From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Castano v. Synergy Gas Corporation

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
May 11, 1998
250 A.D.2d 640 (N.Y. App. Div. 1998)

Opinion

May 11, 1998

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Kings County (Shaw, J.).


Ordered that the order is reversed, on the law, with costs, the motion is granted, and the complaint is dismissed.

The Supreme Court improperly denied the defendants' motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint. The defendants established a prima facie case that the injured plaintiff did not sustain a serious injury ( see, Gaddy v. Eyler, 79 N.Y.2d 955, 956-957), thereby shifting the burden to the plaintiffs to raise a triable question of fact on that issue ( see, Licari v. Elliot, 57 N.Y.2d 230, 235; Lopez v. Senatore, 65 N.Y.2d 1017). The plaintiffs failed to meet this burden.

The unsworn reports of the injured plaintiff's treating physician and chiropractor should not be considered, as they were not submitted in admissible form ( see, Grasso v. Angerami, 79 N.Y.2d 813, 814). Additionally, the respective affidavits submitted by these medical providers were insufficient to raise a triable issue of fact. Their statements of permanent injury were patently tailored to meet the statutory requirements ( see, Lopez v. Senatore, 65 N.Y.2d 1017, 1019, supra; Antorino v. Mordes, 202 A.D.2d 528), and their conclusions were based upon examinations performed in 1994, three years before the affidavits were prepared ( see, Schultz v. Von Voight, 216 A.D.2d 451, 452, affd 86 N.Y.2d 865; Beckett v. Conte, 176 A.D.2d 774; Philpotts v. Petrovic, 160 A.D.2d 856, 857).

Finally, the plaintiff's subjective complaints of pain, without evidence of an objective underlying injury, were insufficient to establish a serious injury as defined by Insurance Law § 5102 (d) ( see, Scheer v. Koubek, 70 N.Y.2d 678; Iglesias v. Inland Freightways, 209 A.D.2d 479, 480).

Mangano, P. J., Miller, Pizzuto and Krausman, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Castano v. Synergy Gas Corporation

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
May 11, 1998
250 A.D.2d 640 (N.Y. App. Div. 1998)
Case details for

Castano v. Synergy Gas Corporation

Case Details

Full title:ANTOINETTE CASTANO et al., Respondents, v. SYNERGY GAS CORPORATION et al.…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: May 11, 1998

Citations

250 A.D.2d 640 (N.Y. App. Div. 1998)
672 N.Y.S.2d 417

Citing Cases

Watt v. Eastern Investigative Bureau

However, the record does not contain objective evidence to support Watt's claim that his injury prevented him…

Taylor v. George Hildebrandt Inc.

In any event, the limitations of motion of plaintiff's cervical spine reported and quantified by the Dr.…