PASSANTINO v. [And A Third–Party Action] (2025)

Order, Supreme Court, Bronx County (Raymond P. Fernandez, J.), entered August 2, 2024, which granted the cross-motion of defendants/third-party plaintiffs The City of New York and New York City Department of Education (collectively, the City) to quash the subpoenas, and, in effect, denied the motion of defendants New York City School Construction Authority and Admiral Construction LLC to compel depositions of two subpoenaed witnesses, unanimously affirmed, without costs.

Defendants' motions to compel the deposition testimony of two former Department of Education employees were properly served because the motions were addressed to them individually, as nonparties, and afforded them proper notice of the claims at issue.  The City's cross-motion to quash the subpoenas, which were not made returnable in court, was not untimely because the City engaged in a good faith request to have the subpoenas withdrawn or modified prior to filing its motion to quash (see CPLR 2304;  Matter of Friedman v Hi–Li Manor Home for Adults, 42 N.Y.2d 408, 413 [1977]).

Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in granting the City's cross-motion to quash the subpoenas.  The City demonstrated the futility of the process to uncover anything legitimate via depositions of the subpoenaed former school principals as to the individual plaintiff's claims of an injurious trip and fall on the scaffold in a fenced-off, locked area that was restricted to construction workers (see Matter of Kapon v. Koch, 23 NY3d 32, 34 [2014]).  There was no evidence the former principals had personal knowledge of the circumstances of the individual plaintiff's fall or of the alleged tripping hazards on the scaffold.  In opposition, defendants failed to demonstrate that the deposition testimony of the principals was material and necessary to assist in addressing the premises liability issues (see id.).

We have considered defendants' remaining contentions and find them unavailing.