MOSES v. RACHAL (2000)

 Family Court properly determined following a hearing that petitioner is not entitled to visitation with the parties' seven-year-old daughter.   Petitioner was sentenced to 7 1/212 to 15 years in prison for the attempted murder of respondent.   Even assuming, arguendo, that the court failed to apply the proper burden of proof (see, Matter of Lonobile v. Betkowski, 261 A.D.2d 829, 689 N.Y.S.2d 790), we conclude that the record is sufficient to enable us to determine that visitation would be harmful to the child (see, Matter of Hadsell v. Hadsell, 249 A.D.2d 853, 672 N.Y.S.2d 478, lv. denied 92 N.Y.2d 809, 680 N.Y.S.2d 54, 702 N.E.2d 839).   Although there is no proof that the shooting of respondent placed the child in immediate physical danger, petitioner was aware that the child was at home when he shot respondent, and he left respondent lying on the floor seriously wounded for the child to find her.   Furthermore, an adverse inference may be drawn from petitioner's invocation of the Fifth Amendment at the hearing (see, Marine Midland Bank v. Russo Produce Co., 50 N.Y.2d 31, 42-43, 427 N.Y.S.2d 961, 405 N.E.2d 205).

Order unanimously affirmed without costs.

MEMORANDUM: