Opinion
2012-11-13
Dr. Tulsa KNOX, Petitioner–Appellant, v. NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, Respondent–Respondent.
Noah A. Kinigstein, New York, for appellant. Michael A. Cardozo, Corporation Counsel, New York (Norman Corenthal of counsel), for respondent.
Noah A. Kinigstein, New York, for appellant. Michael A. Cardozo, Corporation Counsel, New York (Norman Corenthal of counsel), for respondent.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Alice Schlesinger, J.), entered December 7, 2011, which denied petitioner's motion for an award of attorney's fees pursuant to CPLR article 86, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
The motion was properly denied since respondent is neither the State nor a state agency within the meaning of the statute ( seeCPLR 8602[g]; Hernandez v. Hammons, 98 N.Y.2d 735, 750 N.Y.S.2d 813, 780 N.E.2d 498 [2002] ). The fact that respondent performs a governmental function, namely the administration of public education, does not make it an agent of the State ( see Matter of Apollon v. Giuliani, 246 A.D.2d 130, 134–135, 675 N.Y.S.2d 38 [1st Dept. 1998],lv. dismissed 92 N.Y.2d 1046, 685 N.Y.S.2d 422, 708 N.E.2d 179 [1999] ).