Can You Sue a 4 year old? Yes, You Can.

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The New York Supreme court has redefined the legal age of accountability. This comes from an October 1, 2010 ruling from Justice Paul Wooten who determined that it is possible for a 4 year old to be negligent. As a result, there is a negligence suit against a 4 year old child. The details are laid out in the New York Times,

Two years ago Juliet Breitman and Jacob Kohn, both four at the time, were racing their bicycles on a sidewalk. The bicycles had training wheels. Juliet ran into an 87 year-old woman, resulting in a hip fracture that required surgery. Three weeks later, the woman died.

NY to fix scandal-ridden juvenile prisons

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The Department of Justice is threatening a federal takeover of New York state’s juvenile detention centers after a scathing investigation found children got little schooling, some had broken bones from  routine beatings, and young people with mental illness or drug addiction were held with violent offenders. To avert a takeover, Governor David Paterson has introduced legislation to fix the problems.  As the New York Times reports, the plan would stop judges from sending children to state juvenile prisons unless they are guilty of a violent crime or sex crime, or they are a serious threat to the community.   The bill would also create an independent office to monitor and investigate problems.  The GovMonitor reports the independent investigators would report directly to the Governor and the Legislature. The New York juvenile prison system currently houses 700 young people in 26 facilities.