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IN RE: Application of John MAURO, et al., Petitioners, v. DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL, Respondent.
Determination of respondent Division of Housing and Community Renewal (“DHCR”), dated September 14, 1995, which found that petitioners engaged in a course of conduct constituting harassment and assessed civil penalties totaling $33,000, unanimously confirmed, the petition denied and the proceeding brought pursuant to CPLR article 78 (transferred to this Court by order of the Supreme Court, New York County [Marylin Diamond, J.], entered April 16, 1997), dismissed, without costs.
The combination of investigatory, prosecutory and quasi-judicial functions in a single administrative agency is not in itself violative of due process (Matter of J. Beres & Sons Dairy, Inc. v. Barber, 75 A.D.2d 930, 932, 427 N.Y.S.2d 522, affd. 52 N.Y.2d 1026, 438 N.Y.S.2d 302, 420 N.E.2d 101; Friedman v. State of New York, 24 N.Y.2d 528, 541-544, 301 N.Y.S.2d 484, 249 N.E.2d 369). Nor does the record otherwise provide support for petitioners' allegations of bias on the part of the Administrative Law Judge and the DHCR enforcement attorney, much less proof that the outcome of the administrative proceeding was affected by such bias (see, Matter of Warder v. Board of Regents, 53 N.Y.2d 186, 197, 440 N.Y.S.2d 875, 423 N.E.2d 352, cert. denied 454 U.S. 1125, 102 S.Ct. 974, 71 L.Ed.2d 112; Matter of Jeremias v. Sander, 177 A.D.2d 488, 575 N.Y.S.2d 1019).
We also reject petitioners' additional due process claim that they were denied an independent review of the record by the DHCR Commissioner because the verbatim transcript of the hearing was not yet available at the time of the Commissioner's consideration of the matter. There is no specific requirement that the Commissioner review the verbatim transcripts of an administrative hearing and due process requirements were satisfied in the present case by the availability of the entire record, which included tape recordings of the hearing, for review by the Commissioner (see, Matter of Di Marsico v. Ambach, 48 N.Y.2d 576, 582, 424 N.Y.S.2d 107, 399 N.E.2d 1129; People ex rel. Ragsdale v. Mantello, 168 A.D.2d 925, 564 N.Y.S.2d 892; cf., Cruz v. Lavine, 45 A.D.2d 720, 356 N.Y.S.2d 334).
Respondent's determination was supported by substantial evidence (Matter of Berenhaus v. Ward, 70 N.Y.2d 436, 522 N.Y.S.2d 478, 517 N.E.2d 193; Matter of Jeremias v. Sander, supra ), and the multiple penalties imposed based upon numerous individual acts of harassment within a larger course of conduct were neither illegal nor inappropriate (Hartman v. New York State Div. of Housing & Community Renewal, 158 A.D.2d 330, 551 N.Y.S.2d 18, lv. denied 76 N.Y.2d 705, 560 N.Y.S.2d 128, 559 N.E.2d 1287).
MEMORANDUM DECISION.
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Decided: May 07, 1998
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, New York.
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