Lightman v. Flaum
New York Court of Appeals
97 N.Y.2d 128, 761 N.E.2d 1027 (2001)
- Written by Miller Jozwiak, JD
Facts
Chani Lightman (plaintiff) sought a divorce from her husband. Lightman also sought custody of the couple’s children. Lightman’s husband opposed the request and submitted affirmations from Rabbi Tzvi Flaum and Rabbi David Weinberger (rabbis) (defendants). These affirmations contained alleged intimate details of the Lightmans’ relationship. The rabbis later claimed, based on Jewish doctrine, that the details were not confidential because they were not given for spiritual purposes. After the disclosures, Lightman sued the rabbis for, as relevant here, breach of fiduciary duty by disclosing confidential information. The rabbis moved for summary judgment on this claim, which the district court denied. The intermediate appellate court reversed, and Lightman sought review.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Graffeo, J.)
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