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In re Townes v. Selsky

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Oct 30, 2003
309 A.D.2d 1106 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)

Opinion

93180

Decided and Entered: October 30, 2003.

Appeal from a judgment of the Supreme Court (Spargo, J.), entered February 5, 2003 in Albany County, which, in a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78, granted respondents' motion to dismiss the petition.

Keith Townes, Elmira, appellant pro se.

Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General, Albany (Patrick Barnett — Mulligan of counsel), Albany, for respondents.

Before: Cardona, P.J., Peters, Spain, Mugglin and Rose, JJ.


MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

Petitioner commenced this CPLR article 78 proceeding to challenge a determination finding him guilty of violating a prison disciplinary rule. Supreme Court granted respondents' motion to dismiss the petition on the ground of lack of personal jurisdiction because petitioner failed to serve each respondent with the signed order to show cause and petition as directed in the order to show cause. Absent a showing that imprisonment presented an obstacle to service beyond an inmate's control, failure to satisfy the service requirements set forth in an order to show cause requires dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction (see Matter of Bennett v. Selsky, 306 A.D.2d 597; Matter of Martinez v. Goord, 304 A.D.2d 1062). Petitioner did not argue before Supreme Court that he was presented with any barriers preventing him from properly commencing this proceeding, and his belated assertions on appeal that insufficient access to a typewriter, law books and a copy machine prevented him from making proper service are unpersuasive (see Matter of Miller v. Coombe, 234 A.D.2d 825, 826).

Cardona, P.J., Peters, Spain, Mugglin and Rose, JJ., concur.

ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed, without costs.


Summaries of

In re Townes v. Selsky

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
Oct 30, 2003
309 A.D.2d 1106 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)
Case details for

In re Townes v. Selsky

Case Details

Full title:IN THE MATTER OF KEITH TOWNES, Appellant, v. DONALD SELSKY, as Director of…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department

Date published: Oct 30, 2003

Citations

309 A.D.2d 1106 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)
766 N.Y.S.2d 603

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