Chris Lobo, Another Victim of Peer Intervention Plus (PIP+) Loses His Article 7511 in Supreme Court

The decision below reflects once again the power of RMC as the vendor that was hired by the NYC BOE to do observations of "incompetent" teachers" under the PIP+ program. The PIP+ program is a red flag that you must be terminated. The process is pursued through the principal of a school, and the observations of the PIP+ observer are given to the principal, whose opinion of the employee determines what is written. Arbitrators are told by the Gotcha Squad not to overrule the conclusions given as to the employee's performance and I know of only three cases where a teacher/employee was not terminated by the arbitrator at 3020-a, and no cases where the Supreme Court overturned this termination on Appeal.

Why the UFT would continue to push members into this program is my question, not only because of its obvious purpose, but also because the observers violate the UFTcontract (Article 8J) and Teaching In The 21st Century by not doing pre-observations.

NEW YORK COUNTY

Schools and Education
Hearing Officer's Decision to Terminate Teacher Found Not Shocking to Conscience
07-29-2011
Justice Lobis

High school science teacher, Lobo, sought to annul an arbitration's decision to terminate his employment. A hearing on misconduct charges was held after the Department of Education (DOE) preferred charges, including incompetence, against Lobo. Hearing Officer Henderson found Lobo's testimony consisted of general denials or excuses for his "shortcomings." Henderson found the DOE established that on the seven occasions administrators observed Lobo's class over two years, he delivered unsatisfactory lessons. He concluded that given the resources available to help Lobo, and his failure to improve and reluctance to admit deficiencies, it was unlikely Lobo would ever improve, ruling termination appropriate. Lobo claimed the termination was shocking to the conscience and should be vacated. The court disagreed, noting in light of Henderson's findings that Lobo was under-performing for two straight years, and even after being provided resources to assist him, Lobo could not argue the penalty of termination was unwarranted. The court ruled as Lobo failed to sufficiently allege cognizable causes of action, the DOE's cross-motion for dismissal was granted.

Profile of Judge Joan B. Lobis:

Part Rules


Individual Judges' Rules Non Commercial Division

Recent decisions

Matter of Colon v. Kelly, 117992/09

Decided: May 13, 2010 (Published 5/27/2010 Administrative Law)

Capparelli v. NYC Dept of Housing Preservation & Development, 117308/09

Decided: April 2, 2010 (Published 5/12/2010 Landlord/Tenant Law)

Sweeten v. Teperman, 100425/06

Decided: February 4, 2010 (Published 3/2/2010 Civil Practice)

Matter of Costigan v. Kelly, 109718/09

Decided: February 11, 2010 (Published 3/1/2010 Government)

Tribeca Community Assoc. v. NYC Dept. of Sanitation, 101498/09

Decided: January 11, 2010 (Published 1/28/2010 Civil Practice)

Matter of Press v. Kelly, 107020/09

Decided: January 8, 2010 (Published 1/26/2010 Administrative Law)

Torres v. Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center, 109359/08

Decided: December 4, 2009 (Published 12/24/2009 Criminal Practice)

Matter of Kinard v. New York City Housing Authority, 401041/09

Decided: October 30, 2009 (Published 11/25/2009 Landlord/Tenant Law)

Franklin v. Beth Israel Medical Center, 108022/09

Decided: October 22, 2009 (Published 11/18/2009 Civil Practice)

Matter of Douce v. New York City Housing Authority

106638/09, Decided: October 22, 2009 (Published 11/12/2009 Landlord/Tenant Law)

Yakkey v. Ascher, 105463/05

Decided: October 26, 2009 (Published 11/9/2009 Torts)

Matter of Local No. 1 v. Thompson, 111072/08

Decided: March 2, 2009 (Published 3/23/2009 Labor Law)

Matter of Brown v. Hernandez, 401918/08

Decided: October 16, 2008 (Published 11/12/2008 Landlord/Tenant Law)

C. v. C., 350571/06

Decided: July 24, 2008 (Published 8/26/2008 Family Law)

Matter of Riches v. New York City Council, 106898/08

Decided: July 16, 2008 (Published 7/29/2008 Government)

J.H.W. v. J.H.W. (Published 2/10/2006 Civil Practice)

Appellate decisions (The Appellate Decisions below were originally ruled on by this judge in a lower court.)

Matter of Duryea v New York City Hous. Auth. (2011 NY Slip Op 05554) (Date Decided 6/28/2011)

Kettaneh v Board of Stds. & Appeals of the City of New York (2011 NY Slip Op 05410) (Date Decided 6/23/2011)

Fernandez v Moskowitz (2011 NY Slip Op 05344) (Date Decided 6/21/2011)

Matter of Block v Gatling (2011 NY Slip Op 03672) (Date Decided 5/3/2011)

Rose v Frankel (2011 NY Slip Op 03339) (Date Decided 4/28/2011)

Tribeca Community Assn. v New York City Dept. of Sanitation (2011 NY Slip Op 02959) (Date Decided 4/14/2011)

Matter of Gibbs v New York City Hous. Auth. (2011 NY Slip Op 01529) (Date Decided 3/1/2011)

Imperato v Mount Sinai Med. Ctr. (2011 NY Slip Op 01532) (Date Decided 3/1/2011)

Matter of Bautista v City of New York (2011 NY Slip Op 00784) (Date Decided 2/10/2011)

Cunningham v Newman (2011 NY Slip Op 00628) (Date Decided 2/3/2011)

Bustos v Lenox Hill Hosp. (2011 NY Slip Op 00432) (Date Decided 1/27/2011)

Matter of Zartoshti v Columbia Univ. (2010 NY Slip Op 09003) (Date Decided 12/7/2010)

Motor Veh. Acc. Indem. Corp. v NYC East-West Acupuncture, P.C. (2010 NY Slip Op 07111) (Date Decided 10/7/2010)

Mulgrew v Board of Educ. of the City School Dist. of the City of New York (2010 NY Slip Op 05863) (Date Decided 7/1/2010)

Matter of Girigorie v New York City Dept. of Hous. Preserv. & Dev. (2010 NY Slip Op 05880) (Date Decided 7/1/2010)

Nimkoff v Nimkoff (2010 NY Slip Op 04633) (Date Decided 6/1/2010)

Suckishvili v Visiting Nurse Serv. of N.Y. (2010 NY Slip Op 04647) (Date Decided 6/1/2010)

Matter of Days Impex Ltd. v Solomon Blum Heymann & Stich LLP (2010 NY Slip Op 04441) (Date Decided 5/25/2010)

Popowich v Korman (2010 NY Slip Op 04104) (Date Decided 5/13/2010)

Torres v Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Ctr. (2010 NY Slip Op 03379) (Date Decided 4/27/2010)

Matter of Riches v New York City Council (2010 NY Slip Op 03046) (Date Decided 4/15/2010)

Matter of Rodriguez v City of New York (2010 NY Slip Op 02020) (Date Decided 3/16/2010)

White v White (2010 NY Slip Op 01880) (Date Decided 3/11/2010)

Carter v Isabella Geriatric Ctr., Inc. (2010 NY Slip Op 01745) (Date Decided 3/4/2010)

Zak v Mintz (2010 NY Slip Op 00207) (Date Decided 1/12/2010)

Wyser-Pratte v Wyser-Pratte (2009 NY Slip Op 09531) (Date Decided 12/22/2009)

Septimus v Matos (2009 NY Slip Op 09166) (Date Decided 12/10/2009)

Matter of DeMartino v New York City Dept. of Transp. (2009 NY Slip Op 08073) (Date Decided 11/10/2009)

Ban Do Constr., Inc. v Connolly (2009 NY Slip Op 07161) (Date Decided 10/6/2009)

Matter of AJK Café, Inc. v New York State Liq. Auth. (2009 NY Slip Op 06648) (Date Decided 9/24/2009)

Matter of Grasso v New York City Tr. Auth. (2009 NY Slip Op 04274) (Date Decided 6/2/2009)

Gliber v Choi (2009 NY Slip Op 03930) (Date Decided 5/19/2009)

Ansour v Ansour (2009 NY Slip Op 03030) (Date Decided 4/21/2009)

Brockman v Brockman (Date Decided 2/24/2009)

Lusk v Lusk (2008 NY Slip Op 07969) (Date Decided 10/21/2008)

Belmore-Gaillard v Gaillard (2008 NY Slip Op 04795) (Date Decided 5/29/2008)

Kinberg v Kinberg (2008 NY Slip Op 03696) (Date Decided 4/24/2008)

Camaiore v Farance (2008 NY Slip Op 03390) (Date Decided 4/17/2008)

Carter v Carter (2008 NY Slip Op 02635) (Date Decided 3/20/2008)

Evans v Evans (2008 NY Slip Op 01602) (Date Decided 2/21/2008)

Stots v Daniels (2008 NY Slip Op 01070) (Date Decided 2/7/2008)

Karas-Abraham v Abraham (2007 NY Slip Op 09686) (Date Decided 12/6/2007)

Trexler v Kahanovitz (2007 NY Slip Op 05138) (Date Decided 6/12/2007)

Kesten v Weingarten (2007 NY Slip Op 04576) (Date Decided 5/31/2007)

Gross v Gross (2007 NY Slip Op 04362) (Date Decided 5/22/2007)

Nimkoff v Nimkoff (2007 NY Slip Op 00376) (Date Decided 1/18/2007)

Bianco v Bianco (2007 NY Slip Op 00244) (Date Decided 1/16/2007)

A.C. v D.R. (2007 NY Slip Op 00216) (Date Decided 1/11/2007)

Muslin v Passer-Muslin (2006 NYSlipOp 10136) (Date Decided 12/28/2006)

Eun Lee v Solimano (2006 NYSlipOp 08185) (Date Decided 11/14/2006)

Crane v Crane (2006 NYSlipOp 07833) (Date Decided 10/31/2006)

St. Clement v Casale (2006 NYSlipOp 03697) (Date Decided 5/11/2006)

Church v McCabe (2006 NYSlipOp 00309) (Date Decided 1/19/2006)

Murphy v Murphy (2005 NYSlipOp 10201) (Date Decided 12/29/2005)

Filippatos v Filippatos (2005 NYSlipOp 07590) (Date Decided 10/13/2005)

Ritz v Ritz (2005 NYSlipOp 06375) (Date Decided 8/11/2005)

Haynes v Haynes (2005 NYSlipOp 04501) (Date Decided 6/7/2005)

Spector v Spector (2005 NYSlipOp 04315) (Date Decided 5/26/2005)

Weinstein v Weinstein (2005 NYSlipOp 03778) (Date Decided 5/10/2005)

Hale v Hale (2005 NYSlipOp 01997) (Date Decided 3/17/2005)

IBE Trade Corp. v Litvinenko (2005 NYSlipOp 01624) (Date Decided 3/3/2005)

Sygrove v Sygrove (2005 NYSlipOp 01277) (Date Decided 2/22/2005)

Sygrove v Sygrove (2005 NYSlipOp 01278) (Date Decided 2/22/2005)

Bartha v Bartha (2005 NY Slip Op 00450) (Date Decided 1/27/2005)

Mitnick v Rosenthal (2005 NYSlipOp 00357) (Date Decided 1/25/2005)

Matter of Dier (2004 NYSlipOp 09227) (Date Decided 12/14/2004)

Lewittes v Blume (2004 NYSlipOp 09016) (Date Decided 12/7/2004)

Cahen-Vorburger v Vorburger (2004 NYSlipOp 08599) (Date Decided 11/23/2004)

Lewittes v Lewittes (2004 NYSlipOp 08148) (Date Decided 11/16/2004)

McCarthy v McCarthy (2004 NYSlipOp 07775) (Date Decided 10/28/2004)

Racz v Racz (2004 NYSlipOp 07446) (Date Decided 10/19/2004)

St. Clement v Londa (2004 NYSlipOp 04863) (Date Decided 6/10/2004)

Haynes v Haynes (2004 NYSlipOp 01711) (Date Decided 3/16/2004)

Ligreci v Ligreci (2004 NYSlipOp 01680) (Date Decided 3/11/2004)

J.A. v S.A. (2004 NYSlipOp 01217) (Date Decided 2/24/2004)

Caffrey v Caffrey (2003 NYSlipOp 19802) (Date Decided 12/23/2003)

Lewittes v Lewittes (2003 NYSlipOp 19669) (Date Decided 12/18/2003)

Rubin v Rubin (2003 NYSlipOp 18414) (Date Decided 11/18/2003)

Tzo Kao Chang v Wei Qing Liu (2003 NYSlipOp 18336) (Date Decided 11/13/2003)