbitrary and capricious" (Matter of Deerpark Farms, LLC v Agricultural & Farmland Protection Bd. of Orange County, 70 AD3d 1037, 1038 [2010]; see Matter of Ignizio v City of New York, 85 AD3d 1171, 1174 [2011]). Here, the determination of the respondent that the petitioner was not eligible for a disability pension was not arbitrary and capricious. The petitioner did not have the required 10 years of credited service in order to be eligible for a disability pension. Mastro, A.P.J., Angiolillo, Balkin and Chambers, JJ., concur.