Thank you all for your sympathetic messages reguarding my mishap.  I just put
400 miles on the van without any apparent resulting problems.  I do still
wonder if any hidden damage is commonly done by jacking the vehicle by the
tranny.  Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?
    Reguarding the legal issues: NYC has to be the most lawless and reckless
place when it comes to mechanics and their shops.  You must make appointments
with them.  Its sort of like making an appointment with a politician, satan
and hopefully god all at once.  Whichever one of the three gets the job done
is then thanked profusely and over rewarded for their efforts of throwing in
stop leak or STP into your vehicle.  If you happen to find a good honest
mechanic, you can be sure that his reputation will spread among friends as
quickly as a Saint's would.
Its the same with laundry of course(you are just thankful they didn't ruin
your clothes).   As for arming myself with a 12'r shotgun, although
understandeable and even forgiveable by a trial of your peers,  I suspect
that most shops here are already heavily armed and ready for any assault,
unless you pay in cash of course.
  Thanks
Yours
Andrew