The Appellate Division, First Department, yesterday suspended attorney Amy Gurvey for six months for abusing the courts in a decade-long litigation where Gurvey claimed she was fraudulently induced to vacate a federally subsidized apartment. According to the decision, that litigation led to two Civil Court decisions and one Supreme Court decision imposing sanctions against Gurvey of $8,783. Gurvey’s conduct was “indicative of harassment and an abuse of the judicial process” and “mean spirited and vexatious,” according to the panel.
In April 2005, the Departmental Disciplinary Committee issued a letter of admonition against Gurvey. She demanded that the letter be vacated, and the committee responded by filing a collateral estoppel petition against her based on previous sanctions orders. The First Department granted the petition and remanded the matter to the committee for a hearing on further sanctions.
