April 16, 2015

Priority Med. Diagnostics, P.C. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire, Ins. Co. (2015 NY Slip Op 50538(U))

Headnote

The relevant facts the court considered were that defendant-insurer made a prima facie showing that it timely and properly mailed notices for independent medical examinations (IMEs) to plaintiff's assignor, who then failed to appear. The main issue decided was whether the defendant-insurer was entitled to summary judgment dismissing the plaintiff-provider's claim for first-party no-fault benefits. The holding of the case was that the defendant's motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint was granted, as they had provided competent evidence of the assignor's nonappearance and the mailing of the IME notices, and the plaintiff did not raise a triable issue with respect to these facts.

Reported in New York Official Reports at Priority Med. Diagnostics, P.C. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire, Ins. Co. (2015 NY Slip Op 50538(U))

Priority Med. Diagnostics, P.C. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire, Ins. Co. (2015 NY Slip Op 50538(U)) [*1]

Priority Med. Diagnostics, P.C. v New York Cent. Mut. Fire, Ins. Co.

2015 NY Slip Op 50538(U) [47 Misc 3d 137(A)]

Decided on April 16, 2015

Appellate Term, First 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This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports.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 April 16, 2015

SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE TERM, FIRST DEPARTMENT
PRESENT: Schoenfeld, J.P., Ling-Cohan, J.
570005/14

Priority Medical Diagnostics, P.C., a/a/o Julio Espinal, Plaintiff-Respondent,
against
New York Central Mutual Fire, Insurance Company, Defendant-Appellant.

Defendant appeals from an order of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Bronx County (Raul Cruz, J.), entered February 9, 2012, which denied its motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

Per Curiam.

Order (Raul Cruz, J.) entered February 9, 2012, reversed, without costs, and defendant’s motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint is granted. The Clerk is directed to enter judgment accordingly.

The defendant-insurer made a prima facie showing of entitlement to summary judgment dismissing the plaintiff-provider’s claim for first-party no-fault benefits by establishing that it timely and properly mailed the notices for independent medical examinations (IMEs) to plaintiff’s assignor, and that the assignor failed to appear (see American Tr. Ins. Co. v Lucas, 111 AD3d 423 [2013]; American Tr. Ins. Co. v Solorzano, 108 AD3d 449 [2013]). The affidavit of defendant’s third-party IME scheduler, who had personal knowledge of his office’s standard mailing practices and procedures, sufficiently established the mailing of the IME notices (see Preferred Mut. Ins. Co. v Donnelly, 22 NY3d 1169 [2014]). Defendant also submitted competent evidence of the assignor’s nonappearance in the form of the sworn affidavits of the scheduled examining chiropractor and acupuncturist, as well as the IME scheduler, setting forth sufficient facts to demonstrate the affiants’ personal knowledge of the assignor’s repeated failures to appear for the IMEs and the office practices and policies when an assignor fails to appear (see American Tr. Ins. Co. v Lucas, 111 AD3d at 424).

In opposition, plaintiff did not specifically deny the assignor’s nonappearance or otherwise raise a triable issue with respect thereto, or as to the mailing or reasonableness of the underlying notices (see Unitrin Advantage Ins. Co. v Bayshore Physical Therapy, PLLC, 82 AD3d 559, 560 [2011], lv denied 17 NY3d 705 [2011]).

THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER OF THE COURT.

I concur I concur
Decision Date: April 16, 2015