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Kamen v. City of New York

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Jan 14, 1991
169 A.D.2d 705 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)

Opinion

January 14, 1991

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


Ordered that the judgment is affirmed insofar as appealed from, with costs.

The instant action arose as a result of a two-car collision on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn. The injured plaintiff, Ruth Kamen, was a passenger in the car owned and operated by her husband Gilbert Kamen. Gilbert Kamen died in the accident. The Kamens were driving westbound when a station wagon owned and operated by the defendant Harold Brown, traveling in the opposite direction, jumped the median guardrail and struck the Kamen's car head on. An action was commenced against Harold Brown for, inter alia, negligent driving and the City of New York for, inter alia, negligent maintenance of the median guardrail as well as the nearby concrete curb. After a trial by jury, a judgment was entered in favor of the plaintiff and against the driver who was found to be 100% at fault. The action against the City of New York was dismissed after a finding of no liability.

The plaintiff claims that the defense counsel for the City of New York made several improper comments during the course of the trial. However, the plaintiff's failure to move for a mistrial on the grounds which she now claims constituted reversible error amounted to a waiver of these objections (see, Scott v Mason, 155 A.D.2d 655, 657; Kane v Zade, 63 A.D.2d 993; Reilly v Wright, 55 A.D.2d 544, 545; Dunne v Lemberg, 54 A.D.2d 955, 956; Moore v Town of Huntington, 39 A.D.2d 764). In any event, we have determined that the plaintiff received a fair and proper trial. The comments complained of do not rise to the level of the type of error mandating reversal (see, e.g., Vassura v Taylor, 117 A.D.2d 798; Weinberger v City of New York, 97 A.D.2d 819; Giuamara v O'Donnell, 96 A.D.2d 1049; Caraballo v City of New York, 86 A.D.2d 580).

Moreover, we find unpersuasive the plaintiff's claim that the verdict was against the weight of the credible evidence. It is well settled that a jury verdict will not be set aside absent a showing that the jurors could not have reached their verdict on any fair interpretation of the evidence (see, Vebeliunas v American Natl. Fire Ins. Co., 156 A.D.2d 555, 556; Maldonado v Sunshine, 156 A.D.2d 341; Nelson v City of New Rochelle, 154 A.D.2d 661; Kutanovski v DeCicco, 152 A.D.2d 540; Nicastro v Park, 113 A.D.2d 129, 133). A review of the evidence adduced in this case demonstrates that a fair basis existed for the verdict in the city's favor.

We have reviewed the plaintiff's remaining contention regarding the nondisclosure of discoverable documents and find it to be without merit. Thompson, J.P., Kunzeman, Lawrence and O'Brien, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Kamen v. City of New York

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Jan 14, 1991
169 A.D.2d 705 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)
Case details for

Kamen v. City of New York

Case Details

Full title:RUTH K. KAMEN, Individually and as Executrix of GILBERT S. KAMEN…

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

Date published: Jan 14, 1991

Citations

169 A.D.2d 705 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)
564 N.Y.S.2d 190

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