Alerting Park Slope Lesbians and Chelsea Boys: Court Denies Gay Partner Right to Sue

If you're thinking of having a Vermont civil union and then living in the city, it might be time to think again about what rights you may or may not have, as a Brooklyn appellate court ruled that the partner of a man who was died of injuries sustained in a notorious hit-and-run cannot sue St. Vincent's Hospital for malpractice. Neal Spicehandler was one of the victims after Ronald Popadich ran his car into midtown pedestrians in 2002. Spicehandler only had a broken leg, later dying of an embollism; in 2003, his partner John Langan and his mother sued St. Vincent's for wrongful death. Yesterday, the Brooklyn Appellate ruled, 3-2, that Langan and Spicehandler's 2000 civil union in Vermont could not be seen as a marriage because NY State doesn't recognize same-sex partnerships. Langan and Lambda are taking the case to the state's court of appeals, which should be interesting given that the Manhattan Supreme Court Justice ruled that a gay marriage ban was unconstitutional. Now that Mayor Bloomberg will have Brian Ellner on his campaign staff, Gothamist is curious is he'll be posed with more questions about his stance about gay marriage. It seems like he might have to step up and away from using NY State's laws as an excuse not to support gay rights.