In re Adiva B.
Opinion of the Court
Order, Family Court, New York County (Helen Sturm, J.), entered on or about May 6, 2003, which held petitioner, the Commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), in civil contempt for failing to appear promptly for a scheduled court proceeding and which directed ACS to reimburse respondent Willie S.’s lost wages for that date, unanimously reversed, on the law and the facts, without costs, and the order vacated.
ACS’s failure to have an attorney present at the appointed time for an adjourned hearing was the result of a series of miscommunications involving the originally assigned ACS attorney, the replacement attorney, and their supervisor, and not a willful neglect or violation of duty (see Conforti v Goradia, 234 AD2d 237, 238-239 [1996]). Insofar as the order appealed refers to a pattern of mistakes, the contempt finding was based solely
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.