Matter of Mitchell v DiMango
2012 NY Slip Op 08129 [100 AD3d 1001]
November 28, 2012
Appellate Division, Second Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, December 26, 2012
As corrected through Wednesday, December 26, 2012


In the Matter of Stephen T. Mitchell, Petitioner,
v
Patricia DiMango et al., Respondents.

[*1] Stephen T. Mitchell, South Orange, New Jersey, petitioner pro se.

Charles J. Hynes, District Attorney, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Monique Ferrell of counsel), for respondents.

Proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78, inter alia, in the nature of prohibition to prohibit the respondents from proceeding with an underlying criminal prosecution entitled People v Mitchell, pending in the Supreme Court, Kings County, under indictment No. 4743/2010, and in the nature of mandamus to compel the respondents to allow him to subpoena certain information, and application to waive the filing fee imposed by CPLR 8022 (b).

Ordered that the application to waive the filing fee imposed by CPLR 8022 (b) is granted; and it is further,

Adjudged that the petition is denied and the proceeding is dismissed on the merits, without costs or disbursements.

"Because of its extraordinary nature, prohibition is available only where there is a clear legal right, and then only when a court—in cases where judicial authority is challenged—acts or threatens to act either without jurisdiction or in excess of its authorized powers" (Matter of Holtzman v Goldman, 71 NY2d 564, 569 [1988]; see Matter of Rush v Mordue, 68 NY2d 348, 352 [1986]). The extraordinary remedy of mandamus will lie only to compel the performance of a ministerial act, and only where there exists a clear legal right to the relief sought (see Matter of Legal Aid Socy. of Sullivan County v Scheinman, 53 NY2d 12, 16 [1981]).

The petitioner has failed to demonstrate a clear legal right to the relief sought. Skelos, J.P., Balkin, Dickerson and Hinds-Radix, JJ., concur.