December 13, 2019

Market St. Surgical Ctr. v Autoone Ins. Co. (2019 NY Slip Op 52054(U))

Headnote

The main issue in this case was whether the court should vacate a default judgment in favor of the defendant. The court held that in order to vacate a default in opposing a motion, the moving party must demonstrate both a reasonable excuse for the default and the existence of a meritorious defense to the motion. The court found that the plaintiff failed to demonstrate a meritorious defense to the defendant's motion, and, therefore, the plaintiff's motion to vacate the default judgment should have been denied. As a result, the court reversed the order granting the plaintiff's motion to vacate and reinstated the order granting summary judgment in favor of the defendant.

Reported in New York Official Reports at Market St. Surgical Ctr. v Autoone Ins. Co. (2019 NY Slip Op 52054(U))

Market St. Surgical Ctr. v Autoone Ins. Co. (2019 NY Slip Op 52054(U)) [*1]

Market St. Surgical Ctr. v Autoone Ins. Co.

2019 NY Slip Op 52054(U) [66 Misc 3d 129(A)]

Decided on December 13, 2019

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This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.

Decided on December 13, 2019

SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE TERM, SECOND DEPARTMENT, 2d, 11th and 13th JUDICIAL DISTRICTS

PRESENT: : MICHAEL L. PESCE, P.J., THOMAS P. ALIOTTA, BERNICE D. SIEGAL, JJ
2018-1281 K C

Market Street Surgical Center, as Assignee of Kayon Clarke-Mille, Respondent,
against
Autoone Insurance Company, Appellant.

Law Office of Jason Tenenbaum, P.C. (Jason Tenenbaum of counsel), for appellant. Law Offices of Benjamin M. Pinczewski, P.C. (Damin J. Toell of counsel), for respondent.

Appeal from an order of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County (Harriet L. Thompson, J.), entered November 22, 2017. The order granted plaintiff’s motion to vacate an order of the same court (Devin P. Cohen, J.) entered January 14, 2016 granting, on default, defendant’s motion for, among other things, summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

ORDERED that the order entered November 22, 2017 is reversed, with $30 costs, plaintiff’s motion to vacate the order entered January 14, 2016 is denied and the order entered January 14, 2016 is reinstated.

In this action by a provider to recover assigned first-party no-fault benefits, defendant appeals from an order of the Civil Court which granted plaintiff’s motion to vacate an order of that court entered January 14, 2016 granting, on default, defendant’s motion for, among other things, summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

“Pursuant to CPLR 5015 (a) (1), a court may vacate a default in opposing a motion where the moving party demonstrates both a reasonable excuse for the default and the existence of a meritorious defense to the motion” (SS Constantine & Helen’s Romanian Orthodox Church of Am. v Z. Zindel, Inc., 44 AD3d 744, 744-745 [2007]). As plaintiff failed to demonstrate that it possessed a meritorious defense to defendant’s motion, plaintiff’s motion to vacate its default should have been denied.

Accordingly, the order entered November 22, 2017 is reversed, plaintiff’s motion to vacate the order entered January 14, 2016 is denied and the order entered January 14, 2016 is reinstated.

PESCE, P.J., ALIOTTA and SIEGAL, JJ., concur.

ENTER:
Paul Kenny
Chief Clerk
Decision Date: December 13, 2019