Mid Atl. Med., P.C. v Harleysville Worcester Ins. Co. |
2009 NY Slip Op 50736(U) [23 Misc 3d 132(A)] |
Decided on April 16, 2009 |
Appellate Term, Second Department |
Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. |
This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports. |
Appeal from an order of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County (Bernard J.
Graham, J.), entered October 11, 2007. The order granted defendant's motion for summary
judgment dismissing the complaint.
Order affirmed without costs.
In this action by a provider to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits, defendant
moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint on the ground that neither its insured nor
its insured's vehicle was involved in the subject hit-and-run
accident, which allegedly occurred in Brooklyn, New York. In support of its motion,
defendant annexed affidavits from its insured and its insured's wife in which they stated that
although they own a 1995 Oldsmobile, they live in Fredonia, New York and neither they nor
their vehicle was involved in an accident in Brooklyn. They further stated that they are the only
individuals who have access to their vehicle and that they have not been to Brooklyn in over 30
years. In opposition to the motion, plaintiff proffered only an affirmation from its attorney in
which he argued that defendant's papers did not make a prima facie showing entitling it to
summary judgment. The Civil Court granted defendant's motion, and the instant appeal by
plaintiff ensued.
We find that defendant made a prima facie showing that its insured's vehicle was not
involved in the hit-and-run accident in which plaintiff's assignor was allegedly injured.
Consequently, to defeat defendant's motion for summary judgment, plaintiff had to set forth facts
sufficient to demonstrate a triable issue of fact (see Friends of Animals, Inc. v Associated Fur
Mfrs., 46 NY2d 1065 [1979]). Since plaintiff failed to do
so, the Civil Court properly granted defendant's motion for summary judgment dismissing
the [*2]complaint (see Zuckerman v City of New York,
49 NY2d 557 [1980]).
Pesce, P.J., Weston and Golia, JJ., concur.
Decision Date: April 16, 2009