Matter of Castiglia v County of Ontario
2016 NY Slip Op 04545 [140 AD3d 1648]
June 10, 2016
Appellate Division, Fourth Department
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.
As corrected through Wednesday, August 3, 2016


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 In the Matter of Nicholas Castiglia, Petitioner, v County of Ontario et al., Respondents.

Trevett Cristo Salzer & Andolina, P.C., Rochester (Matthew J. Fusco of counsel), for petitioner.

Gary L. Curtiss, County Attorney, Canandaigua (Lea T. Nacca of counsel), for respondents.

Proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 (transferred to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the Fourth Judicial Department by order of the Supreme Court, Ontario County [Thomas A. Stander, J.], entered Oct. 2, 2015) to annul a determination of respondents. The determination terminated the employment of petitioner.

It is hereby ordered that the determination is unanimously confirmed without costs and the petition is dismissed.

Memorandum: Petitioner commenced this proceeding seeking to annul the determination finding him guilty of disciplinary charges and terminating his employment as a correction officer for respondents. We conclude that the determination is supported by substantial evidence, i.e., "such relevant proof as a reasonable mind may accept as adequate to support a conclusion or ultimate fact" (300 Gramatan Ave. Assoc. v State Div. of Human Rights, 45 NY2d 176, 180 [1978]; see CPLR 7803 [4]; see generally Matter of Pell v Board of Educ. of Union Free School Dist. No. 1 of Towns of Scarsdale & Mamaroneck, Westchester County, 34 NY2d 222, 230-231 [1974]). We further conclude that, in view of petitioner's extensive disciplinary record, the penalty of terminating his employment is not "so disproportionate to the offense[s] as to be shocking to one's sense of fairness," and thus it does not constitute an abuse of discretion as a matter of law (Matter of Kelly v Safir, 96 NY2d 32, 38 [2001], rearg denied 96 NY2d 854 [2001]; see Matter of Seltzer v City of Rochester, 77 AD3d 1300, 1301 [2010]). Present—Peradotto, J.P., Carni, Lindley, Curran and Troutman, JJ.